IMPROVEMENTS IN TORPEDOES TO ENABLE THEM TO PENETRATE NETS AND OTHER LIKE OBSTRUCTIONS
Year: 1885

page_text: I, CHARLES WELLS, of 18, Walker Terrace, Plymouth, in the County of Devon,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
TORPEDOES TO ENABLE THEM TO PENETRATE NETS AND OTHER LIKE OBSTRUCTIONS,"
to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in torpedoes, and is intended to render
them capable of cutting their way through the safety netting which it is
customary to hang round the hull of a vessel, to stop any torpedoes aimed
thereat.
In carrying out my invention, I fix a suitable number of knives upon the nose
of the torpedo. These may be hinged near the extreme end of the torpedo, and
lying in grooves formed in the torpedo nose. The rear end of each knife will then
be held down by a suitable detent, to prevent it interfering with the discharge of
the missile from its gun, from which it is released by a suitable spring or expanding
device, as soon as its discharge is completed, which device may be operated either
from the barrel of the torpedo gun, or by mechanism within the torpedo itself, or
in any, other convenient way.

page_text: I CHARLES WELLS, of 18, Walker Terrace, Plymouth, in the County of Devon,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
TORPEDOES TO ENABLE THEM TO PENETRATE NETS AND OTHER LIKE OBSTRUCTIONS,"
and in what manner the same is to be performed; to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
A torpedo steering straight for a vessel, or other object, will, if its nose be
caught in a safety netting, be rendered harmless, the netting giving so as to
absorb the impetus of the explosive missile, until its screw ceases to revolve, when
it may sink to the bottom, and so conclude an useless but expensive career,
whereas, if it had been armed with a device capable of cutting, the safety netting
employed by the foe to stop its progress and nip its destructive powers in the bud,
it would have reached its object, and produced the effect anticipated by the:
gunner who started it on its threatening course.
;
My invention relates to improvements in torpedos, and is intended to render
them capable of cutting their way through a safety netting, or other equivalent
defence by arming them with suitable blades. These blades are sometimes fixed,
or they may be hinged, so as to be in grooves in the nose of the torpedo, and fitted'
with expelling devices to be operated in any convenient way, Instead of single
blades, I propose, according to my invention, to use pairs of blades, i.e., shears, to
be operated by any convenient device.
In order that my invention, and the means by which the same may be carried
into practical effect, may be thoroughly understood, I will proceed to describe the
same in detail, referring in so doing to the accompanying drawings, which are to
be taken as part of this specification and read therewith, and in which like parts
are marked throughout with the same reference letter.
Figs. 1 and 2 are, respectively, front and side elevation of the nose of a torpedo,
fitted with one modification of my invention.
The blades, a, are attached to the torpedo in any convenient way, tapering
towards the nose till they cease to project beyond its surface, while the maximum
projection, viz at, the heel of the blades, is uot less than sufficient to make the
cutting edges, coincide at this point with the maximum circumference of the
torpedo.
With this modification of my invention, the impetus of the torpedo is an
important factor in the work of cutting the meshes of the safety netting. I do
not contine myself to the number of blades shewn, viz,-4, in carrying out my
invention as this can be varied according to the particular mesh against which it
is likely that the torpedo will be used.
Figs. 3 and 4 are, respectively, front and side elevation the latter partly in
section illustrating the use of blades, b, with vibrating or pin hinges, at their
points of connection, c, with the torpedo. The blades are preferably convex on the
edge. Each blade is held by a detent, d, and as the nose of the former is pressed

page_text: towards the axis of the torpedo by contact with the mesh of the netting, the
detents are forced outwards by their respective springs, e, where-upon the blades
spring, or are forced by suitable springs f, outwards.
The external diameter of the torpedo through the leading points of the blades is,,
in the last described modification, less than that of a mesh.
'
;
Fig. 5 is a part elevation of a modification, according to which, the hinged
blades, g, on coming into contact with the netting, will be driven towards the axis,
of the torpedo, thereby exploding, by means of the percussion pistons, h, charges of
explosive material in the chambers i. The pistons, i, will then receive the force;
of the explosion, and expand the blades.
Fig. 6. illustrates a modification of my invention, according to which each blade
is double i.e. constructed to work with a shearing-or scissor-action. The upper
blade, j, is fixed, and the lower one hinged at k. It receives a reciprocating, or
shear-like, movement from an eccentric, ³, revolved from the engine of the torpedo,
or by a special one. A small spring, , opens each pair of shears after each closure.
I do not confine myself to the use of eccentrics, as any other suitable device may
be employed.
Fig. 7 illustrates a further modification, in which the eccentric (to be actuated
in any convenient way,) is placed behind the fulcrum of the shearing blades, the
upper one being shewn as actuated by the eccentric.
In both the preceeding figures, the dotted lines shew the two blades, i.e. the
shears, closed.
According to either of the last described modifications, the shearing-or scissor-
action is maintained independently of the missile's contacting with the netting,
while its impetus will contribute to the destruction of the netting, in the same way,
and to a similar extent, as with the modifications illustrated in the previous figures
and described therewith.
Figs. 8 and 9 are, respectively, part sectional elevation and plan, of a further
modification of my invention, according to which the pressure of the safety netting
upon the nose of the blades, m, is necessary to bring them into operation.
The full lines represent the normal position of the blades, i.e., the position they
occupy as the torpedo is being driven through the water. So soon as its nose is
driven into a mesh, the noses of the blades are closed towards the axis of the
torpedo, and the pinions, n, one to each blade, compelled by the pins, m', to engage
with the pinions, o, as indicated by the lower set of dotted lines in fig. 8. The
pinions, n, are capable of sliding upon shafts, n³, and are revolved in any
convenient way, e.g., by the motor of the torpedo, while each pinion, o, is carried
on an internally screwed sleeve, o¹, which receives a screw, o².
So soon as the pinious, n, engage with the respective pinions, o, the screws, o²,
are forced outwards radially, as indicated by the dotted lines, and the respective
blades steadily expanded from the axis of the torpedo, this expanding action
continuing, as indicated by the upper set of dotted lines, until a hole has been cut
in the safety netting, sufficiently large to allow the torpedo to pass through.
In the method of expanding the blades, illustrated in Fig. 10, the pressure of the
netting upon the nose of each blade, p will cause it to open the port, q, by means
of the valve, q', thus admitting compressed air, or its equivalent, from the chamber
in the torpedo, under the respective pistons, r the radial expulsion of which will
drive the piston rods, , against the respective blades, and expand them
accordingly, in the same way, and with the same effect as the blades of the
construction illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9 are expanded.
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. The use of a set of fixed blades mounted upon the nose of a torpedo, for the
purpose of cutting a clear way for the missile through a safety netting, sub-
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page_text: 2. The use of a set of expanding blades, mounted upon the nose of a torpedo,
for the purpose of cutting a clear way for the missile through a safety netting, in
combination with a suitable device for expanding the said blades, to be set in
operation by the contact of the blades with the mesh of the netting, substantially
as described with reference to Figs. 3, 4, 5, 8, 9 and 10.
3. The use of sets of shears, or scissors, mounted upon the nose of a torpedo, and
operated by any suitable mechanical device fixed inside the torpedo, for the
purpose of cutting a clear way for the missile through a safety netting, sub-
stantially as described with reference to Figs. 6 and 7.