IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR STEERING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS
Year: 1848

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
CULLEN, of the City of London, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Eighteenth day of
November One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight, in the twelfth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Thomas Cullen, my exors, adiñiors, and assigns, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Thomas
Cullen, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas
Cullen, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR STEERING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS;" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said Thomas Cullen,
should cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being there-
unto had, will more fully and at-large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Cullen, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention to consist,
first, in the application of additional rudders attached to the sides of the stern

page_text: post; and, secondly, in a temporary rudder, and mode of shipping the same.
And in further compliance with the said proviso, I, the said Thomas Cullen, do
hereby describe the manner in which the said Invention is performed by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings marked A
and Bannexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, similar letters
being-used-to-denote similar parts in all the Figures.
And, first, of that part of my Invention which consists in placing two
rudders, one on each side the stern post, and hung upon the ordinary braces
by gudgeons turned in the braces for that purpose, and so fitted that, when
not required, they do not interfere with or alter in any degree the effect of the
common rudder, but in fact become as it were part of the stern post or rudder
post. This will be understood by reference to the Drawing marked A hereunto
annexed.
Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the starboard side of the after part
of a vessel. R is one of the two additional rudders hung on gudgeons a, b, c,
formed on the arms of the ordinary braces to receive the pintles which are
attached to the fore edge of the additional rudder. Figure 2 represents an
end view of the vessel, stern-to or stern-on, as it is called in nautical phraseology.
R, R, are the two additional rudders, one on each side of the stern post, and
lying close to it. Figure 3 is an end-on view also, but showing the starboard
additional rudder with its helm aport, for it should be observed that such
additional rudder has its tiller besides the tiller of the ordinary rudder, which
passes up between and rises above the others. Figure 4 shows the manner of
reeving the tiller ropes of the additional rudder. d is the starboard additional
tiller, and the port additional tiller, while e is the ordinary rudder case
placed between them.
In applying this Invention to new ships, I recommend the inner portion of the
'stern post (that is, from a little abaft the wooden ends,) to be of as much greater
substance than the part abaft as the fore or main post of these rudders would
be, so that the thickness of the additional rudders would bring the outsides
flush with the run of the ship. Up and down the after part of the sternpost,
which must be of such dimensions as to admit of rudders of sufficient width, I
place a plate, on the back of the sternpost, wider than the sternpost, to the
extent of the substance of the after part of the blades of the rudders, the
keel being of the same substance as the inner part of the sternpost, below
which the rudders are not to come.
The additional rudder heads coming upon deck on each side the stern post
head, the rudders will be placed in a bed secured from the action of wave and
current.

page_text: The tillers being shipped, and if abaft the rudders, securely. lashed together,.
or if before the rudders, wedged apart, in each case, one being free to work
over the other, and both beneath the ordinary one, the tillers, having a sheave
in each about the middle. When so secured, cannot be forced open by the
action of the water.
The Invention may also be applied to vessels (propelled by the screw)
having two sternposts, videlicit, the main or foremost one, and the false or
aftermost one on which the common rudder is now hung; the same may be
done as in the application to any other ship, by hanging them to the after
stern post, but they may also be hung to the main stern post, and in that case,
when not required, the blade should be turned forward.
The trouble of reeving new tiller ropes may be avoided by the following
plan:-Divide the tiller ropes on each side, about midway between the barrel
and the sheave or block at the side of the ship; attach to each end of the part
on the barrel a hook, and to each end of the other parts a cringle or eye; the
other tiller ropes having cringles at their ends, and being kept rove, the part.
on the barrel may be hooked on to either at pleasure; the lashing being cast.
off, the tillers or the wedges knocked out, the additional rudders may be.
brought into operation instantly.
And now, secondly, of that part of my Invention which consists of a mode
of applying a temporary rudder; and first, in ships where the propeller can be
taken up into the interior of the ship, a wooden or metal rudder may be let-
down into the place of the screw; a piece of wood having gudgeons on it.
and made to fit the groove in the main stern-post, a rudder may be hung on
the gudgeons of the piece of wood, and the. whole let down into the place of
the propeller, and the new rudder used in the ordinary way. In all these cases:
these rudders would be less liable to damage from shot, as they would be nearly
or wholly submerged, which is not the case with the ordinary rudder. And,
secondly, I arrange the sternpost and parts to be applied thereto, so as to
produce an improved method of shipping a temporary rudder.
This will readily be understood by reference to Drawing marked B, in which
Figure 5 represents my temporary rudder and its attaching case, and Figure 6..
sternpost fitted to receive it.
Each ship should be provided with an iron case or cover fitting the stern-.
post, and fitted with braces and gudgeons on it, the same as the sternpost,
out mismatching or not coming exactly over the ordinary gudgeons, openings,
r holes in the sides just under the braces, to admit the drop catches or bolts
S, S, S, S, placed on each side the sternpost, admitting of the rising of the
ase, but preventing it lowering by dropping into the holes in the sides of the

page_text: case; the inside of the back to be lined with wood, and apertures to admit
the gudgeons on the sternpost, but to be so rounded at their edges, that they
do not check its upward progress, though they admit the gudgeons into the
apertures in the wood on the case descending. A piece of wood should be-
shaped for a main post of a rudder, and fitted for braces and pintles, the braces
to be joined at the after end with a large gudgeon or hoop to receive a spar h,
with holes for bolting, the upper braces becoming shorter, so as to bring the
spar against the head of the main post, and admit of its pointing through the
rudder case.
A heel or shoe brace should be made for the bottom, and the
space between the main post and the spar should be filled up with deals or
boards, and the whole fitted by bolting or wedging.
The rudder being hung on the gudgeons of the iron case, the whole may be
put overboard, the spar being pointed through the rudder case by a tackle
leading through to it.
The guys k, k, one on each side at the heel of the case, and m, m, one on
each side near the top, may be hauled taught to bring the case on to the stern
post, and the tackles being hoisted on the case will rise to the proper place,
and be prevented washing off by the guys, the drop, catches, or bolts preventing
its descending, and the case having a strong bottom, coming under the heel of
the ship, will prevent its rising out of its place.
Now, whereas it is evident that my additional rudders might be hung to the
outer instead of the inner edge of the sternpost, but not with equal effect and
convenience.
And having now fully described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, I hereby claim the following
improvements, that is to say :-
First, an additional rudder or rudders let into one or both sides of a ship's
sternpost, or attached thereto, as herein-before described.
Secondly, the mode of arranging the tillers and tiller ropes for steering with
the same.
Thirdly, the mode of applying an additional or a temporary rudder to vessels
propelled by screw power.
And lastly, the temporary rudder and case, and mode of preparing the stern-
post to receive the same, herein-before described in the Drawing marked B.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Cullen, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this 17th day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-nine.
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* Out

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Seventeenth day of May, in the
year of our Lord 1849, the aforesaid Thomas Cullen came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
5 written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Seventeenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
Enrolled the Seventeenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-nine.