IMPROVED SELF-ACTING BOAT DETACHING APPARATUS.
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Jacob Hill, of Pimlico, in the County.
of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVED SELF-ACTING BOAT
DETACHING APPARATUS.".
Sealed the 19th March 1872, and dated the 24th January 1872.
.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Jacob Hill
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 24th January 1872.
I, EDWARD JACOB HILL, of Pimlico, in the County of Middlesex,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED SELF-
ACTING BOAT DETACHING APPARATUS," to be as follows:
-
My Invention relates to improved means of automatically detaching
ships' boats when lowered in the water.
In carrying out my Invention I employ the peculiar slip hook and
ring or depositing apparatus for which Letters Patent. were granted to
me bearing.date April 6th 1870, No. 1007. This slip hook is con-
structed and applied in combination with the boat lowering apparatus.in

page_text: manner hereafter described, and is the chief means whereby the
automatic detachment of the boat is ensured. In describing these
improvements I shall for convenience of description divide this con-
trivance into two parts, which I term the slip hook and the slip ring
respectively.
My first improvement relates to the slip hook itself, and consists in an
arrangement whereby the slip ring when attached to the slip hook
cannot become detached until after a strain has been put upon it. To
effect this the slip ring is formed in two parts or rings jointed together,
and the upper half has a curved tooth or tongue fixed upon the back of
it, pointing downwards. When the slip ring is attached the upper half
of the ring is bent downwards and the tooth is thrust into a notch or
slot formed in the upright guard of the slip hook, and is prevented from
accidentally coming out again by a spring catch or other similar con-
trivance to prevent it from being too easily withdrawn. When however
the weight of the boat comes upon the slip ring the ring cants under
the strain, the tooth becomes withdrawn, and the slip hook and ring are
free to detach themselves in the usual manner; or the upper half may
have two springs fixed one on each side so as to clasp the sides of
the upright guard in such manner as to prevent the slip ring from
becoming detached.
My next improvement relates to the method of lowering ships' boats
at sea, and consists of an apparatus which I term a sling, which is
suspended to the ordinary block tackle of the davits. This sling consists
of a horizontal rope and two short chains or ropes connected in the
following manner :—To each block suspended from the davits is attached
a ring, and these two rings are connected together by a horizontal rope
of wire or other material. There is also suspended from each of the
rings a short chain or rope, which may commonly be of the length of
two or three feet, and to the bottom of each of these chains is attached
a slip ring. The corresponding slip hooks are fixed to the slings of or
to the ends of the boat. The length of the horizontal rope forming the
sling is such that it is shorter than the distance between the slip hooks
fixed in the boat, so that when the slip rings are attached to the slip
hooks and the boat is suspended by the sling the short chains stretch out
at an angle to one another. If the boat thus suspended be lowered to
the water, and one end be lifted by a wave while the other remains
suspended neither slip hook will be detached, because the weight of the

page_text: suspended end of the boat will take up the slack and keep a strain upon
both the slip hooks; but if both ends of the boat be lifted by a wave,
however momentarily, both chains of the sling will slacken themselves,
and both slip hooks will become disengaged, the sling still remaining
attached to the davit blocks. The boat will then be free to leave the
vessel. It is desirable however in every case that a slip line should be
attached to the bow of the boat, as is usually done at present, and carried
forward to some part of the vessel, which slip line will only be let go
when all hands and stores are in the boat. This is more especially
necessary when the ship is under weigh or anchored in a tideway.
In some cases the sling is slightly modified in the following manner :-
The rings are suspended from the davits in the manner already described,.
a short piece of chain or rope is passed through each of the rings, and
the ends of these chains or ropes are respectively fastened together so
that each chain or rope forms a loop suspended in the ring. A second
ring is also suspended within the same loop. This ring, is attached to or
forms part of the slip ring. A third ring is also attached on each loop,
and these two last-mentioned rings are connected together by the rope
of wire or other material, as before described. The result of this arrange-
ment is that each of the loops having three rings upon it when the boat
is suspended the loop takes the form of a triangle. The upper ring
hangs on the davits, the lower ring forms the slip ring or is attached to
it, and the third ring is attached to the horizontal rope. By this arrange-
ment more slack is taken up when one end of the boat touches the
water first.
This sling arrangement may be used either in connection with the
safety slip hook before described, or it may be used in connection with
simple hooks of the ordinary description attached to the bottom of the
boat, so arranged that the suspending rings may detach themselves from
them when the boat is lifted. By this arrangement the boat will not
become detached when only one end is supported by the water, but will
become detached when both ends are lifted simultaneously.
It is unnecessary to point out that the same arrangements may be used
in connection with the bridle fixings commonly employed when the
boats are of unusual size and weight.
To prevent the slip ring becoming prematurely disconnected before
the boat is properly lowered a safety pin or bolt may be applied to the

page_text: hooked portion of the slip hooks and attached by means of a short piece
of chain or rope to the bottom or other portion of the hooks. This pin
may be released either by hand or automatically by means of a small
ring attached to a chain or cord connection attaching it to the guys of
the davits, which ring is passed under the head of the pin. This con-
nection may be adjusted according to the height of the vessel so as to
withdraw the safety pin at the proper time. In place of this safety pin
a piece of spun yarn or cord tied round the ring may be employed to
prevent the releasing of the ring from the hook when the boat is being
lowered, which may be removed either by cutting or otherwise at the
time of lowering the boat to the water. In some cases it may be found
of advantage to have the horizontal part of the sling double, and in this
case the short chain or rope from which the slip ring is suspended is
attached to a wire cord, and the wire cords are passed from each end and
attached respectively to the opposite davit block.
According to another arrangement of automatical boat detaching
apparatus a single slip hook is fixed amidships in the bottom of the
boat, and the slip ring, which is made with a small hook fixed thereto, is
attached to the slip hook by means of a chain or otherwise. A chain
or rope is attached at one end to each davit block, the said chains being
each passed through a ring attached at the bow and stern ends of the
boat, the chains meeting at the centre of the boat where one chain is
passed through a ring at the end of the other and connected to the hook
of the slip ring before mentioned. Thus arranged as soon as the boat
floats the slip ring becomes disengaged from the slip hook and casts off
the chain, thus freeing the boat, which result is attained by the aid of
the connection attaching the hinged hook of the slip ring to the slip
hook at the bottom of the boat.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Jacob Hill in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 24th July 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
JACOB HILL, of Pimlico, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Edward Jacob Hill, Her special licence
that I, the said Edward Jacob Hill, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward Jacob Hill, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED SELF-ACTING BOAT
DETACHING APPARATUS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Edward Jacob Hill, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Jacob Hill, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement, reference being had to the three Sheets
of Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thercon (that is to say) :-
:-
My Invention relates to improved means of automatically detaching a
ship's boat immediately it is lowered into the water.
In carrying out my Invention I employ a peculiar contrivance, which
for convenience of description I shall divide into two parts termed the

page_text: slip hook and the slip ring respectively. This contrivance is the chief
means whereby the automatic detachment of the boat is ensured. It is
combined with the boat and boat lowering tackle as herein-after fully
described in reference to the accompanying Drawings, in which Figure 1
shows (in black lines) a ship's boat suspended from the davits of the
ship, the boat being represented in section to show the automatic
detaching apparatus of my Invention, with which the lowering tackle is
provided at each end of the boat. In the same Figure the boat is shown
(in dotted lines) lowered almost into the water in readiness to be auto-
matically detached as soon as it is floated, and also (in red lines) quite
lowered and detached from the ship. Figure 2 is a view on a larger scale
of one hook with its slip ring attached, showing more clearly its con-
struction and the manner in which it becomes detached; Figure 3 shows
the slip ring detached. A, A, are the boat davits, and B, B, the boat
lowering tackle, which may be of the ordinary description. The boat is
suspended from the block tackle by means of an arrangement of ropes
or chains, which I term a sling or life line, the purpose of the said sling
(which may be variously arranged, as hereafter described,) being to
connect the slip rings and lower tackle blocks together. a, a, are the
slip hooks, and b, b, the slip rings, which are employed in duplicate in
the present arrangement, one towards either end of the boat. Each slip
ring is made double, that is to say, it is forged preferably in the form
shown in Figure 3, or as shown in Figure 3*, in which the two loops are
at right angles to one another. In either case the small loop b¹is
attached to the nearest lower block c of the tackle, and the large loop
is sometimes made heavier on one side, as shown in Figure 3ª for the
purpose of ensuring the disconnection of the boat under certain circum-
stances
i
In Figures 1 and 2 the sling consists of a wire or hemp rope d (made
in two parts united in the middle by a lanyard d²) by which the two
blocks c are connected together, and two short chaiu d', which may
commonly be of the length of about one foot or less, by which the slip
rings are attached to their respective blocks c. The length of the
horizontal rope d is less than the distance between the slip hooks a fixed
in the boat, so that when the slip rings are engaged in the slip hooks as
the boat is suspended, and the blocks c connected by the rope d, and the
lanyard & tightened up, the chains d will each stretch out at an angle
with the rope d, as shown, but the said angle made by chains d¹ with

page_text: rope d must be a greater angle than that made by chains d' with the
tackle ropes B in order to ensure the efficient action of rope d. The
length of the horizontal rope d is adjusted each time it is used to
connect blocks c by tightening the lanyard d² so as to draw the blocks
nearer together, the lanyard being first slackened in order to allow of
such connection being made. The ends of rope d are merely hooked to
the blocks c by hooks u formed on the under side of the first link or
shackle u of chain d', a loop being made at each end of rope d round a
thimble fitting loosely on hook u, so that when the slip, rings 6 dis-
connect from the slip hooks a the rope d will be detached from the
blocks c and fall in the boat, thereby avoiding any chance of the rope d
dragging a man overboard. The slip hooks a are fixed to the boat, one
at either end. The hook a is pivoted in a shackle or link f, and is free
to incline itself to the direction of the strain. The shackle f is con-
nected to sling chains f¹, and is supported in position by the tension of
steadying lines attached to eyes f² on either side of shackle f, extending
to the gunwale of the boat. Or the hook a may be pivoted to a bolt f
fixed through the stem or stern post of the boat, as shown in Figure 4.
The slip hook a consists of a curved or hook-shaped part a', in which the
slip ring engages, and an upright guard a², over which the slip ring b is
passed as shown, the strain being shared by the parts a¹, a². The
guard a² serves to render it impossible for the slip ring to again engage
itself with the hook a¹ when once by the slackening of the chains it
has become detached or fallen into the dotted position shown in Figure 2.
Thus immediately the boat is fairly floated, and the sling chains are
released from its weight, they slacken and allow the slip rings to fall
into the dotted position, whereby the boat is instantaneously and auto-
matically detached by the act of lowering the boat into the water.
Should however the boat be lifted by a wave, or become water borne at
one end only while the other end remains suspended, the boat cannot be
detached at either end, because by the coupling of the two davit blocks
c, c, the sling chains d' are always kept taut, and a strain is maintained
on both slip hooks by the weight of the suspended end of the boat so
that neither slip hook can slacken and become detached until the boat is
fairly floated. But if both ends of the boat are lifted by a wave, no
matter how momentarily, both chains d' of the sling will slacken them-
selves, and both slip hooks will become disengaged. If the boat be
lowered when the vessel has way on the boat although fairly floated may
cause slight tension on the chains d', but even then the boat will still be

page_text: b
detached by reason of the ring 6 being weighted on one side, as before
mentioned, which causes the ring to cant and detach itself, or instead of
weighting the ring 6 as described it may be released from the hook by
hand by means of a short cord attached to an eye on one side of the
ring. The boat will then be free to leave the vessel.
To prevent the slip ring becoming accidentally disconnected at any
time a safety pin or bolt g is applied to the hooked part a¹ of each slip
hook a. Ping is attached by a short piece of chain or cord g¹ to the
curved part of hook a. The pin passes through a socket in a', and
inside the slip ring b, which is thereby prevented from falling into the
dotted position. The pin g may be withdrawn either by hand or auto-
matically by means of a chain or cord attached to the guys of the
davits, and terminating in a ring which is passed under the head of the
ping, as shown in Figure 2.
In the boat shown in dotted lines in Figure 1 the pins are shown
withdrawn by the act of lowering the boat. In place of this safety pin
a piece of spun yarn or cord may be tied round the ring 6 to prevent the
release of said ring from hook a, which yarn or cord may be removed
either by cutting or otherwise at the time of lowering the boat. Figure 4
shows part of a slightly modified arrangement. In this view only one
slip hook is seen, but it is understood that a similar arrangement is
employed at the other end of the boat. The same letters indicate the
same parts as before. In this case there are two chains d³, ď³, each of
which is attached at one end to one of the blocks c, and led through the
loop of the nearest slip ring b, then back through an eye e attached a
to the block, and is connected by a length of wire rope d to the other
block c. The chains d', d¹, run freely through the loop 6¹ of the slip
ring and through eye e, and the said chains and wire rope composing
the sling are made of such length that when the boat is attached the
two blocks c will be drawn towards one enother so as to be somewhat ;
nearer together than the two slip hooks a are, as shown in the other
arrangement in Figure 1. The slip hook a is bolted to the stern i of the
boat. The result of this arrangement and the operation of lowering the
boat is much the same as before.

page_text: the loop b¹ of the slip ring, both ends of the chain being attached to the
horizontal rope d which connects it with the chain d³, thus forming a
triangle which enables it to take up the slack more quickly, and so keep
both slip hooks from becoming disconnected before both ends of the
boat are fairly afloat. Instead of the safety slip hook before described
either one of these three sling arrangements may be used in connection
with simple hooks of the ordinary description fixed in an inverted
position to the ends of the boat so that the rings 6 may detach them-
selves from them when the boat is floated. In this case also the boat
will not be detached when only one end is supported by the water, but
will be detached when both ends are lifted simultaneously. Instead of
being fixed directly to the ends of the boat the said inverted simple
hooks may be attached to shackles supported by chains, as in Figure 1.
To raise a boat from the water the blocks c are lowered, and the rings b
passed over the hooks a and attached in the manner shown in the
Figures, in which position they may be secured by the safety pins g.
The boat is then raised in the ordinary way, and the life line d is
attached and set up as before explained.
Instead of employing two slip hooks I may sometimes employ one
only. Figure 6 shows such an arrangement, the slip hook being bolted
amidships to the keel of the boat; Figures 7 and 8 show enlarged views
of the hook and its appendages. In this case in lieu of the loop 6¹ before
referred to the slip ring is made with a small hook hinged to it at m,
and the said hook is jointed to the top of the slip hook a by means of
a link
thereby attaching the slip ring to the hook a instead of the
ring being connected to the lowering tackle as in the former case. To
each of the davit blocks c a chain o is attached, the said chains being
passed through rings p attached by chains q to the bow and stern ends
of the boat as shown. The chains o meet at the centre of the boat,
where one chain is first passed through a ring at the end of the other
chain, and then connected to the hook l. r is a guard fixed to ring 6 to
prevent the chains o being accidentally disconnected from hook 1. The
slip hook a is hinged at 8 to its base to admit of its being folded down
out of the way when not in use. A safety pin 9 is applied to the slip
hook, which pin is withdrawn by the act of lowering the boat as before
described, after which as soon as the boat floats fairly the slip ring b
disengages itself from the curved part of slip hook a, and falls into the
dotted position shown in Figure 7, when a slight tension on the chain o

page_text: 7thly. In the single hook arrangement, Figures 6, 7, and 8, I claim
the combination with the slip ring 6 of the hook hinged thereto and
provided with a guard r, the said hook being connected to the slip
hook a, all substantially as and for the purpose herein-before set forth
and illustrated in the Drawings..
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Jacob Hill, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of July, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
two.
EDWARD JACOB HILL. (L.S.)