Improvements in Navigable Battle Forts or Batteries.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Navigable Battle Forts or Batteries.
I, JOHN FREDERICK CREASE, C.B., of Sion, Stourbridge, in the County of
Worcester, Major General in Her Majesty's Army (retired), do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to the construction of a floating battle fort in which
the auxiliary forces of the country can be utilized for defending the coast thereby
freeing the war ships of the regular navy for use elsewhere where their services
would be more urgently required. For this purpose my floating battle fort comprises
a flat bottom navigable vessel of large displacement, small draught, and considerable
beam, say 100 feet, its central portion being protected by angular or curved bulkheads
and side armour and its end portions, which are preferably of cellular construction,
being provided with armoured decks at or below the water line, or with a belt of
armour, the armoured bulkheads extending down below the water level and the side
armour extending straight down to the bottom of the vessel. The armoured central
portion or citadel is provided with turrets each of which is constructed either with a
single platform or with two platforms, one above the other, one to accommodate two
heavy guns, say 12 inch guns, and the other to accommodate two lighter guns, say
two 6 inch quick firing guns. The armour of the turrets protecting the lower guns
is thicker than that protecting the upper guns. The turrets may advantageously be
four, (or more) in number, arranged in echelon that is to say two of them, when four
are used, being arranged with their axes in the longitudinal plane of the vessel and
the outer two being arranged one on each side of the longitudinal plane and between
the others. By this means all the guns, 16 in number, can be fired simultaneously
broadside, and the guns twelve in number, of three of the turrets, can be fired
simultaneously fore or aft.
The vessel, which may have a ram, is provided with suitable propelling and steering
apparatus; preferably three or more screws are provided.
Such a vessel may be constructed with a reservoir or reservoirs of compressed air
or gas so that by establishing communication between such reservoir or reservoirs and
any compartment or compartments into which water may be leaking, such water can
be displaced by the action of the compressed air and the vessel be thus prevented from
sinking. The armour may in some cases be composed of an alloy of aluminium and
iron or aluminium and steel.

page_text: Improvements in Navigable Battle Forts or Batteries.
I, JOHN FREDERICK CREASE, C.B., of Sion, Stourbridge, in the County of
Worcester, Major General in Her Majesty's Army (retired), 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 has reference to the construction of floating battle forts or batteries
of a type in which the auxiliary forces of the country can be utilised for defending
the coast thereby freeing the war ships of the regular navy for use elsewhere where
their services might he more urgently required. For this purpose my floating battle
fort comprises a flat bottomed navigable vessel of large displacement, small draught,
and considerable beam, say 100 feet, its central portion being protected by angular or
curved bulkheads and side armour and its end portions, which are preferably of
cellular construction, being provided with armoured decks at or below the water line,
or with a belt of armour, the armoured bulkheads extending down below the water
level and the side armour extending straight down to the bottom of the vessel. The
armoured central portion or citadel is provided with turrets each of which is
constructed either with a single platform or with two platforms, one above the other,
one to accommodate two heavy guns, say 12 inch guns, and the other to accommodate
two lighter guns, say two 6 or 8 inch quick firing guns. The armour of the turrets
protecting the lower guns is thicker than that protecting the upper guns.
turrets may advantageously be four, (or more) in number, arranged in echelon that is
to say two of them, when four are used, being arranged with their axes in the
longitudinal plane of the vessel and the outer two being arranged one on each side of
the longitudinal plane and between the others. By this means all the guns, 16 in
number, can be fired from either broadside, and the guns twelve in number, of three
of the turrets, can be fired fore and aft in line with the keel..
The
The vessel, which may have a ram, is provided with suitable propelling and steering
apparatus; preferably two or more screws are provided.
Such a vessel may be constructed with a reservoir or reservoirs of compressed air
or gas so that by establishing communication between such reservoir or reservoirs and
any compartment or compartments into which water may be leaking, such water can
be displaced by the action of the compressed air and the vessel be thus prevented from
sinking, as described in the Specification of another application for Letters Patent
filed by me No. 5681 dated 13 March 1896. The armour may in some cases be
composed of an alloy of aluminium and iron or aluminium and steel.
Referring to the accompanying illustrative drawings,
Figs. 1 and 1ª together show in side elevation (with small part in section) and
Figs. 2 and 2 together show in deck plan a navigable battle fort according to my
invention.
Fig. 3 shows a half transverse midship section to a larger scale.
A is the metal skin of the vessel, B wooden backing, Carmour which extends down
to the bottom of the vessel's sides and is of tapering section. At each side of the
vessel the armour extends lengthwise of the vessel from a Fig. 1 to b Fig. 1^.
DD are angular transverse bulkheads extending down to the armoured deck of the
end portions of the vessel outside the citadel. D', D', D', D' are transverse water
tight bulk heads extending down to the bottom of the vessel. At D2 (Fig. 3) is or
may be a central longitudinal water-tight bulkhead. E, E, are armoured decks
extending from the respective bulkheads D to the corresponding ends of the vessel.
Instead of or in some cases in addition to the decks E E there might be provided at
each end of the vessel a belt of armour covering all that portion above and below the
water line of the vessel's hull requiring such protection. F is an armoured protective

page_text: upper deck extending from one bulkhead D to the other. G is an intermediate deck..
The lower part of the vessel is of cellular construction; H, H, being water tight cells
or compartments strongly constructed of metal and in connection with which or some
of them there is or may be provision for admitting water thereto and removing water
therefrom. The bulkheads D D and protective deck F with the upper portions of the-
vessels armoured sides between D D constitute the armoured central portion or citadel
of the fort. I, K, L, M are turrets each constructed with two platforms, one above
the other, the lower platform of each turret being provided in the example with two.
heavy guns and each upper platform with two lighter guns. The armour of the
turrets in the vicinity of the guns mounted thereon may be inclined as shown in
the turret M or only the armour protecting the upper guns may be inclined as shown
in the turret K or the armour protecting the upper guns may be inclined and that
protecting the lower guns be vertical or both upper and lower gun protecting armour
may be vertical as shown in turrets I and L. The armour of the turrets protecting
the lower guns should be thicker than that protecting the upper guns. As will be
seen the turrets I and M have their axes arranged in the longitudinal central vertical
plane of the vessel. The other turrets K and I are arranged one at each side of the
said plane and between the turrets I and M. N is a ram.
The vessel is to be provided with suitable propelling apparatus preferably two screw
propellers with engines and boilers and other machinery usual in a ship of war as well
understood as also with efficient steering apparatus anchors and so forth.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what.
I claim is
1. A navigable battle fort or battery having its sides protected by armour arranged.
vertically and extending down to the level of the lowest external part of the vessel
substantially as described.
2. A floating battle fort or battery constructed with a flat bottom and with side.
armour extending down to such bottom substantially as described.
3. A navigable battle fort or battery with a flat bottom, a central portion protected
by angular or curved bulkheads, by side armoar extending down to the flat bottom
and by a protective armoured deck and end portions provided with armoured decks at
or below the water line or with a belt of armour substantially as described.
4. The construction and arrangement of the turrets with two platforms adapted to
respectively carry guns of different weight, substantially as described.
5. The construction of navigable battle forts or batteries substantially as hereinabove.
described with reference to the example illustrated.
Dated this 12th de 1807
J. FRED. CREASE.
W. Lloyd Wise,
46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, W.C., Patent Agent for the Applicant..