Improvements in Torpedoes.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Sept., 1899-Accepted, 21st Nov., 1900
Беноа, пранае.
Improvements in Torpedoes.
I, THEODORE MCKENNA, of 17 and 18, Basinghall Street, London, Solicitor
and Patent Agent, 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 submarine mines which after having been discharged
from a vessel similar to a torpedo boat anchor automatically on the bottom of
the sea and, being thus placed at a predetermined distance, defend coast cities or
other coast places against an attack by hostile fleet. This submarine mine which
is provided with an anchor and a lead, is guided upon rails and its construction
is such that, as soon as it leaves these guiding rails, the anchor and the lead
are released from the body of the mine by some releasing mechanism and drop
ahead of the same, whilst the lead moves away from the anchor for a pre-
determined length, namely as far as the distance below the water level at which
it is desired to anchor the mine, so that when the said weight strikes the bottom
the winding off of the anchor rope is stopped and the mine settles under water
at a distance corresponding to the length of the line and is anchored there
without the necessity of a previous knowledge of the total depth of the water.
By this apparatus harbours may be closed or a sea blockade effected unobserved
at night.
In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention, Fig. 1 is a side
view partially sectional, of the submarine mine provided with the anchor and
lead, as the same appears upon a torpedo boat before being discharged.
Fig. 2 is an end view of the complete mine shewn in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 and 4 show detail views on larger scale of the cover and bottom of the
submarine mine. It should be noted before all, that the mine which has a
cylindrical shape rests, on its side when placed on the torpedo boat, as shown in
Fig. 1, while in the water it assumes a vertical position. The cover of the
mine Fig. 3 is shewn at left in the Fig. 1 and the bottom at the right; Fig. 3
and 4 show both these parts in the position they assume when the mine is sub-
merged.
Fig. 5 a detail view, on a larger scale, at the moment that the anchor itself
commences to be submerged.
Fig. 6 shows diagrammatically the arrangement of the various parts of the
entire system during the sinking
Fig. 7 the position of these same parts after the anchoring of the mine.
Fig. 8, 9 10 & 11 show details.
The submarine mine comprises a metallic casing filled with compressed air
and designed to contain an explosive charge, the exploding means, and a safety
device provided to prevent the accidental explosion when handling or placing
the mine in position, and other mechanisms.

page_text: The aforesaid safety device can be actuated from the outside of the mine so
as to permit of the safe handling of the mine as before stated.
And it further comprises an achoring device for the casing containing the
explosive charge, and a weight attached to the said anchor by which it is caused
to sink and is retained in the desired position when sunk.
The various devices above enumerated as contained by the mine itself are so
arranged and secured within the same, that even supposing the mine to be
anchored in a stream with a current velocity of 6 miles an hour the inclination
of the mine shall not exceed an angle of 30 degrees from the perpendicular. The
loading is similar to that of a breech loading gun, that is to say, the charge 3 is
inserted first in the metallic casing 58, supported by a bracket 59, from the
inside of the mine 1, then the fuse 4 and then the fulminate of mercury, then
the casing 58 is shut by means of a cover piece 60, for the purpose of pre-
venting any possible displacement of the charge. After the loading is com-
pleted the containing vessel 1 is closed by means of a cover 5 Fig. 3 similar
to a breech screw and the cover locked by slightly rotating the same upon
its axis of about 60 degrees, a perfectly tight joint being attained by means of
a rubber ring or washer 6. The periphery of the cover 5 is divided in six
sections which are alternatively screwed as in a breech screw. At its inner side,
the closing piece carries the firing device, which consists of a metallic ball 7,
which operates a revolver 8, or a similar priming mechanism, and comprises also
two clamping plates 11, 12, between which the ball is held and the above said
revolver 8, of which no particular description is given- being an ordinary revolver
and not forming part of this invention. The plate 12 is rigidly fixed to the
cover 5 so that it is always in the same position, whilst the plate 11 and the
revolver 8 attached thereto are supported by means of the rod 10 which is raised
or depressed according as the pressure upon the outside or inside is in pre-
ponderance. The above mentioned rod 10 is fixed to the flexible plate 9, and is
raised or lowered therewith together with the ball 7 the revolver 8 and the
rod 13. So long as the mine is out of the water, or upon the surface, the com-
pressed air in the same presses the plate 9 outwards, and by consequence the
rod 10 which is secured thereto, and carries the lower seat 11, of the ball 7 and
the revolver 8 is also raised. By this means the ball 7 is held between the
plates 11 12 in an immovable or safety position, and cannot actuate the firing
device. In this position the ball is shown in Fig. 3.
When the receptacle or mine 1 has been sunk under water to the desired
depth (Fig. 7), the pressure of the water column on the cover 5 is greater than
the internal pressure and consequently moves the flexible plate 9 inwards and
lowers with it the rod 10, and the plate 11 carried thereby, which as aforesaid
form a seat for the ball 7, so that the said ball is no longer immoveable or held
in the safety position by the plate 11. The ball is shown in this position in
Fig. 10.
Fig. 10 and Fig. 11 show the two positions of the firing mechanism respectively
in the set and firing position, the ball 7, and the lower seat 11, are shewn in
section, in order to show the connection between the rod 13 with the ball 7 and
the trigger 55 of the revolver. The construction of the ball, and the form and
dimensions of the plates 11, 12, are such that the ball cannot be dislodged from
its seat either by the impact of a wave, or by the pressure of a stream of water,
the said dislodging of the ball being effected only by a direct blow, such as
the impact of a solid body, the keel of a vessel for example. In the latter
case the ball
is jerked by the impact up on the periphery of the hollow
plate 11, and overcoming the resistance of the spring 56, pulls upwards the rod 13
and the trigger of the revolver therewith, thus releasing the hammer and causing
the revolver to be discharged and the mine exploded.
It should be observed here that the ball never can escape from its lower
seat 11 because of its being fastened to the rod 13, which is connected to the
trigger. Hereafter the ball, under the action of its own weight, and of the

page_text: spring 56, falls back again in the set position. It is obvious that 'the revolver
is caused to be discharged as many times as the keel of the vessel strikes the mine.
Of course one shot might prove sufficient to explode the charge in the mine, but
it is preferable that a device be provided whereby a number of shots can be fired
should the first from any cause prove ineffectual.
In this latter event the described arrangement possesses the advantage that a
certain amount of time is gained during which the forward movement of the
ship, and the successive impacts of the keel upon the mine, will favour the
chances of the explosion taking place at a most effective part of the ship-say
amidships.
Before proceeding to describe the invention in detail I shall for clearness sake
proceed to describe the working of the mine. The mine is first loaded, and
closed tightly; this being done; air is forced through the inlet valve 29 Fig. 1 & 3
into the receiver until the desired inside pressure is attained, which can easily
be seen from the guage 30. This pressure brings automatically the firing device
in the safety position.
The mine can then be safely laid upon one side, so that it can be moved
by means of rollers 52, upon rails 53, Fig. 2. The peculiar form of these rails
should be noted they are of channel shaped iron, shown dotted in Fig. 2, and
by their shape possess the advantage that even when the sea is very high, and
the ship rolls heavily, the mine cannot derail.
To the bottom of the mine is secured a chain 15, Figs. 1 and 4, the end of
which is attached to the free end of the cable 16, wound round the drum 17,
within the anchor 18 Fig. 5, which drum can rotate upon the shaft 19. The
anchor 18 is placed astride the mine case 1, and is secured thereto by means
of the bolts 31 Fig. 1 and 2. The anchor consists of a cylindrical shaped re-
ceiver 18 and of the said drum 17, whereon is wound a cable 16, the length
of which corresponds to the greatest depth of the sea where the mine shall be
anchored. The cable drum 17 is supported in a seat which is adjustable in
guiding pieces so that the said drum can be easily removed from the anchor.
To regulate the speed of the drum, a suitable break 20, is arranged to act upon
the drum shaft 19. At one end, the drum is provided with a toothed wheel 21,
with the teeth of which is adapted to engage a tooth 61 forming part of an
arm 22, the other end of which is pivotally supported upon a bracket secured to
the seat 23 of the drum of the anchor cable. The end of the arm 22, upon which
is the tooth 61, has attached to it a spiral spring 33, which pulls the arm
normally towards the wheel 21.
To the arm 22 is secured the free end of a line or cable 24, contained within
the hollow ball or weight 26, which forms the automatic lead. The length of
said line 24 corresponds to the greatest depth below the surface of the water at
which it is desired to anchor the mine. The drum 25 rotates together with the
shaft upon which it is journaled, the end 27 of said shaft is screwed, and a
nut 57 provided thereon which cannot rotate with the shaft, and consequently
is contrived to displace itself along the shaft during its rotatory movement, until
it rests against the adjusting nut 28, which prevents any further displacement
of the nut 57, thus stopping the rotation of the drum 25.
The length of the line 24 to be unwound, corresponds to the position of the
adjusting nut 28, which position can be regulated according to the depth below
the surface of the water at which the mine is to be anchored. After the desired
length of the lead line to be unwound has been fixed by means of the adjusting
nut 28 the ball 26 is put in its seat upon the anchor.
The entire arrangement presents now the appearance illustrated in Figs. 1
and 2, and after it has been thus arranged the mine is thrown out.
At the moment that the apparatus leaves the rails, the tails 32 of the bolts 31
strike against projecting pieces fixed to the end of the rails; the bolts are
withdrawn, and the anchor is disconnected from the receiver of the mine, so that
these parts when they fall into the water get separated one from the other.
The mine remains floating on the water and the anchor, whose cable 16 cannot

page_text: unwind, because the arm 22 prevents the toothed wheel 21 from rotating; hangs
from the same, causing it to assume a vertical position. The ball 26 only proceeds
freely towards the bottom 14, but as soon as by the unwinding of the line 24
coiled up inside thereof, it has dropped for the determined distance below the
anchor Fig. 6 and 7, it will operate to overcome the resistance of the spiral
spring 33, pulling the arm 22 down through the intermediary of the line 24
secured thereto, whereby the said arm will be removed from the toothed wheel 21
Fig. 5, and the anchor and the lead will sink together by reason of the fact that
the cable 16 can unwind. At the moment that the lead 26 reaches the bottom 14
of the sea, and the arm 22 is no longer pulled down by means of the line 24,
the action of the spiral spring 33 prevails; the locking pawl 61 of the arm 22
will be forced into the space between the teeth of the stop wheel 21, and the
unwinding of the cable 16 is stopped.. Then the anchor under the action of its
own weight, and of the weight of the unwound cable, sinks further pulling down-
ward the receiver 1 of the mine, which hitherto was floating on the surface of
the water, for the distance corresponding to that which previously remained
between the anchor and the bottom of the sea Fig. 7. The mine is now in the
working position because the pressure of the water on the flexible plate 9 has
lowered the seat 11 of the ball 7. Attention is to be given to the fact that the
ascensional force of the receiver, is greater than the weight of the anchor cable,
and less than the weight of the anchor, together with the anchor cable; there-
fore after the anchor lead has reached the bottom during the sinking of the
anchor, its weight prevails together with the weight of the cable, and the receiver
is caused to sink; but as soon as the anchor reaches the bottom the ascensional
force of the receiver prevails, and the latter remains in a vertical position pulling
upward the anchor cable.
In the inside of the anchor casing 18, is secured a case 34 Figs. 5, 8 and 9,
upon which is located the box 37 wherein slides the rod 35, under the action
of the spiral spring 36, one end of which presses against the bottom of the
box 37, and the other against the end of the rod 35.
To the rod is hinged the arm 38 provided with a recess to receive the cam 40
of the lever 22, and with a tongue 41 on which acts a locking pin 42, upon which
a spiral spring 43 exercises its pressure.
At the act of launching the mine, the aforesaid pieces are all in the position
indicated in Fig. 8.
During the sinking of the mine Fig. 6, the line 24 comes in action, the lever 22
is lowered, and the cam 40 enters the recess 39.
As soon as the lead reaches the bottom 14, the line 24 ceases its action, and
the lever 22, under the pressure of the spring 33, raises, and raises the arm 38
and the rod 35; at the same time the locking bolt 42 will slide over the tongue 4.1
till it catches behind the same Fig. 9. This locks definitely the anchor drum 17
and prevents any further unwinding of the cable 16.
The advantage thereof will easily be understood, as, should it be desirable
to raise the anchor to the surface by pulling the cable 16, no further unwinding
of the cable from the drum 17 can take place. In order to bring the mine to
the safety condition when under water the lever 44, which is hinged to the
bolt 45 is turned upwards by means of a hook or the like; the lever 44 acts
on the projecting piece 54 of the rod 10, and raises simultaneously this latter,
and the seat 11 of the ball 7, so that the latter will remain clamped between
the seat 11 and the lower plate 12.
The shorter arm 46, of the lever 44 will act against the locking pin 47 which
is under spring pressure and will be pressed into its casing. When the revolu-
tion of the lever is complete, the locking pin 47 will get freed preventing thus
a return motion of the arm 46. The mine is now in the safety condition.
Be it noted that the lever 44 bears at its extremity an eye, in which engages
a hook, operated from the tow boat.
In order to haul up the mine which is now as we have seen in the safety

page_text: condition, the operation on the lever 44, which runs along the guide 48, must
be continued; this latter bears at its extremity a locking pin, and when the
lever 44 reaches this latter, the upper portion will get entirely released from
the receiver.
By a further pulling up of the line 49, which is fixed to the lever 44 (Fig. 1,
3, 4) the wedge pin 50 which is fastened at the other end thereof will be pulled
out, releasing the small drum 51 (Fig. 4) on which is wound up a steel cable,
which is a prolongation of the anchor cable 16, and of the chain 15, and whose
length corresponds to the greatest depth in which the mine is to be anchored
under the surface of the water. The drum 51 being now loose, the ascensional
force of the receiver will cause its cable to unwind, so that the same can rise to
the surface of the water, the slackened cable 16, can now get wound up on a
windlass fixed on the tow boat and the anchor and lead can get hauled in. The
mine can be put in the safety condition and hauled up in a different way to
that described above. In this case it will be necessary though, before launching
the mine, to take out of the anchor (Fig. 5, 8, 9) the locking device formed
by the locking bolt 38, and the rod 35. Pulling up the anchor, the line 14 will,
come in force and act on the lever 22, allowing thus a further unwinding of the
cable 16, so that the mine can rise to the surface of the water.
From what has been described, it will be understood that this mine presents
the advantage that it can easily and with the greatest security be taken up and
removed, and that its anchorage at a desired depth under the surface of the
water, according to the draught of the enemy's ship, proceeds automatically.
Having now more particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. A submarine mine consisting of a floating receiver 1 containing the ful-
minate and explosive substances and the firing apparatus, of an anchor 18
provided with an easily releasable drum on which the anchor cable is wound up,
and with a regulating device for this latter; of a lead 26 provided with a lead
line and regulating device to fix previously the depth in which the mine is to
be anchored, whereby these three parts are gathered together before the launch-
ing, whilst they get separated in the water remaining the same time connected
one with the other by their respective cables which unwind themselves accordingly
to the purposes of the present invention.
2. In a submarine mine with anchor and lead as described in Claim 1, a closing
piece 5 consisting of an interrupted screw, for the receiver 1 containing the
explosive charge; the firing and safety devices; the said devices consisting in
a hydrostatic plate 9, of two spherical seats 11 and 12, for the ball 7 disposed
between them, in combination with means for compressing air in the receiver
whereby the said ball can freely move between the two plates and operate on
the trigger of a revolver or can be held tightly between the said plates, putting
thus the mine in the safety position.
3. In a submarine mine with anchor and lead as described in Claim 1, a safety
device consisting of an adjustable lever 44, pivoted on a pin 45, fixed on the
closing piece; in combination with the prolongation of the rod 10 which carries
the seat 11, and with a locking pin under spring pressure which operates on
the lever arm 46.
4. In a submarine mine with anchor and lead as described in Claim 1, a.
special arrangement for the hauling of the mine, consisting in the shorter arm
of the lever 44, which is separable from the rest by virtue of the special form
of the guide 48, and the line 49, which operating on the locking pin 50,
releases the drum 51, allowing thus a further unwinding of its cable, consequently
the floating of the mine.
5. In a submarine mine with anchor and lead as described in Claim 1, the
special form of the anchor 18 consisting in two hinged lateral wings for the

page_text: coupling of the same with the receiver by means of bolts; and in a spherical
recess to receive the lead before the launching; and of a cylindrical casing to
receive the releasable drum on which is wound up the anchor cable, whereby the
said coupling bolts are provided with projections by which the bolts get auto-
matically pulled out during the launching of the mine.
6. In a submarine mine with anchor and lead as described in Claim 1, the
regulating device for the anchor cable drum consisting in a brake 20, by which
the speed of rotation of the latter can be regulated; of a lever 22 in combination
with a toothed wheel 2 and a spiral spring 33 being the said lever 22 connected
by means of a line with the fead 26 which during its downward run releases
the lever from the rim, overcoming the resistance of the spring 33 by means of
its proper weight; whilst its action ceases as soon as the lead touches the
ground 14.
7. In a submarine mine with anchor and lead as described in Claim 1, the
locking device of the cable drum of the anchor, consisting of the locking pin 38,
hinged to the rod 35, and regulated by the spiral spring 36; bearing the said
locking bolt 38, a recess 39, in combination with a tooth 40, of the lever 22, and
of a tongue 41, in connection with a locking pin 42, which is under the
pressure of the spiral spring 43, so that when the said pin catches behind the
tooth 41, any further movement of the lever 22, and rotations of the drum 17,
are prevented; whereby the whole device is confined in a box which can easily
be removed from the anchor when it is not to be used.
8. In a submarine mine with anchor and lead as described in Claim 1, the
spherical lead 26, bearing in its interior a drum 25, on which is would up the
line 24, whose length corresponds with the maximum depth in which the mine
is to be anchored; in combination with the device that regulates the length of
the cable consisting in an adjusting nut 28, rotating together with the axis of
the drum, and in nut 57, which is obliged to advance longitudinally till it meets
with the adjusting nut, which prevents any further advancement of the nut 28
and unwinding of the drum 25.
Deted the 16th day of Nocombon 1000