Improvements in Water Courses in Ships.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Feb., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 20th Nov., 1891-Accepted, 24th Dec., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Water Courses in Ships.
FREDERICK JAMES SINNETTE, Woolston Lodge, Woolston, Southampton,
Surveyor of Shipping, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
It being well known that the present method of fitting smail water courses in
frame and floor of ships, although allowing them to be placed much lower down
than hitherto, yet they necessitate the use of a quantity of cement and such
substances being employed in order to raise the inner surface of bottom to the
same height as the water courses so as to prevent the accumulation of bilge water
and admit of its being drained away to the pump suctions and thus removed; in
order to do this great weight is practically permanently added to structure thus
not only most seriously crippling the deadweight cargo carrying, freight earning &c.
of a ship, but considerably increasing her first cost as well. In order to avoid
these serious and important objections I fit the water courses through the floor and
frame of the vessel of such size and in such a manner that the lowest part of the
water course will be the inner surface of the bottom plating or keel and by so
doing a considerable saving of weight labour and cost will be effected as regards
cement and such substances; or by having small corrugations in suitable parts of
the bottom plating and thus form water channels under the frames the same object
will be attained, in fact in addition, these corrugations in the plating will materially
add to the strength and rigidity of the plating; or by fashioning and composing
the keel in such a way structurally as to form a water channel under the frames
the same object will be attained." In the case of large vessels it may at same
time be found desirable to employ two or three of the methods herein described,
and in the case of vessels of small size, either one of the three methods herein
described may alone suffice, but on account of the liability of the water channel
formed by the corrugations in bottom plating and referred to in second method, or
the water channel formed in the keel and referred to in third method being liable
to silt up with sediment in the course of time as to necessitate clearing, I give
preference to the first named method, inasmuch that no such trouble is likely to be
caused, at the same time it must not be understood the three methods described are
the only ones that will carry out my objects, for I find others will suit but not so
well, seeing that not only has the lower part of water courses to be fitted lower
down than hitherto in order to secure the important objects in view but the
structural efficiency of the ship has at same time to be maintained in their
neighbourhood.
Dated this 23rd day of February 1891.
FREDERICK J. SINNETTE.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Water Courses in Ships.
FREDERICK JAMES SINNETTE, Woolston Lodge, Woolston, Southampton,
Surveyor of Shipping, 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 :-
It is admitted that the present method of fitting small water courses in the frame
and floor of ships is very unsatisfactory, for it necessitates the use of a large
quantity of cement and such substances being employed in order to raise the inner

page_text: surface of bottom to the same level as the water courses in order to prevent the
accumulation of bilge water and admit of its being drained away to the pump
suctions and removed at will, and it is well known in order to do this, great weight
is practically permanently added to the ship, thus not only most seriously crippling
ber deadweight cargo carrying and consequent freight earning &c., but considerably
increasing her first cost as well, as will be readily seen, but as stated before, not
only is her first cost increased, but at the same time her commercial value as a
profit carning machine is correspondingly diminished for every year of her employ-
ment, so in order to avoid these most serious and important objections, I have
invented the water courses as shown by the accompanying figures, thus obviating
the necessity of any substance being required in order to raise level of bottom to
the same as water courses, in fact by my methods shown the level of water courses
are in all cases lower than that of the inner surface of bottom plating, hence they
form natural water channels and the bilge water drains off by its own gravitation;
of course my object can be attained in other ways beside those shown by the figures,
at the same time it is plain so long as the level of inner surface of bottom plating
is not below the level of water courses there is no cause for use of any making up
body thus not only saving the cost but dispensing with its most objectionable
weight, further by present method the bilge water is not fully under the control of
the pumps and the ship has at all times to carry more or less of it about in addition
to the weight of the cement, and of course there is another serious objection, viz.,
the damage done to the surrounding parts of the ship by the deleterious action of
the scour and fumes of bilge water washing to and fro. I find the methods shown
by the accompanying figures best suit iny purpose according to the construction of
the ship, thus in the case of ships with solid bar keels, my method is shown by
Figs. 1 and 2, from which it will be seen the gutters are formed on the solid bar
keels, a being the gutter, b, bar keel, e frame, a short plate lug at each frame and
e bottom plating; in the case of ships with built keels my method is shown by
Fig. 3, a being the gutter, 6 built keel, e frame, d side plates of keel and e bottom
plating, also by Fig. 4, a being the gutter, built keel, c frame, d short angle lug
at each frame and e bottom plating in the case of ships with flat or dished keels
my method is shown by Fig. 5, a being the gutter, b, flat or dished keel, c frame,
centre vertical plate and e bottom plating; in the case of ships with cellular
bottoms, my method is shown by Fig. 6, a being the gutter, bottom plating,
e frame, longitudinal girder; in the case of method shown by Figs. 1 & 2 the
sectional area of keel is as usual, also the depth of keel outboard and the spacing
of the keel rivets are as usual, but these methods admits of straps of garboard
plates being continued of full thickness and well riveted round turn at keel thus
removing the present difficulties; at the ends of ship keel is formed of ordinary
depth to take stem and stern post scarphs; in the case of method shown by Fig. 3,
the collective sectional areas of centre plate and the two side plates of built keel
are to equal the usual sectional area required for a bar keel, and its depth out-
board and spacing of the rivets in same to be same as worked at present, this
construction makes a most efficient centre line arrangement for keel and garboards,
the flanging of the parts can be readily carried out at an ordinary garboard bending
machine, and in this method as in the preceding one shown by Figs. 1 & 2 the
garboard at the bend where it is most distressed and thinned is considerably
strengthened; in the case of method shown by Fig. 4, the weight per foot run of
built keel to be practically the same as required for a bar keel; stem and stern
post can be easily connected to keel by this system, the keel itself is easy of
construction in the method shown by Fig. 5, the centre vertical plate is in usual
way connected to the keel plates, but the keel plate is dished and fitted lower than
bottom plating as shown; in the case of method shown by Fig. 6, one or more of
the girders of cellular bottom and the margin plate are on each side of ship
extended down and riveted to bottom plating in usual way, but the bottom plating
at these parts is fitted lower than usual, as shown or in any other form and arrange-
ment so long as a gutter is formed, these corrugations formed in the plating will

page_text: materially add to the strength and rigidity of the bottom, it is plain the corrugations
may be formed at any other part of a bottom, but the positions named suit best
structurally in ordinary bottoms they may be at side keelsons and the like. In
the case of large vessels it may be desirable at same time to employ two or more
of the methods herein described, in the case of vessels of small size, one of them
may suffice alone, and while fitting the watercourses at a suitable position to carry
out the important objects in view the structural efficiency of the ship is also fully
maintained if not improved.
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,
The invention of improvements in the water courses in ships by fitting them
lower down than at present and in such a position and manner that the present
necessity of using quantities of cement and such substances in order to raise the
inner surface of bottom to the same level as water courses is entirely avoided, all
substantially as shown and described.
Dated this Nineteenth day of November 1891.
FREDERICK JAMES SINNETTE.