IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ARRANGEMENT OF DAVITS, CHOCKS, & OTHER GEAR FOR CARRYING SHIPS' BOATS AND PLACING THEM IN THE WATER, APPLICABLE ALSO FOR MANIPULATING THE ANCHORS OF STEAM AND OTHER SHIPS
Year: 1879

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Hexter Watling at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th November 1879.
WILLIAM HEXTER WATLING, of Middlesbrough on Tees, in the County of York,
Master Mariner. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ARRANGEMENT OF DAVITS, CHOCKS, &
OTHER GEAR FOR CARRYING SHIPS' BOATS AND PLACING THEM IN THE WATER,
APPLICABLE ALSO FOR MANIPULATING THE ANCHORS OF STEAM AND OTHER SHIPS."
This Invention relates to a peculiar arrangement of davits, chocks, & other
gear for carrying ships' boats & placing them in the water when required,
applicable also for manipulating the anchors of steam & other ships, & consists
as follows:-
The davits for boats are straight pivotted on the deck & working in & out
in a suitable guide or frame strongly fixed to the deck. The upright parts of the
frame or standard are solid, whilst the horizontal part is made double so as to
permit of the davit working to & fro therein. This latter part is also fitted with
spring steel catches which lock the davits in their required position & hold them
firinly until the catches are drawn. On the outer end of the horizontal part of the
frame or standard, an elastic buffer may be fitted to take up the momentum of the
davit & boat when shoved out. To the inner end of the horizontal part of the
said frame, there is fixed a strong eyebolt with a spring attachment for the same
purpose as the buffer to which a stay from the davit head is fitted. For very light
boats both stay & spring may be dispensed with, in this case the frame
might be of a quadrantal form. The davits are by preference of a flattened section
admitting of a greater sustaining power. The heads of the davits are either bent
or curved slightly towards each other or fitted with a lug to admit of the blocks
hanging plumb from the davit heads to the hooks in the bow & stern of the boat.
The lower blocks of the tackle are fitted with rings, & the hooks are placed in
the stem & stern post of the boat, being provided or not as desired with a spring
tongue to obviate the risk of the boat accidentally unhooking itself under any
circumstances. The davit heads are connected by means of a spar fitted at both
ends with an iron gooseneck. A guy from forward to the fore davit & another
from aft to the after davit, fitted in sea phrase "standing, serve to support
the davits in their respective directions, & in conjunction with the spar between
the davits will support the whole apparatus in the most efficient manner. The
guys may be fitted with equal advantage & greater economy of space in the
following way: One from the fore davit to the eyebolt in the after frame or standard,
& the other from the after davit to the eyebolt in the forward frame. Skids are
"

page_text: to be placed on the deck as usual, & on them are mounted chocks, the inboard
parts of which may be either fixed or otherwise, whilst the outboard parts must be
loose & formed so as to drop down over & clear of the outer ends of the skids.
When the chock is slipped from under the boat, the lashings are thereby slacked
up, & may be thrown off the gunwale of the boat, & being fitted with slip links
they are readily detached. The tackle falls must be always kept taut & belayed
to the cleats fitted to the davits, so that no time may be lost when the boat is
required in case of emergency. A lever & rod will be supplied so as to release
the chocks (& therewith the lashings) & also the davits by means of a single
motion. The boat then hangs in her tackles, & may be shoved out at once.
Screw.or toothed gearing may be fitted to the frames or standards for moving the
davits in & out or for hoisting the boat, but this will be necessary only for very
heavy boats. A cover is to be fitted to the boat for the purpose of keeping out
dirt, snow, seas, sun, & above all such extraneous gear as frequently finds its way
into boats, the said cover being so arranged as to admit of instantaneous throwing
off. A tanned canvass cloth or cover of proper shape & rather wider than the
boat is attached to a ridge pole which rests in sockets or crutches at either end of
the boat. I prefer to make this cover rather shorter than the boat, so as to leave
the tackles & falls & painter clear at both ends & admit a free circulation
of air.
A lever or small wheel enables the cover to be tightened up after the edges have
been secured to the gunwale either by lacing or loops in the usual way. By means
of the lever or wheel the cover can be tightened & secured by a small lanyard to
one of the small bolts in the gunwale or other suitable place.
Similar davits applied to the forecastles of steam ships for working the anchors
will be found advantageous. When used for anchors the davits would also offer
the additional advantage of being convertible into use as anchor stocks, which
frequently break or get lost. A stay would be desirable for the forward anchor
davit, but no guys for either, by the absence of which the davits would be more
quickly drawn in in case of nearing another ship or quay.