IMPROVEMENTS IN TRIMMING AND FACILITATING THE PROGRESS OF VESSELS IN WATER
Year: 1837

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TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
STEDMAN GILLETT, of Guildford Street, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS His late most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth, by
His Letters Patent und the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-first day of January, in the seventh year of his reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Stedman Gillett, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said William Stedman Gillett, my exors, adiñors, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said William Stedman Gillet, my exors,
admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times hereafter during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN TRIMMING AND FACILITATING THE PROGRESS OF VESSELS IN WATER;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said William · Stedman
Gillett, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by
the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said William
Stedman Gillett, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-

page_text: tained in and by the following statement thercof, reference being had to the
Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that
is to say:-
My Invention consists in the application to vessels of planes or surfaces
below the water line, inclined to the surface of the water and the path of the
vessel, so as to cause a tendency to the parts to which such planes are applied
to immerge or emerge during progression. The object of such application
being, in the first place, to produce, by a rising of the bow, a tendency to the
vessel when propelled to rise to the surface of the water, thus to cause the
vessel to displace less water than when in a state of rest, and thereby obtain
greater velocity from the same propelling power; and, secondly, by having
the planes or surfaces capable of independent movement, they can be inclined
in opposite directions, or at different angles, to produce a tendency to raise or
depress either side, and hence obtain a more even keel when, from unequal trim
or press of wind, the vessel would otherwise be laid on one side.
Having thus stated generally the object of my Invention, I will describe
the Drawing hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents a side view of a portion of a vessel. Figure 2 represents
one of the planes, which I prefer to be moveable, to allow of being set at an
angle, to cause the vessel, when propelled with speed, to rise to the surface.
a is a plane which moves on a strong hinge or axis, as shewn at b, there being
one such plane on each side of the vessel below the water line; such planes,
when in use for trimming and facilitating the progress of a vessel, being placed
in inclined directions, and become inclined planes. c, c, are rods attached to
the planes a, a, by moveable joints, there being toothed racks at the upper
ends of these rods, and by means of pinions and cranked handles the planes a
may be set to a proper angle for giving full effect to the power propelling the
vessel, which will be judged of in like manner to steering; and when the planes
a, a, are set to the angle which appears to give the fullest effect they may be
retained in such positions, so long as the vessel is acted on under like circum-
stances, by making fast the winch handles, by lashing them with cords, or
otherwise fastening them; or the planes a, a, may be constructed to be raised
and lowered, and be made fast at proper angles by other mechanical means.
Supposing the vessel to be well trimmed, and on an even keel, and it is desired
to give a tendency to rise at the head, the planes a, a, will be drawn upward;
hence, as the vessel moves onward the press of water on the inclined planes
a, a, will tend to depress the stern, and this will be the case to a greater or less

page_text: extent, in proportion to the speed of the vessel, the dimensions of the planes
a, a, and angle at which they are set, as will be evident on considering the
nature and effect of the apparatus; and it should be stated that depressing the
planes below the horizontal line, when the vessel is moving forward, the planes
a, a, will have a tendency to produce a depressing of the head and a rising of
the stern of the vessel, and in case of an unequal keel, by wind or otherwise,
by varying the angles at which the planes a, a, are inclined, the movement
onward of the vessel will have a tendency to right the ship, and produce an
even keel.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would remark that variations may be made in the mode
of fixing, placing, and shaping the moveable planes, and the materials of which
they are composed, but the arrangement described and shown is the best with
which I am aquainted for the purpose.
I would have it understood that what I claim as my Invention is, the appli-
cation of inclined planes or surfaces to vessels below the water line, whereby I
am enabled to improve the trimming, and to facilitate the progress of vessels in
water, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Stedman Gillett, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven.