IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR THE INSTANTANEOUS LOWERING AND DETACHING OF SHIPS' BOATS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Chaplin, of the Adelphi, in the County of.
Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR THE
INSTANTANEOUS LOWERING AND DETACHING OF SHIPS' BOATS."
Sealed the 5th September 1865, and dated the 29th March 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Chaplin at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 29th
March 1865.
I, ALEXANDER CHAPLIN, of the Adelphi, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR THE INSTANTANEOUS LOWERING AND DETACHING OF SHIPS' BOATS,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements upon certain apparatus described in -
the Specification of Letters Patent granted to Henry Cutcliffe Gamble, dated
22nd February 1864, No. 443, whereby such apparatus is rendered simpler
and more certain in its operation, and the possibility of one end of the boat.
becoming unhooked before the other is entirely obviated. Instead of employing
a long roller parallel to the ship's rail, around which to coil the "davit, tackle.
falls," I use a short flanged drum placed either vertically or horizontally on a
spindle fixed to the rail about midway between the two-davits, and I pass the
"falls" round guide rollers or "snatch blocks" attached to the davits just
above the ship's rail, or to the rail near the davit, and they are then coiled,

page_text: round (the ends being previously fixed to the said drum), a flange in the
centre of the latter preventing the overlapping of the coils. To one side of
the drum is fixed a grooved friction wheel, round which one or more turns of
a rope are taken; one end of this rope is made fast to the ship's rail and the
other end is held by the person in charge (whether in the ship or in the boat),
and on slacking this rope the boat is lowered instantaneously by its own
weight. The balanced disengaging hooks which I purpose to employ are
placed immediately beneath the thwarts, and the eyes or rings on the blocks
pass through holes in the latter. The form of these hooks is that of a lever
bent at an obtuse angle, both arms being of about equal length, and the top
of the upper arm being formed into a hook, so that when the hooks are placed
in the eyes of the blocks the lower arms are held out of the perpendicular
position, and these levers are so weighted or balanced that their constant
tendency is for the lower arms to fall into the perpendicular position, and
hence to withdraw the hooks from the eyes. The lower ends of these levers
are connected together by a longitudinal rod jointed thereto at each end and
running along just above the keel of the boat, so that the action of the two
hooks must of necessity be simultaneous. It will hence be evident that when
the boat is lowered by slacking the friction rope as above described the instant
she reaches the water, and the weight is consequently taken off the tackle, both
hooks simultaneously fall out of their respective eyes and the boat is instan-
taneously cast loose. The weight of the boat will keep the hooks in their
places till she touches the water; but as a further security whilst hanging at
the davits the hooks may be tied to the latter by a piece of spun yarn, which
will be broken by the weight of the boat as soon as it begins to descend, or
the balanced levers may be tied to the thwarts, in which case the man in the
boat would have to cut the lanyard before the boat can be cast loose. The
person in charge of the boat may also (if he see fit) control the action of the
hooks by a slight pressure of his hand on one of the balanced levers, and
"hold on" the boat to the tackles or "let go" at pleasure.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Alexander Chaplin, Her special licence that I, the said Alexander
Chaplin, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Alexander Chaplin, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein. expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR THE INSTANTANEOUS LOWERING AND DETACHING OF SHIPS' BOATS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alexander Chaplin, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Chaplin, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement in writing, and on reference to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings,
that is to say
This Invention relates to improvements upon certain apparatus described
in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to Henry Cutliffe Gamble, dated
the Twenty-second day of February, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four,
No. 443, whereby such apparatus is rendered simpler and more certain in its
operation, and the possibility of one end of the boat becoming unhooked before
the other is entirely obviated. Instead of employing a long roller parallel to
the ship's rail, around which to coil the "davit tackle falls," I use a short
flanged drum placed either vertically or horizontally on a spindle fixed to the
rail about midway between the two davits, and I pass the "falls" round guide
rollers or "snatch blocks" attached to the davits just above the ship's rail, or
to the rail near the davit, and they are then coiled round, and the ends being
previously fixed to the said drum, a flange in the centre of the latter preventing
the overlapping of the coils. To one side of the drum is fixed a grooved
friction wheel, round which one or more turns of a rope are taken; one end
of this rope is made fast to the ship's rail and the other end is held by the

page_text: person in charge (whether in the ship or in the boat), and on slacking this
rope the boat is lowered instantaneously by its own weight. The balanced
disengaging hooks which I propose to employ are placed immediately beneath
the thwarts, and the eyes or rings on the blocks pass through holes in the
latter. The form of these hooks is that of a lever bent at an obtuse angle,
both arms being of about equal length, and the top of the upper arm being
formed into a hook, so that when the hooks are placed in the eyes of the
blocks the lower arms are held out of the perpendicular position; and these
levers are so weighted or balanced that their constant tendency is for the
lower arms to fall into the perpendicular position, and hence to withdraw the
hooks from the eyes. The lower ends of these levers are connected together
by a longitudinal rod jointed thereto at each end and running along just above
the keel of the boat, so that the action of the two hooks must of necessity be
simultaneous. It will hence be evident that when the boat is lowered by
slacking the friction rope, as above described, the instant she reaches the water,
and the weight is consequently taken off the tackle, both hooks simultaneously
fall out of their respective eyes and the boat is instantaneously cast loose.
The weight of the boat will keep the hooks in their places till she touches the
water, but as a further security, whilst hanging at the davits the hooks may
be tied to the latter by a piece of spun yarn, which will be broken by the
weight of the boat as soon as it begins to descend, or the balance levers may
be tied to the thwarts, in which case the man in the boat would have to cut
the lanyard before the boat could be cast loose. The person in charge of the
boat may also (if he see fit) control the action of the hooks by a slight
pressure of his hand on one of the balanced levers, and "hold on" the boat
to the tackles or "let go" at pleasure.
.
"
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention for Improved
Apparatus for the Instantaneous Lowering and Detaching of Ships' Boats,"
I will now proceed to describe more in detail the manner in which the same
is to be or may be performed or carried into practical effect; and in order
that the same may be distinctly understood I have annexed hereunto a Sheet
of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked the same with figures
and letters of reference corresponding with those in the following explanation
thereof, that is to say:-
In the annexed Drawing Figure 1 represents a transverse section of a part of
a ship's side with a boat suspended from the davits by means of my improved
apparatus, and Figure 2 is a side view of the same, the boat being drawn in
longitudinal section in order to show more clearly the working parts of the
apparatus,

page_text: a, a, represents part of the ship's side, and b, b, the boat suspended from the
davits c, c, by the "davit tackle falls" d, d; these falls pass round the
guide rollers or "snatch blocks" 'e, e, (fixed to the davits or to the ship's rail),
and are coiled round the central drum f,f, their ends being attached thereto,
and the "falls" are so coiled round the drum (one on each side of the central
flange 9, 9,) that they shall be wound on or off simultaneously. To one side
of the drum ff, is fixed the friction wheel h, h, round which one or more
turns of a friction rope or cord i, i, are taken, one end of the said rope being
fixed permanently to the ship's side, and the other hitched round the belaying
pin k, k, (see Figure 1); on slacking this friction rope the boat is instan-
taneously lowered by its own weight.
The automatic disengaging of the boat on reaching the water is effected as
follows: Each of the lower sheave blocks I, 1, running in the "bight" of the
"falls" is provided with an eye or ring, which eyes pass respectively through
holes in the thwarts and are held by the upper hooked ends of the disengaging
levers m, m.
These levers are bent at an obtuse angle and weighted at n, n,
so as to have a constant tendency for their lower arms to fall into a perpen-
dicular position, and so withdraw the hooks at their upper ends and release
the boat from the blocks I, 1, and the lower ends of these levers are connected
together. by a rod o, o, running along between the bottom boards and the keel
of the boat, so that the levers must both act simultaneously.
66
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention for
Improved Apparatus for the Instantaneous Lowering and Detaching of
Ships' Boats," together with the manner in which the same is to be or may
be performed or carried into practical effect, I would remark in conclusion
that I claim as my Invention the improved apparatus for such purposes. as
shewn in the Drawing annexed and above described, or any mere imitation or
modification thereof, constructed and operating in substantially the same or a
similar manner.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Chaplin, have hereunto set
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
my
ALEXR. CHAPLIN. (L.B.)