IMPROVED APPA- RATUS POR CLEANING AND PAINTING OR COATING THE BOTTOMS OF SHIPS AND OTHER STRUCTURES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Doyne Dwyer, of Warrington, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPA-
RATUS POR CLEANING AND PAINTING OR COATING THE BOTTOMS OF SHIPS AND
OTHER STRUCTURES."
Sealed the 15th March 1864, and dated the 18th September 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Doyne Dwyer
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 18th September 1863.
I, ROBERT DOYNE DWYER, of Warrington, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR CLEANING AND PAINTING OR COATING THE BOTTOMS OF SHIPS AND
OTHER STRUCTURES," to be as follows :-
The leading features of this Invention are the employment of flexible saw or
other blades, to which backward and forward, or reciprocating motions are
communicated for cleaning the bottoms of ships and other structures, and the
employment of flexible paint holders or pockets, with reciprocating brushes
therein of the same length as the saw or other blades, and to be used in con-
junction with the said cleaning blades or separately, but preferably the former,

page_text: for applying paint or other coating preparation to the bottom of ships and
other structures.
As the said improved apparatus can most advantageously and profitably be
used for cleaning and coating the bottoms or those parts under water of ship
and other vessels with curvilinear or flat surfaces, and when such ships o
vessels are moving through the water, herein-after the description will relate
to the modification of the Invention employed for that purpose.
The apparatus consists of two ribs of steel or other flexible material, one
end of each of which is jointed or coupled to a metal breech-piece, and the
other ends are left free, and terminate in floats. The said breech-piece i
similar in form to a ship's keel, towards its outer end are bearings for the axi
of a fan or archimedean screw, to which the saw or other cleaning blades and
the pockets brushes are connected by eccentrics or cranks. Both the cleaning
blades and the paint pockets with their reciprocating brushes are fitted into
to, or on the steel or other flexible ribs, and all these parts are preferably the
full length of the ship to be cleaned and coated from the keel to the load water
line. When the said submarine mechanical cleaner, and painter (or either the
cleaner or painter singly), which are composed mainly of the parts herein
before named, are to be put to work, the pockets are filled with paint or other
coating substance, and several chains or ropes to act as "guys," and for moving
the apparatus, are made fast to different parts. The whole apparatus is ther
swung over the bow of the ship. A chain, or two chains or ropes may be
used, attached to the breech-piece is or are led from thence aft, say, through
the stern davits, then forward and around the capstan, winch, or other engine
for transmitting motion, and finally, say, by way of the bow hawser holes
carried to the breech-piece and again made fast thereto, guy chains or ropes
are made fast to the floats on the ends of the ribs. If the chains or ropes are
now hauled taut, the former from stern to bow on deck, and the latter from
the bow aft, the breech-piece will be brought on to the keel, and the flexible
ribs with. the parts fitted thereto will closely fit the sides or skin of the ship
or vessel in two lines, one at each side. As soon as the apparatus is in posi
tion, the motion of the ship through the water will cause the fan or screw, the
axis of which rests in the breech-piece as before mentioned, to rotate. The
eccentrics or cranks on the said axis will then give reciprocating and cutting
or cleaning motion to the saw or other blades sufficient to remove the seaweed
and shell fish, the two main retarders of a ship's progress through the water
The brushes also by similar reciprocating motion will allow a portion of the
paint or other coating substance to escape from the pockets outwards either

page_text: through the brushes or by the side thereof, and such paint or other coating
preparation will then be well rubbed on by the brushes. The pressure of the
water will be sufficient to cause the coating substance, which should be of a
class to set quickly in water, to run out. The chains or ropes being constantly
moved to haul the apparatus aft, both sides of the ship will be thoroughly
cleaned and painted, or coated, and that all over, for the flexible ribs and the
parts thereto attached will accomodate themselves to the form of the ship or
vessel. Of course the action of the working parts is not entirely dependant on
the motion of the ship through the water. Chains from the deck could be
used, but as will be seen not so conveniently.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Doyne Dwyer in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 18th March 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
DOYNE DWYER, of Warrington, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her beirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the sail Robert Doyne. Dwyer, Her special license that I, the
said Robert Doyne Dwyer, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Robert Doyne Dwyer, 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 CLEANING AND PAINTING OR COATING THE BOTTOMS
OF SHIPS AND OTHER STRUCTURES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Robert Doyne Dwyer, 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 performed, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Doyne Dwyer, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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 (that is to say):-
The leading features of this Invention are the employment of flexible saw
or other blades to which backward and forward or reciprocating motions are
communicated for cleaning the bottoms of ships and other structures, and the
employment of flexible paint holders or pockets, with reciprocating brushes
therein, of the same length as the saw or other blades, and to be used in con
junction with the said cleaning blades, or separately, but preferably the former,
for applying paint or other coating preparation to the bottoms of ships and
other structures.
As the said improved apparatus can most advantageously and profitably be
used for cleaning and coating the bottoms or those parts under water of ships
and other vessels with curvilinear or flat surfaces, and when such ships
or vessels are moving through the water, herein-after the description will
principally relate to the modification of the Invention employed for that
purpose.
The apparatus consists of two ribs of steel or other flexible material, one end of
each of which is jointed or coupled to a metal breech-piece, and the other ends
are left free, and terminate in floats. The said breech-piece is similar in form
to a ship's keel, towards its outer end are bearings for the axis of a fan or
archimedean screw, to which the saw or other cleaning blades and the pockets'
brushes are connected by eccentrics or cranks. Both the cleaning blades and
the paint pockets, with their reciprocating brushes, are fitted into, to, or on
the steel or other flexible ribs, and all these parts are preferably the full depth
of the side of the ship to be cleaned and coated from the keel to the load
water line.
When the said submarine mechanical cleaner and painter (or either the
cleaner or painter singly), which are composed mainly of the parts herein-
before named, are to be put to work, the pockets are filled with paint or other
coating substance, and several chains or ropes to act as "guys," and for moving
the apparatus, are made fast to different parts: The whole apparatus is then
swung over the bow of the ship. A chain, or two chains or ropes may be
used, attached to the breech-piece is or are led from thence aft, say, through
the stern davits, then forward, and around the capstan, winch, or other engine
for transmitting motion, and finally, say, by way of the bow hawser-holes,
carried to the breech-piece, and again made fast thereto; "guy" chains or

page_text: ropes are made fast to the floats on the ends of the ribs. If the chains or
ropes are now hauled taut, the former (i. e. the breech chain or chains) from
stern to bow on deck, and the latter (i. e. the " guy " chains or ropes) from
the bow aft, the breech-piece will be brought on to the keel, and the flexible
ribs with the parts fitted thereto, will closely fit the sides or skin of the ship or
vessel in two lines vertical, or nearly so, one at each side. As soon as the
apparatus is in position, the motion of the ship through the water will cause
the fan or screw, the axis of which rests in the breech-piece as before men-
tioned, to rotate. The eccentrics or cranks on the said axis will then give
reciprocating and cutting or cleaning motion to the saw or other blades suffi-
cient to remove the seaweed and shell fish, the two main retarders of a ship's
progress through the water. The brushes also by similar reciprocating motion
will allow a portion of the paint or other coating substance to escape from the
pockets outwards, either through the brushes or by the side thereof, and such
paint or other coating preparation will there be well rubbed on by the brushes..
The pressure of the water will be sufficient to cause the coating substance,
which should be of a class to "set" quickly in water, to run out. The chains
or ropes being constantly moved to haul, the apparatus aft, both sides of the
ship will be thoroughly cleaned and painted or coated, and that all over, for
the flexible ribs and the parts thereto attached will accommodate themselves
to the form of the ship or vessel. Of cours the action of the working parts
is not entirely dependant on the motion of the ship through the water.
from the deck could be used.
Chains
The accompanying Sheet of Drawings, which will more clearly explain and
define details, contains views of two modifications of my Invention.
Fig. 1 is a midship sectional outline of a ship with my apparatus in
position; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of part of a ship with my apparatus also in
position; Fig. 3 is a front, Fig. 4 a side, and Fig. 5 a transverse sectional view of
steel ribs, cleaning saws, paint pockets and brushes drawn to an enlarged scale.
These five views represent that arrangement of my Invention made to work
by the motion of a ship through the water. Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9, are similar
views to Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, of an arrangement to be worked from the deck
of the ship, the cleaning saws only being shewn in use.
In Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, like letters of reference are used to denote the
same parts; thus a shews the ship's skin line; b, keel; c, deck; and d, bul-
warks; e is the breech-piece carrying the axis or shaft f of the screw or fan 9;
h, a bevel wheel on the said shaft f, gearing with other wheels i on the shaft j
to which the cranks & are secured. Connected to the cranks are the pieces 7,

page_text: guided when at work by the frames and rollers m, and coupled or secured to
the flexible ribs or frames n, which carry the cleaning saws o and paint
pockets and brushes. The paint pockets p are here shewn in position between
the flexible ribs or frames and the sides of the ship, and the fronts of such
pockets are made of a material capable of having bristles or fibres fastened
thereto to form a brush. Between the bristles or fibres p there are small
openings q which allow the paint or coating material to escape; rare strong
pieces of spring steel or other material secured to the breech-piece to keep the
cleaning saws and painters close up to the skin of the ship, near to the keel
the friction rollers s allow the parts to slide thereon. The flexible ribs and parts
thereto attached, or bars secured to the flexible ribs only, are passed through
between the floats and bands u. Such floats t are here shewn as barrels.
To the breech-piece e are secured the supporting ropes v, which terminate in
the blocks w. The said cast floats have ropes w³ thereto attached, which
meet and pass around the sheaves in the blocks w, thence upwards round the
guide pins y on to the deck of the ship; is the rope, which is carried aft
through the stern davits or other convenient parts, thence to the windlass,
capstan, winch, or other machine forward on deck, by the bow, say, through
the hawzer holes, to join the breech-piece by z¹.
a¹ is
The parts of Figs, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are represented by the same letters.
the ship; b, the breech-piece; c, the cleaning saws; of course the brushes
and painters could be put in the place of the saws when desired; d, the pulley
in the breech-piece, around which and over the rollers e¹ the chain f¹ works.
Workmen on deck give reciprocating motion to the cleaning saws by drawing
first on one rope g' and then on the other g¹; h¹ are the supporting ropes;
., the ropes for drawing the whole working apparatus aft or forward as may
be desired. Of course the former would usually be adopted. A coating sub-
stance or paint, which would "set" quickly under water can be made or
prepared by mixing petroleum, preferably crude lard, oil, tallow, and
plumbago.
Having now described the nature and particulars of my said Invention, and
shewn how the same may be carried into effect, I would have it understood
that I do not confine myself to the exact details herein laid down and shewn
on the Drawings, but what I claim is, cleaning and painting, or coating or
cleaning separately, and painting or coating separately, the bottoms of ships and
other structures by reciprocating, or backwards and forwards motion obtained
by the passage of a ship or vessel through the water, or by power applied
alternately to the parts brought on to the deck, to give alternate or recipro-

page_text: cating motion, substantially as herein set forth and shown on the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Doyne Dwyer, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
In the presence of,
JOHN THOMSON KING,
Patent Agent,
Liverpool.
ROBERT DOYNE DWYER. (L.S.)