IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING GREAT GUNS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Norman Scott Russell, of Great George Street,
Westminster, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR WORKING GREAT GUNS."
Sealed the 2nd February 1864, and dated the 14th August 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Norman Scott Russell
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th August 1863.
I, NORMAN SCOTT RUSSELL, of Great George Street, Westminster, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR WORKING GREAT GUNS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for working
great guns. It has before been proposed to apply hydrostatic or hydraulic
power in working great guns, but indirectly, the bydrostatic or hydraulic
apparatus being made to act through chains and tackle.
Now, the object of my Invention is to dispense with the use of interposed
chains and tackle, and at the same time so to combine hydraulic or hydrostatio
apparatus that it may be applied directly to the guns and to their carriages.
For these purposes ordinary machinery is arranged below the water line of
the ship or floating battery in order to maintain a constant supply of water
under pressure, or such machinery is otherwise arranged so as to be as much
as may be protected from shot or shell. The gun and its carriage are, as is

page_text: common, supported on a chassis or frame pivotted in front, and capable of
moving over an are of a circle, and the gun and carriage are run out and
recoil along this frame. To elevate the breech end of a gun, I prefer to
employ two hydrostatic or hydraulic cylinders and rams, one on each side of
the breech end of the gun. The rams are caused to act directly on lugs or
projections on the gun or otherwise near the breech end thereof. The hydraulic
or hydrostatic cylinders are fixed to and carried by the gun carriage. The
water supply pipe is made telescopic so as to admit of the recoil of the gun
and carriage. To run the gun out after the recoil there is another bydraulic
or bydrostatic cylinder fixed to the chassis or pivotting frame, and acting by
its ram directly upon the carriage. The chassis or pivotting frame is moved
around its pivot to train the gun, also by means of the rams of two hydraulic
or hydrostatic cylinders fixed to the deck or platform on which the gun is
worked, and acting by their rams directly on the chassis or traversing frame.
Or, in place of this arrangement, I mount the gun on or between two bars on
which it is capable of sliding, and employ friction clips or apparatus to reduco
the recoil, as is described in the Specification of a Patent granted to John
Scott Russell, dated the 28th December 1860 (No. 3184), and I then
arrange the rams of the hydraulic or hydrostatic cylinders which elevate the
breech end of the gun to act directly on the bars at a point, by preference,
immediately in front of the clip or friction apparatus when the gun is run out,
in which case the supply pipe will not require to be telescopic. In this
arrangement the hydrostatic or hydraulic cylinders are fixed to the carriage
which supports the bars. At the fore end of the carriage there is a pivot
about which the carriage is able to move through an are of a circle for training
the gun in the same way as the chassis or pivotting frame in the first arrange-
ment; this pivot I make hollow, and introduce the water for actuating the
elevating rams through it. Suitable valves worked by hand levers are
employed for admitting water to and regulating its escape from the hydraulic
or hydrostatic cylinders.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Norman Scott Russell, Her special licence that I, the sail
Norman Scott Russell, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Norman Scott Russell, 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 APPARATUS FOR WORKING Great Guns," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Norman Scott Russell, 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 per-
formed, 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 Norman Scott Russell, 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 :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for working
great guns. It has before been proposed to apply hydrostatic or hydraulic
power in working great guns, but indirectly, the hydrostatic or hydraulic.
apparatus being made to act through chains and tackle.
Now, the object of my Invention is to dispense with the use of interposed
chains and tackle, and at the same time so to combine hydraulic or hydrostatic
apparatus that it may be applied directly to the guns and to their carriages.
For these purposes ordinary machinery is arranged below the water line of
the ship or floating battery in order to maintain a constant supply of water
under pressure, or such machinery is otherwise arranged so as to be as much
as may be protected from shot or shell. The gun and its carriage are, as is
common, supported on a chassis or frame pivotted in front and capable of
moving over an are of a circle, and the gun and carriage are run out and
recoil along this frame. To elevate the breech end of a gun, I prefer to
employ two hydrostatic or hydraulic cylinders and rams, one on each side of
the breech end of the guu. The rams are caused to act directly on lugs or

page_text: projections on the gun or otherwise near the breech end thereof. The
hydraulic or hydrostatic cylinders are fixed to and carried by the gun carriage.
The water supply pipo is made telescopic so as to admit of the recoil of the
gun and carriage. To run the gun out after the recoil there is another
bydraulic or hydrostatic cylinder fixed to the chassis or pivotting frame, and
acting by its ram directly upon the carriage. The chassis or pivotting frame
is moved around its pivot to train the gun, also by means of the rams of two
hydraulic or hydrostatic cylinders fixed to the deck or platform on which the
gun is worked, and acting by their rams directly on the chassis or traversing
frame.
Figure 1 is a side view, partly in section, of a broadside gun of a ship with
apparatus for working it arranged in the manner above described, and in the
same Figure a portion of the ship is shewn; Figure 2 is a plan, partly in
section, of some of the same parts; Figure 3 is an end view, partly in section,
of the gun and carriage with other parts; and Figure 4 is a plan of some of
the parts.
a is a block firmly fixed to the deck of the ship; it forms a centre or pivot
for the chassis or frame to turn about; c, c, are ways fixed on the deck, on
which the chassis or frame 6 slides; d, d, is the carriage of the gun e; it is
supported by and capable of sliding along the chassis or frame b, and in front it
supports in bearings the trunnions e¹ of the gun in the usual manner, except
that it is preferred to place the trunnions of the gun somewhat nearer to the
muzzle than is usual; f,f, aro two hydraulic cylinders, one fixed on each side
of the gun carriage d; they are each furnished with a ram f'. These rams are
made hollow, and they are connected with the gun by connecting rods; one
end of each connecting rod is jointed to the bottom of the hollow ram, and
the other to a stud on the side of the gun, thus when water under pressure is
admitted to the cylinders f the breech end of the gun will be raised, and
when the water is allowed to escape from these cylinders the breech end of
the gun will descend by its own weight, and by these means any desired eleva-
tion may be obtained. g is a ram, attached to the gun carriage d, it enters a
bydraulic cylinder h attached to the chassis or frame 6; water under pres-
sure being admitted to the cylinder h resists and controls the recoil of the gun,
and it also acts to run the gun out again. The cylinder h is supplied with
water under pressure by a pipe i, connecting it with a block / fixed on the
other end of the chassis or frame b, and the cylinders f, f, are supplied with
water by being both connected with the cylinder l, fixed on the gun carriage,
this cylinder having working in it the plunger m fixed to the block / before
mentioned, and which has a water passage through it from end to end. The

page_text: block k has on it a descending stem & passing through the centre of the block a
so as to be able to turn freely therein, and through this stem are two sepa-
rate water passages, the one communicating with the cylinder l, and the other
with the pipe i which supplies the cylinder h. The stem terminates at its
lower end in a conical plug fitting accurately in a truly bored shell, and the
two waterways in the stem ³ and plug communicate with two water passages,
entering one on each side of the shell, so that the block k and its stem k¹
are able to turn without interfering with the free passage of the water.
The two water passages passing away from the shell both communicate with
an accumulator similar to that now sometimes employed for working steering
apparatus or other similar machine for supplying water under pressure. The
passage communicating with the pipe i and cylinder h may, if the gun be a
breech-loader, be constantly open, and then the water in the cylinder is always
under pressure; when the gun recoils it forces back the water out of the cylinder
into the accumulator; this water however immediate returns, and again runs
out the
gun. If the gun be a muzzle-loader a valve is placed in this passage
to prevent the immediate return of the water into the cylinder h, and then the
gun will not be run out until by moving a handle provided for the purpose the
valve is raised or the water allowed to pass it. The other passage from the
accumulator has valves upon it for shutting off the water under pressure from
the cylinders f, and also for allowing the water to escape freely from these
cylinders. These valves are used for regulating the elevation of the gun.
To lower the muzzle of the gun or to decrease the elevation the pressure
valve is opened, or to raise the muzzle and increase the elevation the escape
valve is opened; when the proper elevation is obtained both valves are kept
closed.
In order to train the gun, the chassis or frame b is caused to move
around the block a. by the hydraulic cylinders n, n, fixed to the deck, one
on each side of the gun; these cylinders have rams n', n³, the outer ends
of which are both connected with the slide o, which is fitted into the lon-
gitudinal guide groove b' in the chassis or frame b. The cylinders n are
connected by pipes with the accumulator, and they are also furnished with exit
passages, which are opened to allow of the escape of the water from the
cylinders; there are valves on these pipes and passages so arranged that when
one cylinder is open to the pressure the other is in communication with the
exit passage. According as one or other of the two cylinders n is open to the
pressure, so the gun will be trained in one or other direction, and when
the gun is trained to the desired extent, the chassis or frame 6 is held sta-
tionary by shutting all the valves and locking the water in both the cylinders n.

page_text: Levers or handles for working all the valves are arranged in a convenient
position on the gun deck, and by connecting rods or other gear they com-
municate with the valves beneath. The slide o in place of being actuated by
the bydraulic cylinders n, n, may be worked by a screw arranged transversely to
the gun, and capable of turning in bearings on the deck; the slide o works as
a nut on the screw and traverses along it when the screw is rotated, thus
training the chassis or frame b. The screw is conveniently caused to rotate
in one or other direction, as required, by a bydraulic engine supplied with
water under pressure from the accumulator before mentioned.
In place of the arrangement already described the following modification
may be adopted :-I mount the gun on or between two bars on which it is
capable of sliding, and employ friction clips or apparatus to reduce the recoil,
as is described in the Specification of a Patent granted to John Scott Russell,
dated the 28th December 1860 (No. 3184), and I then arrange the rams of
the hydraulic or hydrostatic cylinders, which elevate the breech end of the gun
to act directly on the bars at a point, by preference, immediately in front of
the clip or friction apparatus when the gun is run out. In this arrangement
the hydrostatic or hydraulic cylinders are fixed to the carriage which supports
the bars, and their supply pipe does not require to be telescopic. At the fore
end of the carriage thero is a pivot, about which the carriage is able to move
through an arc of a circle for training the gun in the same way as the chassis
or pivotting frame in the first arrangement; this pivot I make hollow, and
introduce the water for actuating the elevating rams through it. Suitable
valves worked by hand ievers are employed for admitting water to and regu-
lating its escape from the hydraulic or hydrostatic cylinders.
This modification is illustrated on Sheet 2 of the annexed Drawings.
Figuro 5 is a side view, partly in section; Figure 6 is a plan; and Figure 7
is a front view with some of the parts removed; Fig. 8 is a plan of the gun
carriage separately.
a is a block or pivot on the deck, around which the gun carriage b is able
to pivot, and it is trained to one side or the other by hydraulic cylinders and
rams c in the same way as the chassis or frame in the former arrangement, or
it may be by a screw. At the front of the carriage b are bearings, supporting
the stud axes d' at the ends of the parallel bars d, d, and these bars are con-
nected together at their outer ends by the cross piece c. The gun f, in place
of having trunnions, as is usual, is furnished with four lugs f', f', accurately
bored to fit the bars d, and the bars pass through these lugs, so that the gun
is sustained by the bars d, d, and is capable of sliding thereon; in this manner
the recoil of the gun is provided for, and it is checked and controlled by tho

page_text: friction clips g in the hinder lugs, which can be made to nip the bars more
or less tightly, as required. In order to elevate and depress the gun the
bydraulic cylinders h, h, are employed; they have hollow rams h', h', and they
are connected with the bars d by connecting rods jointed to the bottoms of the
rams and to the bars. The water is admitted to and allowed to escape from
the cylinders h by a pipe, which passes down through the centre of the block
or pivot a to an accumulator or other machine to supply water under pressure,
as before, and there are also valves to regulate the passage of the water, as
before. It is not necessary in this arrangement to employ an hydraulic
cylinder to run out the gun, as this can readily be done by raising the bars d
by means of the hydraulic cylinders h to such an inclination that the weight
of the gun causes it to slide down them of its own accord; or the bars may
be raised to a lesser degree, and tackle may be employed to assist in running
out the gun.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine
myself to the exact details described; but what I claim is, the applying
hydrostatic power directly to the apparatus supporting and carrying the
guns, as herein described, thus dispensing with the use of interposed chains
and tackle.
In witness whereof, I, the said Norman Scott Russell, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
N. SCOTT RUSSELL. (LS.)