Improvements in Means for Propelling, Steering, and Manoeuvring Ships and Vessels.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Apr., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 30th Oct., 1896-Accepted. 19th Dec.. 1896
Date of Application, 14th Apr., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 30th Oct., 1896-Accepted. 19th Dec.. 1896
Improvements in Means for Propelling, Steering, and Manoeuvring
Ships and Vessels.
I, JOSEPH DAVIS, Builder, of Turleigh, Bradford-on-Avon, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention for improvements in means for propelling, steering and
manoeuvring ships and vessels has for its object to increase the propelling power
and thus the speed of the vessel and to enable the vessel to be readily manoeuvred
without the use of the rudder; and consists in providing in addition to the usual
rear propellers, propellers in front and also at the sides of the vessel near the bottom,
so that even if the rudder and rear propellers become injured or disabled the
vessel will still be perfectly managable. The side propellers consist of a number
of screw propellers fixed on a longitudinal shaft driven by bevel gearing from
suitable cross shafts. An iron bar or guard extends from the vessel's side aud
protects the side propellers when in dry dock or otherwise. Each set of side
propellers is driven independently and can be thrown in or out of gear or reversed
at pleasure so that the vessel can be manoeuvred by the propellers alone.
Dated this 14th day of April 1896.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Propelling, Steering, and Manoeuvring
Ships and Vessels.
1, JOSEPH DAVIS, Builder, of Turleigh, Bradford-on-Avon, 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 for improvements in means for propelling, steering, and
manoeuvring ships and vessels has for its object to increase the propelling power
and thus the speed of the vessel and to enable the vessel to be readily manoeuvred
without the use of the rudder; and consists in providing in addition to the usual
rear propellers, propellers in front and also at the sides of the vessel near the
bottom, so that even if the rudder and rear propellers become injured or disabled the
vessel will still be perfectly manageable. The side propellers consist of a number
of screw propellers fixed on a longitudinal shaft driven by bevel gearing from
suitable cross shafts. An iron bar or guard extends from the vessel's side and
protects the side propellers when in dry dock or otherwise. Each set of side
propellers is driven independently aud can be thrown in or out of gear or reversed
at pleasure so that the vessel can be manoeuvred by the propellers alone.

page_text: In the accompanying sheets of illustrative drawings Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic
sectional plan of a vessel constructed and driven according to this invention, and
Figs. 2 and 3 are a section and plan respectively of a clutch gear for connecting
or disconnecting the various driving shafts.
The vessel a is provided both at the stern and the bows with twin propellers b
mounted on two parallel shafts c geared by the bevel wheels o p to the main crank
shaft i. The side propellers d are mounted on short propeller shafts e mounted
outside the vessel a and slightly forward of the centre line. The shafts e e are
geared by the bevel wheels fg to short cross shafts h geared by spur wheels and
pinions m with the main crank shaft i.
In order that the sets of propellers on either side of the longitudinal centre line
of the vessel can be reversed independently of the set on the other side the crank
shaft i is divided at r and each part is driven by a separate engine, the parts being
connected by a sliding clutch. The adjacent ends of the shaft are made square, and
a sliding socket s actuated by a hand levert can be passed entirely on to either end
of the crank shaft so as to allow of them being driven in opposite directions, thus
allowing either set of propellers to be reversed so that the vessel can be manoeuvred
by the action of the propellers alone, or on passing the clutch half on to both ends
of the shaft, the shaft is securely coupled together and all the propellers are driven
in the same direction. Each of the parallel shafts is also divided at and the
divided ends are connected by clutches s 2 so that the forward or backward
propellers or both can be thrown out of gear in case of injury or otherwise and the
vessel propelled by the remaining set. To protect the propellers from injury iron
guard rods v extend from the vessel a and are carried round the outside of the
propellers. In order that the end bearings on the parallel shaft c may be as close
to the propellers as possible bosses w project from the hull of the vessel, in which
bearings are enclosed.
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:
1. A propelling gear for a vessel consisting of symmetrical sets of propellers on
either side of the longitudinal centre line of the vessel and driven by separate
engines and shafts adapted to be coupled together for forward or rearward
propulsion or uncoupled for manoeuvring the vessel.
2. A propelling gear for a vessel consisting of twin propellers fore and aft and
side propellers on each side the propellers on either side of the longitudinal centre
line of the vessel being driven by separate engines and shafts that can be coupled
together.
3. A propelling gear for a vessel consisting of propellers arranged fore and aft of
the vessel and propellers arranged at the side of the vessel, the said propellers
being all geared to a crank shaft driven by the engines of the vessel.
4. The improvements in means for propelling, steering, and manoeuvring ships
and vessels substantially as described with reference to the drawings.
Dated this 30th day of October 1896.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.