Improved Boat Lowering and Disconnecting Gear.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Sept., 1891
Complete Specification Left, fat June, 1892-Accepted, 30th July, 1892
Improved Boat Lowering and Disconnecting Gear.
I FRANK SAMUEL PETT of 113 Snargate Street Dover in the County, of
Kent Master Marmer do hereby deolare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to an improved boat lowering and disconnecting gear
having for object to enable a boat to be lowered on an even keel & to be readily
disconnected from the lowering apparatus either when the boat is water borne or
otherwise, at the will of the officer in charge of the boat.
My lowering apparatus may consist of a suitable winch fitted with two drams
(on which their respective falls or equivalents are wound) connected by means of 'a
long bar or shaft (this shaft may be solid or hollow) the winch I provide with a
suitable brake for lowering purposes I also gear the drums to the shaft or otherwise
as found most suitable.
I attach my winch to the boat davits or their standards or supports (or
otherwise as found most suitable) in such a manner that on the boat being required
to be swung inboard there will be no. necessity for the winch to be disconnected
from the working position.
My new or improved hook of the disconnecting gear may be made in the following
manner.
Instead of using the ordinary keel bolt I use a bolt of somewhat longer
dimensions the lower end of which I secure to or through the boat's keel, it will
be readily seen that the keel bolt will be at right angles to the boats keel (in n
perpendicular direction) the upper end of the bolt I provide with a head of suitable
size & shape, I attach by suitable means to the upper end of the keel bolt a 'Hook
this hook is so constructed that the hook (in the fore end of the boat) on being'in
position inclines upwards & forwards (towards the bow of the boat) making an
angle of 45° (or other suitable angle) to the horizontal plane of 'the boats
This hook is so-attached to the keel bolt (or its equivalent) that at the will of
the officer in charge of the boat the hook is caused to revolve by means of a lover
or I may construct my hook & keel bolt in one piece in which case it would be
necessary to so fit it that on the application of a lover the keel bolt & hook would
revolve.
I at present prefer to make both of my hooks in the same manner providing esch
with a lever.
When the hooks are in position for the hoisting up of the boat the hook in the
fore part of the boat will be pointing forward & the hook in the after part of
the boat will be pointing:aft.
I attach by suitable means to each of the lower davit blocks** (ör' their
equivalents) a ring or eye of suitable size or shape (these rings or eyes going over
their respective hooks in the boat).
I fit a span of wire, rope, or chain of suitable length; the fore end of the span
being secured to the ring or eye on the lower fore davit block the after end being
secured to the ring or eye on the after lower davit block. This span having for
object to prevent the rings or eyes above mentioned from slipping off their
respective hooks until the officer in charge of the boat is desirous of disconnecting
his boat in which cave one hook either the fore or after one is made to revolte by
means of a lover after which it will be found that both hooks will be pointing in
the same direction either towards the bow or stern of the boat & the rings or eyes

page_text: on the lower davite blocks will readily allp off their hooks thus disconnecting the
boat from the lowering gear.
EL 1001
·TTT 10
EAT YTT
TRANA 0.1.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Boat Lowering and Disconnecting Gear.
I FRANK SAMUEL PETT of 113 Snargate Street, Dover in the County of
Kent, Master 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 :-
This invention relates to improvements in boat lowering and disconnecting gear
having for its object to enable a boat to be lowered on an oven keel and to be
readily disconnected from the lowering apparatus at the will of the officer in charge
of the boat either when waterborne or otherwise.as desired.
My improved boat lowering and disconnecting gear is shown in the accompanying
drawings in which the same or similar parts are indicated by like reference
Letters.
!
Figure 1 is a side view of a boat suspended from its davits in readiness to be
lowered and disconnected.
Figure 2 is a side view of a boat showing the ordinary method of suspension by
tackles and a modified form of releasing hook for my improved disconnecting
gear.
Figures 3, 4, and 6, are side views of modified forms of hooks applicable to my
Improved disconnecting gear.
Figure 6 is an enlarged view of the engaging ring and the span ring,
A is a winch consisting of a drum keyed to its spindle which rotates in bearings
in suitable framework and provided with a brake B screw or otherwise se con-
structed that it always exerts a certain amount of friction on the lowering drum in
the process of lowering.
The boat is suspended in the manner hereinafter described by two flexible whips
of wire rope or chain C and D the inboard ends of which are secured, to the drum of
the winch A, or to one end of a tackle, the outer ends passing through leading
blocks E F over the thumb cleats G H and through the blocks I J secured to the
davit heads KL.
Engaging rings M N are attached to the outer end of each of the whips CD by
means of an eye splice or otherwise. They are preferably made oval in form as
shown in Figures 5 and 6 and are provided with lugs a alto detain the span
rings O. P. in position to allow the span of wire rope or chain Q carrying at its
extremities the span rings O. P. to maintain the engaging ringe M N approximately
at right angles to their engaging hooks and to prevent any disconnection until one
hook is purposely released by the officer in charge of the boat.
The keel bolt S and engaging hook R at the bow of the boat I make in one and
as a fixture stayed by means of a stay as shown Z' in Figure 1 or by firmly securing
it through the stem of the boat as shown in Figure 2. The engaging book at the
stern of the boat I make in the form of a releasable hook T which may be con-
trolled by a spring lever U safely secured by a catch W and sliding link V to be
withdrawn by the officer in charge of the boat before effecting the release of the
hook T by means of a side and vertical pull from its engaging ring M. Or the
releasable hook T may be made in the form shown in Figure 2 in which its lever U
is secured by a catch W from which it must be withdrawn by a side pull to release
the hook T. Or the releasable hook T may be pivoted in a bracket as shown in
Figure 3 being secured by a latch lever X pivoted at b and retained by a with-
drawable pin d to be removed by the officer in charge of the boat wishing to operate
the lever X to release the hook T. Or the hook Tas shown in Figure 4 may be

page_text: secured by a pivoted forked lever Z to be swung from the perpendicular position when
it is desired to release the hook T. Or finally the hook T as shown in Figure 5
may be capable of rotation at right angles to the axis of its keel bolt S being
formed in one therewith in which case the releasing lever U will be pulled
horizontally for releasing the hook T, and the span ring O in order to faollitate the
disengagement should be of circular form as shown in Figure 5 instead of the form
shown in Figure 6.
It will be observed that with my various after hooks T as shewn in
Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, that on the boat being engaged they point aft. On the
release of the boat both hooks T and R will be pointing in the same direction and
the engaging rings M and N will readily slip off
In all cases whatever form of releasing hook may be preferred the action of the
apparatus remains the same. The span Q keeps the engaging rings firmly con-
nebted with the engaging hooks R and T until the releasable hook is operated on
whereupon the span becoming slack allows the engaging ring N to release itself
instantly from the rigid hook R ensuring the simultaneous disengagement of both
ends of the boat.
I prefer for general purposes to make the inclination of the hooks about 23°
removed from the horizontal plane of the boat but the angle may vary in certain
pases and may be less in the case of heavy boats or more in the case of lighter
boats than those generally carried as life boats.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows,
In order to engage the boat to the davit tackles or whips, the engaging ring N is
rove partly through the span ring P, the lower portion of the engaging ring N
is then placed over the rigid hook R. Then the engaging ring M is partly rove
through the span ring O and the lower portion of the engaging ring M is then
placed over the detached detachable hook T which is then secured by operating the
lever U or other modified form of releasing lever hereinbefore described.
To lower the boat in the water without a winch the inboard ends of the whips CD
are connected to one end of a tackle the other end of which is hooked on along the
deck by which means on the tackle fall being slacked away the boat is lowered an
an even keel.
To hoist the boat out of the water the ordinary davit tackles are used after which
on the boat being required ready for service the boat is suspended by the wire
whips C and D.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. In boat lowering apparatus the use of a winch or drum fitted with a suitable
brake or brakes (so constructed and arranged that they always exert on the
lowering or suspension of the boat a certain amount of friction on drum) the inboard
ends of the whips by which the boat is suspended arranged in unequal lengths and
wound on the drum so that the release of the drum will allow the boat to descend
upon an even keel substantially as described.
2. In boat disconnecting gear the combination of a span Q with span rings O P
engaging ringe MN and a rigid hook R and releasable hook T controlled by a
releasing lever U substantially as and for the purposes described.
3. In boat disconnecting gear the combination of a span Q with span rings OP
engaging rings M and N and two releasing hooks T controlled by releasing levers U
substantially as and for the purpose.described.
4. In boat disconnecting gear the various hooks T as described and illustrated.
3. In boat disconnecting gear the hooks R as described and illustrated.
6. The various hooks and their combination as described and illustrated.
7. In boat disconnecting gear a span connecting the engaging rings for retaining
engaging rings on their respective hooks within the boat until one of the hooks is
released substantially as and for the purpose described.

page_text: 8. In bost lowering apparatus the suspending and lowering of ship's boats by
means of two whips or ropes of chain or wire provided with engaging, rings-so
arranged that in combination with one tackle attached to the inboard ends of both
whips the boat is lowered on an even keel,
Dated this 1st day of June 1892.