Improvements in the Hulls of Vessels.
Year: 1894

page_text: Improvements in the Hulls of Vessels.
I, GEORGE WHEELWRIGHT SCHERMERHORN, of 231 Pine Street, in the City
and County of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, United States of America,.
Mariner, 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 :-
My invention relates to improvements in the construction of the bulls of
vessels, and more particularly to improvements in the shape of the lower part.
of the hull.
My invention relates further to improvements in the shape of the shoe or
ballast keel of the vessel, and to improvements in the location of bilge keels.
The form of the bottom of my vessel is that of one half of a circular
spindle, that is to say, its shape would conform to the figure formed by revolving
an arc of a circle about its chord, the chord being of a length corresponding to
the length of the vessel, and the versed sine of the arc being equal to one half
the breadth of the vessel amid-ships.
The bilge keels, in order to cause the least resistance to the passage of the
vessel through the water, are attached to the hull in such a manner that a plane-
passing longitudinally through them and parallel to their sides would also pass
longitudinally through the longitudinal axis of the lower part of the hull.
The upper works of the vessel may be constructed in any suitable manner.
In the accompanying drawings forming part of this Specification and in
which similar letters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several
views,
Fig. 1, is a bottom plan of a vessel constructed according to my said invention.
Fig. 2, a side elevation of the vessel;
Fig. 3, a half section of Fig. 2 on line 1-2, and
Fig. 4, a half section of Fig. 2 on line 3-4.
A is the lower part of the hull of the vessel the shape of which is that of
one half of a circular spindle, the ends of the spindle forming the ends of the
vessel.
B is the keel of the vessel and C the lead or iron ballast shoe which is bolted.
to the keel and which has the form of a segment of a circular spindle the upper
part of which lies against the keel.
D, Figs. 2, 3 and 4, are bilge keels which may be attached to the sides of
the vessel in any suitable manner. In order that they may offer the least.
resistance to the water they are placed radially to the hull, that is, they lie in
planes which pass through the longitudinal axis of the vessel.
The shape of my vessel may be modified to some extent without departing
from the spirit of my invention, for instance, the lower central part of the
vessel may have a half cylindrical shape and the ends may have the form shown,
in other words the vessel may be cut in half and lengthened by introducing a
section having a lower part of the form of one half of a cylinder the diameter of
which would correspond to the beam of the vessel amidships and which might.
have any length desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. A boat, the body portion of which beneath the load water-line is in the

page_text: form of a segment of a circular spindle, and having a ballast keel or shoe in
the form of a segment of a circular spindle, and a keel or dead wood secured
to and connecting said vessel and ballast shoe, substantially as described.
2. A spindle-formed boat provided with one or more bilge-keels on each side
thereof, and at such an angle therewith, that the plane of each keel, when
extended upward and inward through the vessel, would intersect the axial line
of the spindle, substantially as described.
Dated this 2nd day of April 1894.
GEORGE WHEELWRIGHT SCHERMERHORN..
D. Young & Co.,
11 & 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.