IMPROVEMENTS IN BUILDING SHIPS OF WAR
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Napier, Engineer and Shipbuilder, of Glasgow,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BUILDING SHIPS OF WAR."
Sealed the 7th August 1866, and dated the 14th February 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Napier at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 14th
February 1866.
I, ROBERT NAPIER, Engineer and Shipbuilder, of Glasgow, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BUILDING SHIPS OF
WAR," to be as follows:-.
This Invention has for its object improvements in building ships of war.
In order that the uppermost deck or deck for working the ship and its
supports may offer as little obstruction as may be to the working of the guns
on the deck below it, the said uppermost deck, in place of being supported
by the frames and sides of the ship, is carried on beams resting chiefly on
strong diagonal framing or supports constructed intermediate of the length of
the deck beams of the said uppermost deck, thus leaving the sides of the ship
open above the gun deck and below the uppermost deck, the ribs or main
frames and plating of the ship not rising at the sides above the gun deck.
Temporary or moveable sides or bulwarks are in some cases employed to
enclose the gun deck (or deck from which the guns are fought) when the
ship is not cleared for action, whether that deck be such as would correspond
with either the upper deck or main deck of an ordinary frigate or other war

page_text: ship. These sides whenever used may be constructed in various ways, but it is
preferred that they should be formed in sections, and framed and put together
so as to fold down on the gun deck; or the sections may be arranged so as
readily to be raised, or partly raised and partly lowered, or otherwise moved
out of the way of the guns, leaving the space around the gun deck and below
the uppermost deck for working the ship open in all directions. The
arrangements for placing and working the guns on the gun deck may be
varied, and so may the constructions on such deck intended to protect the
guns and men from the fire of an enemy; it is however preferred that the
gun deck should be fitted with cupolas or turrets. The supports for carrying
the uppermost deck for working the ship should consist chiefly of diagonal
transverse framing rising up through the gun deck from below, and may be
continuations of the transverse diagonal framings of the bulkheads or other-
wise, and these transverse framings and other supports where they rise above
the gun deck are to be situated, so far as is consistent with the purposes
they are designed for, in what may be called the neutral spaces between the
cupolas or turrets, so that as far as practicable they may not come within
or interfere with or reduce the training and ranges of the several guns on the
should
gun deck. In some cases it may be desirable that the turret guns
not all be fought in a continuous line from one deck, whether such deck
correspond with either the upper or the main deck of an ordinary frigate or
other war ship, but that part should fight from the upper and part from the
main deck so corresponding; and in cases where one or more turrets or cupolas
fight from each end of the ship's upper deck it is of advantage to continue
the ordinary ribs and frames and plating of the sides of the ship at those ends
as high as the upper deck, so giving accommodation beneath such deck to
the officers and crew at those parts. The other turrets which in such cases
fight from the main deck, may when thought fit be enclosed within moveable
sides or bulwarks as before described, thus further increasing the accommo-
dation; or they may be left without any such sides, in which case a longitudinal
bridge or uppermost deck, of competent dimensions for working the ship and
having the aforesaid supports will pass over such gun deck turrets and
connect the fore and after parts of the ship and upper decks from which the
-end turrets fight.
In those constructions of ships in which all the turrets fight from the deck
corresponding to the upper deck of a frigate or other war ship the entire
sides and ends of the ship will be built up permanently of the proper strength
of frames and skin as in any other ship of iron. This arrangement is very
important as giving to such turret ships ample accommodation for officers and

page_text: men, the two whole decks corresponding to the main and lower decks of a
frigate or other war ship being available for such accommodation except so
far as the spaces may be occupied by parts of the turrets. In these con-
structions an uppermost deck of suitable dimensions for working the ship
will extend at a suitable height over the turrets and be supported as before
described.
From the above description it will be understood that the peculiarity of
the Invention consists in supporting the beams of an upper deck by means
of transverse diagonally framed supports at the neutral parts of the gun deck
below, whilst the said upper deck beams are left unsupported by the sides of
the ship or vessel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Napier in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th August 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
NAPIER, Engineer and Shipbuilder, of Glasgow, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Robert Napier, Her special licence that I, the said Robert
Napier, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Robert Napier, 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 BUILDING SHIPS OF WAR," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Robert Napier, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Napier, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement, thereof, that is to say:-.
This Invention has for its object improvements in building ships of war.. In
order that the uppermost deck or deck for working the ship and its supports
may offer as little obstruction as may be to the working of the guns on the
deck below it the said uppermost deck, in place of being supported by the
frames and sides of the ship is carried on beams resting chiefly on strong
diagonal framing or supports constructed intermediate of the length of the deck
beams of the said uppermost deck, thus leaving the sides of the ship open
above the gun deck and below the uppermost deck, the ribs or main frames
and plating of the ship not rising at the sides above the gun deck. Temporary
or moveable sides or bulwarks are in some cases employed to enclose the gun
deck (or deck from which the guns are fought,) when the ship is not cleared
for action, whether that deck be such as would correspond with either the
upper deck or main deck of an ordinary frigate or other war ship. These
sides whenever used may be constructed in various ways, but it is preferred
that they should be formed in sections, and framed and put together so as to
fold down on the gun deck; or the sections may be arranged so as readily to
be raised, or partly raised and partly lowered, or otherwise moved out of the
way of the guns, leaving the space around the gun deck and below the upper-
most deck for working the ship open in all directions. The arrangements for
placing and working the guns on the gun deck may be varied, and so may the
constructions on such deck intended to protect the guns and men from the fire
of an enemy, it is, however, preferred that the gun deck.should be fitted with
cupolas or turrets. The supports for carrying the uppermost deck for working
the ship should consist chiefly of diagonal transverse framing' rising up through
the gun deck from below, and may be continuations of the transverse diagonal
framings of the bulkheads or otherwise, and these transverse framings and
other supports where they rise above the gun deck are to be situated, so far as
is consistent with the purposes they are designed for, in what may be called the
neutral spaces between the cupolas or turrets, so that as far as practicable they
may not come within or interfere with or reduce the training and ranges of the
several
guns should not all be fought in a continuous line from one deck, whether
such deck correspond with either the upper or the main deck of an ordinary
frigate or other war ship, but that part should fight from the upper and part
from the main deck so corresponding; and in cases where one or more turrets
or cupolas fight from each end of the ship's upper deck it is of advantage to
continue the ordinary ribs and frames and plating of the sides of the ship at
guns on the gun deck. In some cases it may be desirable that the turret

page_text: those ends as high as the upper deck, so giving. àccommodation beneath such
deck to the officers and crew at those parts. The other turrets, which in such
cases fight from the main deck, may. when. thought fit be enclosed within
moveable sides: or bulwarks as before described, thus further increasing the
accommodation; or they may be left without any such sides, in which case a
longitudinal bridge or uppermost deck of competent dimensions for working
the ship and having: the aforesaid supports will pass over such gun deck
turrets and connect the fore and after parts of the ship and upper decks from
which the end turrets fight. "
'
In those, constructions of ships in which all the turrets fight from the deck
corresponding to the upper deck of a frigate or other war ship the entire sides:
and ends of the ship will be built up permanently of the proper strength of
frames and skin as in any other ship of iron. This arrangement is very:
important as giving to such turret ships ample accommodation for officers and.
men, the two whole decks corresponding to the main and lower decks of a.
frigate or
other war ship being available for such accommodation except so far
as the spaces may be occupied by parts of the turrets. In these constructions.
an uppermost deck of suitable dimensions for working the ship will extend at:
a suitable height over the turrets and be supported as before describedl.
;
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention I will proceed more>
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 represents a midship section of a war ship having an upper deck
constructed and supported according to my Invention, leaving open the sides
of the ship above the gun deck and below the uppermost deck.
- M
A is the gun deck or deck from which the cupola guns are fought; at the
sides of this deck there are bulwarks C which are to be in sections, and such
sections are to fold down as indicated by the Drawing when the deck A is to
be cleared for action; or the sections of which the bulwarks may be for.med
are to be arranged in any other inanner so as to admit of their being readily
moved out of the way when required; or the sides of the ship below the deck
B and above the deck A may be otherwise more or less enclosed, as is
shown in Figure 2, where on one side of the ship the sections are shown to
be capable of falling in-board, whilst on the other side of the ship the sections
fold partly in-board and partly outwards, so long as provision is made for the
removal of the means of inclosure when clearing the deck A for action.
In the arrangements shewn in the Drawings there are to be cupolas as
indicated in outline, but other arrangements may be made for protecting the

page_text: guns and men on the deck A. Vessels may, if desired, also be constructed
with a gun deck below the gun deck A, as shown in Figure 1. When desired
the two end cupolas may be constructed and arranged to fight their guns from
the upper deck B, in which case it is preferred, as above explained, to continue
the ribs and framing as well as the plating at the sides of the two ends of the
ship up to the deck B. The beams D of the upper deck B are supported at
intervals by diagonal transverse frames E, which are to be strongly framed
together. These transverse diagonal supporting frames descend to a greater
or less depth into the ship according to the requirements of each case, and
when the construction of a ship will admit of these diagonal supporting frames
forming parts of transverse bulkheads it is desirable that such should be the
case. The diagonal supporting frames E rise through the deck A at neutral
points so as not to come within the range of the guns, or as little so as may
be. The upper deck B may in addition to the diagonal transverse supporting
frames E be also supported by uprights, as shown in the Drawings.
From the above description it will be understood that the peculiarity of the
Invention consists in supporting the beams of an upper deck by means of
transverse diagonally framed supports at the neutral parts of the deck
gun
below, whilst the said upper deck beams are left unsupported by the sides
of the ship or vessel...
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Napier, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
NAРТЕК,
ROBERT NAPIER. (L.S.)