Year: 1896

page_text: I, GEORGE ALBERT CHADDOCK, of 6 Crosby Square, in the City of London, Master
Mariner, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in ships and more particularly to merchant
ships and has for its object the greater security of the ship when at sea. The chief
feature of my invention is a novel construction and arrangement, of ships decks
whereby the decks are strengthened and made capable of resisting upward pressure
from below as well as the weight of cargo on the top. By these means in combination
with a water-tight hatch and water-tight decks I ensure that the water shall be kept
down in the hold in case the ship's bottom is broken and the hold becomes full
of water. As heretofore constructed the lower deck in a merchant ship is usually
placed at a height of about fifteen feet from the ships bottom or from the false
bottom in case the ship is constructed with a double bottom. I however reduce the
spacing or height of hold by providing a lower main or security deck at a height
of about seven to ten feet above the ships bottom whereby in case of accident and
the ship's lower hold becomes full of water there is not so much loss of freeboard as
there would be with the spacing heretofore adopted. The security of the ship is
thereby enhanced. In constructing my improved ships I make the deck fastenings
so that they are capable of resisting any upward pressure likely to come upon them
as securely as they are capable of supporting the weight from above. I prefer to
provide a longitudinal bulk head attached at top and bottom by angle irons and
rivets or otherwise to the lower deck and to the keelson or keel and supported at each
side by stanchions or their equivalents.
In some instances the longitudinal bulk head may be dispensed with but in all
cases I so construct the fastenings that the upward pressure of water against the deck
is not concentrated upon one bolt in the stanchion as heretofore but is resisted by
a number of bolts or rivets distributed over an extension of the stanchion head and
over the longitudinal bulkhead when one is provided and the weight or pressure is
concentrated as much as possible on solid parts in lieu of on fastenings. A portion
of the bulk head under the hatch may be constructed to be removable when required.
The guideways for sliding hatches may be attached to this removable portion, or to a
removable fore and after or cross section. Alternately to the above construction the
stanchions around the hatches and at other places where required may be doubled
and the deck effectually stayed.
I make the decks air and water tight and I provide fireproof or other packing of a
compressible nature in the places required to prevent air, water and fire passing up
from deck to deck.
In the holds which are thus secured I provide a permanent system of metal piping
connecting with the stokehold or engine room and passing fore and aft through the
various bulkheads or connecting with each hold from a main pipe laid above, in either
case the system being so arranged as to allow of steam, or smoke, or other gas to be
introduced into a compartment where a fire may exist, the steam smoke or gas being

page_text: under control by suitable valves. The same or a separate system of connections may
be used to draw air from any compartment in the case of fire existing in such
compartment or in certain cases to allow of air being forced into such compartment
in case of accident or to make up for any leakage of air that may take place."
I also provide indicators for indicating the pressure of air and water in com-
partments liable to be filled with water in case of accident and other indicators for
indicating the temperature in case of fire.
Means are provided for closing the ventilators from above and in cases where the
ventilators communicate with the lower hold they are inade strong enough to resist
the water pressure when the lower hold is full of water.
Dated this 10th day of October 1896.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
I, GEORGE ALBERT CHADDOCK, of 6 Crosby Square, London, England, Master
Mariner, 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 relates to improvements in merchant and other ships and has for its
objects the greater security of the ship and life and property therein when at sea.
By my invention I make the decks capable of resisting the upward pressure of
water from below as well as the weight of cargo on top. I also make the decks
water-tight and provide them with hatches of the kind described in the Specification
of my prior Patent No. 13914 dated 23rd June 1896.
My invention also includes a method of draining the decks by pipes, so arranged
that they cannot form a means of communication for passage of water from one
compartment to another, such pipes being so disposed that they will likewise serve
for ventilating the compartments and for the conveyance of air into and from said
compartments.
The ventilation is effected by causing fresh air to enter the said compartments
near the bottom thereof, by the aforesaid pipes, so that such air in rising will mingle
with the foul air and carry it out through suitable foul air outlets.
In the accompanying drawing I have shown diagrammatically a longitudinal
section of a ship constructed according to my invention.
I prefer to construct the ship with a lower security deck A adapted to resist the
upward pressure of water in the event of the bottom of the ship being rent by striking
against a rock or otherwise, the said deck A being as already stated also capable of
resisting the weight of cargo on top thereof. The spacing of such security deck
should be regulated by the build of the ship, the number of decks therein and the
height of freeboard when loaded.
Such a security deck is not liable to be penetrated in case the ship strikes a rock,
for example, and the said deck precludes the rising of the water to the deck or decks
above.
Obviously the stanchions and bulkheads and their connections must be made
sufficiently strong to resist the aforesaid upward pressure of water or air against the
deck when water enters the hold from below.
This system of security deck and deck-staying in combination with the hatches
described in the specification hereinabove referred to, ensures a very strong and safe
ship.

page_text: I make the decks air and watertight and I provide suitable packing wherever
required to prevent air, water or fire from passing from deck to deck. By these
means the holds are capable of being hermetically sealed when the hatches are closed,
and it will therefore be possible to pump air into the holds to sustain the ship in
certain cases and to prevent material loss of freeboard should the ship's bottom be
For
broken. It will also be possible to withdraw air from the holds in case of fire.
these purposes I provide a permanent system of piping B preferably passing fore and
aft on or under one of the upper decks well above the water line, with branch services C
leading from the main service B to each hold in the several compartments. The
branches and the main service pipe are furnished with suitable valves or cocks for
closing and opening the passages as may be required. The piping B is connected to
one or to all of the available pumps. The said piping is further utilized for drawing
off leakage or drainage from cargo and for general pumping purposes in lieu of the
present form of scuppers and sluice valves. For this purpose each deck, if or when
constructed with waterways or channels for water drainage, is fitted with a small
well D and rose box to which the branches C are led as indicated. The various
connections are preferably under control of and are regulated by suitable valves and
cocks. By these means the decks can be effectively drained while ensuring the
complete isolation of the several compartments, so that in case of accident to one
compartiment the drainage pipes do not form channels by which water would pass to
the other compartments as do the scuppers and drainage pipes in the arrangements
hitherto in use. By the same system of pipes air can be pumped into any hold or
compartiment or can be exhausted therefrom as may be required, and steam or gas
that will not support combustion may be introduced into a compartment to
extinguish a fire therein.
If required apparatus may be provided for indicating the pressure of air or water
in any compartiment liable to fill with water in case of accident, and other apparatus
may be provided for denoting the temperature in case of fire.
The ventilators, foul air escapes, pumping connections and the like communicating
with the holds are carried sufficiently high to prevent overflow of water at the top,
and all accessories such as sounding wells, ventilators, pump connections, scuppers
and apertures must be made sufficiently strong to withstand the pressure that may
come upon them in the event of accident to the ship, and to provide against the
leakage of air.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. Constructing a ship with air and water tight security decks in combination with
hatches of the kind hereinabove referred to, and with stanchions or bulkheads, or
both, capable of resisting the upward pressure of water that may come upon them in
case the ship's botton is broken, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
2. My improvements in ships substantially as hereinbefore described with reference
to the accompanying drawing and for the purposes specified.
Dated this 10th day of July 1897.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.