Improvements in Vessels of the Classes known as Torpedo Boats and Torpedo Boat Destroyers.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Feb., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Dec., 1895-Accepted, 20th Feb., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Vessels of the Classes known as Torpedo Boats
and Torpedo Boat Destroyers.
I, JOHN DONALDSON, of Church Wharf, Chiswick. in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, a Member of the Firm of John I. Thornycroft and Co., Engineers
and Ship Builders, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Vessels of the classes known respectively as torpedo bats and as torpedo boat
destroyers are as heretofore usually constructed liable to be readily disabled by
projectiles from an enemy's guns penetrating into the engine or boiler rooms and
destroying or injuring machinery or boilers or both.
Now my invention has for object mainly to obviate this risk, for which purpose
I construct the hull of a torpedo boat or torpedo boat destroyer of less breadth of
beam and greater draft in relation to the length of the vessel than has heretofore
been usual in such vessels and I do this in such a manner that the machinery and
boilers contained in the engine room or rooms and boiler room or rooms as
well as the magazines shall normally be entirely below or practically below the
surface of the water in which the vessel floats and I provide over the said rooms a
protective deck of metal (it may be steel) such as will offer a high resistance to
penetration by projectiles which deck springs from the hull at the respective sides of
the vessel at a level below the water level and is or may be curved or inclined
upwardly more or less from where it joins or meets the sides of the hull. Also the
fore and aft portions of this protective deck are constructed to dip to a level below.
the water line and afford protection to the magazines. Where openings necessarily
occur as for uptakes, ventilation, overhead lighting and the like, strong protective
gratings are introduced. Strong water tight bulkheads are provided, and those parts
of the deck fore and aft of the protective deck already mentioned are of metal covered
with india rubber in such wise as in the event of penetration to still prevent or hinder
entry of water into the vessel.
In my improved vessels I so relatively arrange and adjust the weights of the
various parts that the centre of gravity shall be below the centre of buoyancy
in order that notwithstanding great injury to any portion of the vessel located
above the protective deck the stability of the vessel shall not be seriously impaired.
Vessels in accordance with my invention may be variously constructed.
In the example illustrated in the accompanying drawings, A is the engine room;
B B are boiler rooms; C is the protective deck over engine and boiler rooms;
DD are magazines; E E are strong metal gratings F F are water tight bulkheads;
GG are decks of metal covered with india rubber: H is an upper deck; K K aro
cowls II are fans.
In this particular example air is caused to pass by the cowls into the space
between the decks I and C and thence through the fans into the boiler rooms.
This arrangement might however be modified.
In some cases provide around or partly around the exposed portion of the vessel
an india rubber belt extending to below the surface of the water and adapted to
prevent or hinder entry of water in the event of penetration of the vessel's side.
Figs. 1 and 2 are respectively a side elevation and plan of the vessel. An enlarged
side elevation of sections "1, 2, 3 and 4 (Figs. 1 and 2) of the vessel is represented by
Figs. 1 1 1 1" respectively; an upper deck plan by Figs. 2 2° 2° 2; a central

page_text: longitudinal vertical section by Figs. 3 2 3" 3"; a sectional plan by Figs. 4^ 4″ 4° 4º ;
and transverse sections through the engine room and a boiler room respectively by
Figs. 5 and 6.
Features not specifically referred to above will be readily understood from the
drawings.
The engines and boilers may be of any suitable types. Boilers of the Thornycroft
type are indicated in the example illustrated.
Dated this 21st day of February 1896.
W. LLOYD WISE,
46 Lincoln's Inn Field, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.
Improvements in Vessels of the Classes known as Torpe lo Bits
and Torpedo Boat Destroyers.
I. JOHN DONALDSON, of Church Wharf, Chiswick, in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, a Member of the Firm of John I. Thornycroft and Co., Engineers and
Ship Builders, 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:-
In vessels of the classes known respectively as torpedo boats and as torpedo
boat destroyers and as heretofore usually constructed, the boilers and engines reach
to the underside of the deck, and are exposed, from the surface of the water upwards,
along the whole length of the machinery space, to the effects of gun fire when
in action; consequently such a vessel is liable to be readily disabled by projectiles
from an enemy's gun penetrating into the engine or boiler rooms and destroying or
injuring the machinery or boilers or the piping connecting them.
Now my invention has for object mainly to obviate this risk, for which purpose
I construct the hull of a torpedo boat or torpedo boat destroyer of less breadth of
beam and greater draft in relation to the length of the vessel than has heretofore
been usual in such vessels, and I do this in such a manner that the machinery
and boilers contained in the engine room or rooms and boiler room or rooms and
the piping as well as the magazines shall normally be entirely below or practically
below the surface of the water in which the vessel floats and I provide over the said
rooms a protective deck of metal (it may be steel) such as will offer a high
resistance to penetration by projectiles which deck springs from the hull at the
respective sides of the vessel at a level below the water level when the coal ammu-
nition and consumable stores are exhausted that is to say, the light water line,
and is or may be curved or inclined upwardly more or less from where it joins or
meets the sides of the hull; also the fore and aft portions of this protective deck
are extended so as to afford protection to the magazines and, are constructed
to dip to a level below the light water line so as to lower the centre of gravity of
this portion of the deck and thereby the centre of gravity of the ship. Where
openings necessarily occur as for uptakes, ventilation, overhead lighting and the like,
strong protective gratings are introduced. Strong water tight bulkheads are provided,
and those parts of the deck fore and aft of the protective deck already mentioned
are of metal covered with india rubber in suchwise as in the event of penetration to
still prevent or hinder entry of water into the vessel.
In my improved vessels 1 so relatively arrange and adjust the weights of the
various parts that the centre of gravity shall be below the centre of buoyancy in
order that notwithstanding great injury to any portion of the vessel located above
the protective deck the stability of the vessel shall not be seriously impaired...

page_text: Vessels in accordance with my invention may be variously constructed.
One example is illustrated in the drawings left with my Provisional Specification
and another example embodying slight modifications in detail, is shown in the
drawings that accompany my present specification.
These last mentioned drawings illustrate the design of a vessel 210 feet in length
by 16 feet 6 inches beam, with a displacement of 555 tons, and machinery capable
of indicating 8000 horse power.
In each case Figs. 1 and 2 are respectively a side elevation and plan of the vessel,
and an enlarged side elevation of sections 1, 2, 3 and 4 (Figs. 1 and 2) of the
vessel is represented by Figs. 1 1 1 1" respectively; an upper deck plan by
Figs. 2 28 20 20; a central longitudinal vertical section by Figs 3A 3B 30 3 ja
sectional plan by Figs. 44" 44"; and transverse sections through the engine
room and a boiler room respectively by Figs. 5 and 6.
A is the engine room: B B, are boiler rooms; C is the protective deck over
engine and boiler rooms; D, D, are magazines; E, E, are strong metal gratings;
F, F, are water tight bulkheads; G, G, are decks of metal covered with india
rubber; II is an upper deck; K, K, are cowls; L, L, are fans.
In each of these examples air is caused to pass by the cowls into the space between
the decks H and C and thence through the fans into the boiler rooms. This
arrangement might, however, be modified.
In some cases I provide as in the drawings left with my Provisional Specification
and in those which accompany my present specification, around the exposed portion
of the vessel an india rubber belt M extending to below the light water line and
adapted to prevent or hinder entry of water in the event of penetration of the vessel's
side but care must be taken not to apply india rubber to any part of the hull exposed
to the reception of heat from the engine and boiler rooms or other heated compart-
ments because if so applied the india rubber being a non-conductor of heat may
allow of such an overheating of the plates to which it is fastened as to cause the
india rubber to become detached from those plates.
In some cases I apply the india rubber only partly around the vessel.
Features not specifically referred to above will be readily understood from the
drawings.
The engines N and boilers O may be of any suitable types. Boilers of the
Thornycroft type are indicated in the examples illustrated.
In the vessel illustrated by the drawings that accompany my present specification
the protective deck would be one inch in thickness, and as the displacement of the
hull is dictated more by the volume necessary for the accommodation of the machinery
than from the weight of machinery to be carried, the shell plating under the
machinery would be inch in thickness. and the floors, and seatings would be
heavier than usually obtains in torpedo boat destroyers, with a view to the proper
adjustment of the stability.
According to this example the metacentric height would be two feet, and the
centre of gravity one inch below the centre of buoyancy, so as to insure the stability
of the vessel, when not assisted, or only partially assisted by the superstructure.
The stability may be improved, in cases where it may be thought prudent to
reduce the thickness of the protective deck to three quarters of an inch, by then
putting the saving in weight in the form of ballast in the bottom of the ship.
The reserve of buoyancy under the protective deck in the example illustrated
by the accompanying drawings is 30 tons, and under the water tight flats at the
ends & tons.
As will be seen from the drawings all things necessary to the vitality of the ship
(engines, boilers, fans, steering engine and rudder) as also the engineers and stokers
working them are practically below the water surface, and only the guns and
torpedo tubes and the portion of the crew actually engaged in working them
and fighting the ship are exposed. The living accommodation above the protective
deck is superior to that on torpedo boat destroyers as of late usually constructed.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be carried into practical effect I hereby
declare that I am aware that in very large cruisers armoured decks have been
arranged at or near the load water line with engine and boiler rooms and magazines
below them; an arrangement that presents no difficulty in such vessels, which, owing
to their large size and displacement, obviously afford carrying power for the extra
weight due to the armoured deck. Smaller vessels of the same type have, however,
not been found able to carry the weight of an armoured deck, without sacrificing
speed to such an extent as to make such vessels useless as fast cruisers. In a still
smaller class of vessel, such as torpedo gunboats, no attempt at protection, except
at the sides of the hulls, is, so far as I know, made in actual practice, owing to the
difficulty of producing a small vessel which would have the other qualities required
for a ship of her class, and at the same time would be able to carry with safety the
extra weight of a thickly plated deck. Moreover, in the classes of cruisers to which
armoured decks have been fitted, the armoured deck is merely an addition of weight
to the deck, near the water line, with only very small modifications of design to
enable the deck that would in any case be fitted, whether protected or not, (a) to be
placed at the precise height required for protective purposes. (b) to have the curvature
or slope at the sides considered desirable, and (e) to be covered with the additional
weight of plating. Attempts heretofore made to embody the said principle of
construction in vessels smaller than cruisers, so far from having proved successful,
have, on the contrary, led to the conclusion that the principle was only applicable
to the larger sizes of ships. Now I have discovered that by departing from the
ordinary type of torpedo boat or catcher, by constructing a vessel, substantially as
described and illustrated, of a much greater proportion of depth to breadth, providing
sufficient depth and a sufficient margin of weight to enable an additional deck to be
fitted at the water line, without materially reducing the speed and thereby rendering
the vessel unfit for the duties of a fast torpedo boat or catcher, and arranging the
vessel, its machinery and fittings, so that the centre of gravity lies near or under
the centre of buoyancy, thereby rendering the vessel practically safe against capsizing,
or dangerous inclination, in the event of extensive injuries to the parts above the
armoured deck (a principle, that has not been adopted in cruisers) I am enabled by
my invention to supply a want that has been felt for a long time and 1 declare
that what I claim is :-
1. A torpedo boat or torpedo boat destroyer comprising (a) a hull narrow and deep
in proportion to its length, () a protective deck of metal offering high resistance to
penetration by projectiles, which deck springs from the hull, at the respective sides
of the vessel, at a level below the light water line or level as define! and rises between
the said sides to a level above the load water line or level, and (e) an engine room or
rooms, a boiler room or rooms, and a magazine or magazines, all located below the
said deck, so as to keep the machinery, boiler and magazines normally below, or
practically below, the surface of the water in which the vessel floats; and in the
construction of which vessel the weights of the various parts thereof and of its
machinery are so disposed that the centre of gravity of the vessel is below the centre
of buoyancy, so that, notwithstanding great injury to any portion of the vessel
located above. the said protective deck, the stability of the vessel will not be seriously
impaired.
2. In a torpedo boat or torpedo boat destroyer of the kind referred to in the
preceding claim the combination with the hull made narrow and deep in proportion
10 its length as aforesaid, of strong water tight bulkheads, a protective deck over the
engine room or rooms and boiler room or rooms and magazine or magazines, and
portions of deck fore and aft of the protective deck made of metal covered with
india rubber in suchwise as, in the event of penetration to still prevent or
hinder in an automatic manner entry of water into the vessel, substantially as
described.
3. In a torpedo boat or torpedo boat destroyer of the kind referred to in Claim 1,

page_text: the combination with a hull narrow and deep in proportion to its length, anda
protective deck that springs from the said hull at the respective sides of the vessel at
à level below the light water line or level, of an india rubber belt arranged around
or partly around the exposed portion of the vessel and extending down to the
springing of the protective deck substantially as described for the purpose.
specified.
4. The construction and arrangement as herein-above described and illustrated in
the drawings referred to in this specification of torpedo boats or torpedo boat destroyers.
such as alluded to in the preceding claims.
For the Applicant,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent..