Improved Vessels and Appliances for Raising, Moving, and Disposing Submerged Ships.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 11th July, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 11th Apr., 1893-Accepted, 11th July, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Vessels and Appliances for Raising, Moving, and Disposing
Submerged Ships.
I CHARLES STRUTT of No. 19, Francis Street, Stratford, Essex, Mechanician,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
It is proposed to use new and improved vessels fitted as ships, but covered in so
that they may be lowered beneath the surface of the water, and furnished with one
or more towers which could be lowered telescopically into the hull of the vessel,
each such vessel being supplied with means of propulsion, engines, pumps, and tackle
for compressing air, forcing water, hoisting and operating; or may be partially or
wholly propelled, towed or operated from without.
On the arrival of the said vessels over where the sunken ship is they would be
disposed and moored or fastened so as to be one or more on each side thereof. Their
moorings being thereupon tightened, water let in, and the vessels' towers raised,
their hulls would then sink and be beneath the surface, and the towers alone project
above water, there would thus be no motion from the action of the waves and nothing
to break or strain the ropes or tackle. A diver then descending to the ship about
to be raised makes several attachments thereto by means of the special improved
apparatus, to be hereinafter described, in manner following that is to say: drill a
hole in the skin or shell of the ship, tap said hole and screw a bolt in, said bolt
being through a plate or eye with an attachment to a strong rope the upper end of
which would be attached to and operated from one of the lifting vessels, as many
ropes as necessary, each being equally strained according to its strength or require-
ments when all necessary attachments have been made, that is, ropes from the
sunken ship to the lifting vessels-as many as needed-and all drawn tight, and air
being forced into the lifting vessels the water would be driven out and the whole
would rise, but the lifting vessels would not be raised to the surface, but be
slightly below so that the waves would rise and fall only on the towers, and the
hulls remain steady, the whole could then be propelled or towed as required.
When favorable weather or a harbour was reached the sunken ship would be
raised above the surface, the damage temporarily stopped and so pumped out and
floated into dock to be dealt with as convenient.
A water engine, automatically worked from above, with drilling, tapping and
screwing machines attached, would be held in place by means of exhausted flexible-
edged cups pressed against the side of the sunken ship where any requisite
attachment was to be made.
The shrouds or cables or any other means may also be used in any available
way.
The foregoing appliances, or any part thereof may be used for lifting, moving
or disposing weights or ponderous bodies of any description.
Having now described the nature of and manner of working the said invention,
I declare that what I claim is the use of vessels specially constructed to float
upon or beneath the surface of the water and attachment to sunken vessels by
screw bolts and ropes and operating same substantially as described.
Dated this 11th day July 1892.
CHARLES STRUTT.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Vessels and Appliances for Raising, Moving, and Disposing
Submerged Ships.
I CHARLES STRUTT of 19 Francis Street Stratford in the County of Essex
Gas Fitter do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
This invention has for its object the raising moving or disposing of sunken
ships or other ponderous or weighty bodies.
For this purpose I use vessels (a) so constructed and covered in and fitted
with towers or air shafts that they may float upon the surface as an ordinary
ship or partly or wholly submerged by means of water admitted or forced out
by means of compressed air as required.
In carrying out my invention two or more of the improved vessels proceed to
the sunken ship and are placed one or more on each side thereof a diver then
proceeds to make connections thereto as follows A drilling machine attached to
2 or more cups with flexible edges being lowered the diver conducts the same
to the place where the attachment is to be made the water being pumped from
the cups they adhere to skin or shell of the sunken ship and by means of hydraulic
engines worked from vessels above by means of flexible tubes a hole is drilled
tapped and a screw inserted the said screw may be made as a drill and to tap
its own hole the said screw being through a hole or coupling attached to a rope
forming an attachment for lifting.
The lifting vessels may now have water admitted the slack of the ropes taken
up the vessels would be beneath the surface of the water and not being subject
to the undulations thereof would be steady while the rest of the attachments was
made.
The attachments being all made water would be expelled from the lifting
vessels by air being forced in when the whole would rise the sunken vessel being
lifted from the bottom but the lifting vessels still below the surface and could
then be towed or propelled as required.
When quiet or shallow water was reached the arrangement could be altered
by using girders as shown in drawing, the vessel could then be lifted above the
surface the damage stopped the water pumped out and floated into dock as
required.

page_text: apparatus or tackle and may be raised by expelling the water therefrom by
means of compressed air.
(2) The attachment to the ship to be lifted by means of screws plates and
ropes and the drilling screwing and fixing same by the use of a drilling and
screwing machine operated by water power and temporarily held in place by
means of exhausted cups with flexible edges.
(3) The combination and arrangement of parts constituting an apparatus for
raising sunken ships as hereinbefore described in reference to drawings and
description as already set forth and described.
Tune 10th 1902
CHARLES STRUTT.