IMPROVEMENTS IN PROTECTING VESSELS OF WAR AND FORTIFICATIONS FROM THE EFFECTS OF PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Douglas Symonds Sutherland, of 34, Great George
Street, Westminster, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN PROTECTING VESSELS OF WAR AND FORTIFICATIONS FROM THE EFFECTS OF
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Douglas Symonds Suther-
land at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 2nd April 1863.
I, DOUGLAS SYMONDS SUTHERLAND, of 34, Great George Street, Westminster,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PROTECTING VESSELS OF WAR AND FORTIFICATIONS FROM THE EFFECTS OF
PROJECTILES," to be as follows:-
The objects of my Invention are, first, the protection of those portions of
the body of a ship which are exposed to the effects of artillery.
Secondly, the decrease of the surface directly opposed to those effects.
The first part of my Invention I effect as follows:-Sand when confined
within boundaries which prevent it from escaping from a pressure applied to
it is well known to be practically incompressible, and this inherent property of
that material I utilize in the following manner:-Outside of the main framing
or sides of a vessel I form an outer skin of iron or other suitable material, of
sufficient thickness in itself to withstand the impact of the blow of a projectile,
or with armour plates of sufficient strength secured to it, and between the

page_text: I
two sides I construct a series of cells or compartments, and these compart-
ments I fill with sand, either confined in bags, or unconfined and in mass.
do not claim the cellular arrangement in the construction of the sides of the
ship otherwise than as a means of confining sand within boundaries to prevent
its escape from any pressure applied to it, thus causing it to exert its power of
opposing that
pressure. The construction I prefer for obtaining this effect is
as follows: I attach the outer skin to the main side by means of vertical ribs
placed diagonally alternately in opposite directions, so that a horizontal section
of the side will show a series of triangular compartments, whose bases are
alternately reversed, one set forming the line of the outer skin, the other that
of the main side. These cellular attachments may extend as far above or
below the water line as may be deemed necessary. They are filled with sand,
as above described. Referring to the position of the triangular compartments
in a horizontal sectional view, as before described, a projectile striking a ship
thus encased will either exert its power or force upon the apex of a triangle,
whose base is on the main side of the ship, or on a portion of the base of a
triangle whose apex is at the main side; in either case the result of the
force on the sand would be a consequent pressure on each and every part of
the boundaries confining it. Thus in the case of the blow upon the apex of
the triangle, the force would be transmitted and sustained equally by the three
sides, tending to drive in the base and force out the sides. The former
tendency would be met by the resistance of the body of the ship, the latter by
the triangular enclosures of sand about the sides, and which they help to
enclose. In the other case of the blow being given upon the base of the
triangle, its force would be transmitted in like manner, tending to drive the
base in and the sides out, the former tendency being met by the body of
sand, and the latter, as in the first case, by the enclosures of sand about the
sides, and which those sides help to enclose; therefore in place of the main
side of the ship receiving the impact of the blow given by a projectile, the
effect of the blow will be distributed. The compartments being accessible
from above can be readily cleared of sand when it is necessary to inspect
their condition to repair damages, or to lessen the superincumbent weight in
case of a gale at sea. This outer cellular attachment can be reconstructed
whenever required without impairing the main body of the ship, which thus
protected from destructive agents may be called imperishable. This syste.n
of protection is equally applicable to the walls of land fortifications.
The second portion of my Invention I effect as follows:-I carry up the
main sides of the ship to a certain distance above the water line, join them
by a shot-proof deck, and protect them as described in the first part of this

page_text: guns
Invention. To the main side I attach by means of hinges, and in sections of
certain length, a series of tubular pieces, which may be set up and secured in
line with the main side, and forming a continuation of it, or may be let down
upon the shot-proof deck into places prepared for it, thus being safe from
the
of an enemy, the height of the main body being reduced to that of
the encased and protected main side. The guns may be placed below the
shot-proof deck for a broadside armament, or above it in towers or cupolas;
thus in time of peace the ship presents a full height of side, obviating the
defect of unsightly appearance as exhibited in the low-sided turret ships of
the Monitor class, and preventing the washing of the sea over the decks in
heavy weather, which has proved a source of extreme danger to vessels of that
description, while the advantage which they possess of presenting a low sido
to the enemy is obtained to a great extent.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Douglas Symonds Sutherland in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 30th September 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DOUGLAS
SYMONDS SUTHERLAND, of 34, Great George Street, Westminster, Civil Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing dato the Second day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her reign,
did, for Horself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Douglas Symonds Sutherland, Her special licence that I, the said Douglas
Symonds Sutherland, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Douglas Symonds Sutherland, 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PROTECTING VESSELS OF WAR AND FORTIFICATIONS FROM
THE EFFECTS OF PROJECTILES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I;
the said Douglas Symonds Sutherland, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and scals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and

page_text: 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Douglas Symonds Sutherland, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-
The object of my Invention is the protection by certain means of those
portions of a vessel or fortification which are exposed to the effects of artillery.
I have, after careful investigation, assisted by experiment, ascertained that
sand when securely confined within boundaries which prevent its escape from
a pressure applied to it is practically incompressible, and from the mobility
of the particles composing it is capable of transmitting and distributing a
pressure or blow given to any part of a mass so confined over the whole or
great part of such mass. These properties of sand may with great advantage
be employed in combination with armour plating as a means of protecting
surfaces from the effects of projectiles. The arrangements employed for these
purposes may be greatly varied. I, however, prefer the following arrange-
ment for combining the use of armour plating with the employment of sand,
confined from escape in all directions, for protecting ships and forts.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
I form the inside of a vessel or fortification of single plating, or by
preference of double plating, of metal rivetted together, and in constructing
a ship or floating fort I attach the inner framing to the deck beams by
means of braces of T section, as shown in Figure 1, or I otherwise connect
these parts. In the several Figures of the Drawings the same letters refer
always to the same parts.
A is the armour plate; B, the sand cases; C are the joint fastenings;
D, D, are "flush" intermediate plates; E, E¹, are horizontal and vertical
strips attaching the parts D, D, to the inside double plating F, F; and G are
angle-iron wedge fastenings and strengthening plates of the bolt ends inside.
Figure 2 shews an inside elevation of the inner side with oblong holes in
vertical and horizontal series for the ends of the fastening plates, and also the
strengthening plates, which are placed continuously at each series. Together
with these plates are rivetted angle irons above and below the line of the
holes, as shewn at G, in Figure 1. To the outside of the double inner plating
I attach in parallel horizontal rows the plates or strips E, shewn at Figure 3,
and in horizontal and vertical cross section in Figures 1 and 4, and to the
plates or strips E running vertically I fasten the straight straps E', which are

page_text: also shown in Figures 1 and 4. The intermediate metal plates D, D, (of
steel by preference) which are parallel with the inner plates are then secured
to the apices of the triangular figure formed by the strips E, E. The joints
are covered (where they occur) on the inside, and the rivets are countersunk
on the outside, so that the plates D, D, shew a smooth flush face to the
outside. In these plates are similar holes to those in the inside plates, and
opposite to them. Figure 5 shews an outside view of a portion of a vessel's
side with the armour applied; Figures 6 and 7 show a side view and section
of the joint fastenings C; they are made in certain lengths with a continuous
head and neck with projecting flat bolts. In section these pieces represent a
figure somewhat that of an ordinary bolt with countersunk head. It will be
seen that bevilled notches occur in the ends of the bolts, and that there is a
hole in each. Figure 8 shows the fastening wedges. Three of these wedges
pass between the bolt ends and fill the space between them, the centre wedge
has a hole in it. The sand cases B are simply oblong cases of metal con-
taining sand, and the armour plates A are of suitable metal fastened to the
side by means of the fastening plates between their joints, dispensing with the
usual through bolts, hence no holes are required to be bored for them within
the area of the plates. The mode of building up the side may be thus
described: The inner double plating F being attached to the deck beams,
the horizontal and vertical straps E, E', are attached to it and to the horizontal
ones, as before described, the intermediate plates D, D, with the flush outer
sides, being connected with F by the latticework formed by E, E'; this is
carried up to a height of 4, 5, or 6 feet. At the lowest point of the armour,
and resting on a suitable bearing, as at Figure 1, a set of fastening plates are
passed into their proper position, the neck against the intermediate plates D,
and the bolts through the oblong holes and between the Langle irons, where
the wedges are passed between; their ends and wedges and bolt are secured
by rivets, as shown. The fastening plates C are thus so secured, that without
absolute fracture of the parts composing them they cannot move in any direction.
Upon the continuous necks of the parts C, and against the plates D the sand
cases B are placed, and in contact with them and resting on the heads of the
parts C are the armour plates A, as shown. Another set of fastening plates C
are passed to their places, and also similar ones at the vertical joints, and they
are to be secured as before. Sand is then carefully packed between the parts D
and F, so as to exclude, as much as may be, the atmosphere, care being taken
to give a thorough coat of pitch, tar, oil, or some similar substance to each
part of the structure as the work proceeds. The plates D and the strips E, E',
are carried higher up, and other sand cases B and armour plates A are placed

page_text: and fixed in position. Other fastening plates C are introduced, and more sand
is packed in the space, and so on, until the side is built up to the required
height.
It will be seen that the armour plates are as completely secured by this
method as if continuous pieces rivetted down on their edges were used, while
the rivets securing the joint fastening can at any time be cut out with facility,
and the whole piece or pieces driven out sufficiently to permit any armour
plate or plates to be removed and replaced, when the fastening pieces are again
driven home and secured, as above explained.
When applying my Invention to land fortifications, the inner plating is to
be fixed in any convenient manner to outer surfaces of the works, according
to the nature of their construction.
In witness whereof, I, the said Douglas Symonds Sutherland, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
DOUGLAS S. SUTHERLAND. (L.S.)