Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 6th July, 1887
Complete Left, 4th Apr., 1888
Complete Accepted, 4th May, 1888
1, WILLIAM RICHARDSON BIGSBY-CHAMBERLIN Lieut. Col. Retired, late of the
24th Regt., of the Vale, St. Leonards Road Eastbourne, in the County of Sussex
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
An improved means of propulsion, guidance and stoppage of ships of any size or
of any motive power.
To do this I use one or more double acting cylinders fixed in any convenient part
of the ship: these I should make round at that part where the piston works (though
one is not forced to keep to that form as any shape can be used) but for convenience
I should make them round; and those openning to the stern of the ship, I should
leave round, placing over them (the ends of the cylinders) a movable hood, directing
the stream of water downwards; on turning the hood or hoods to the right or left
I should be able to guide the vesel, into the direction I wished it to take; the other
end of the cylinders would also have a communication with the water, either to the
bottom of the vesel, or to that part of the vesel that I found most convenient,
placing them at such an angle that it would help the forward movement of the
vesel.
The cylinder or cylinders placed in the fore part of the vesel with the double object
of propelling the ship, and setting up a counter current to reduce the skin friction
of the vesel, should also be double acting, the openings of these cylindes I should
recomend to be more of an oval, of equal space as there is in the round part of the
cylinder; immediately behind these I should have water tight compartments each
containing an appliance so constructed that on being let down it would alter the
direction of the water (that is being driven out of the cylinder) so as to stop the ship
or to propell her in an opposite direction.
1008

page_text: I WILLIAM RICHARDSON: BIGSBY CHAMBERLIN, of The Vale, Eastbourno, in the
county of Sussox Lieutenant Colonel retired late of the 24th regiment of Foot, 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 the propulsion, guidance, and stoppage of ships by means
of hydraulic currents produced by means of double acting hydraulic cylinders or
pumps, actuated by steam engines or other motors, and placed in various suitable
positions in the ship, the said cylinders being connected with the water outside by
suitable channels or races for conveying the water to and from the said cylinders;
and being provided with adjustable guides for the purpose of diverting the currents
at will, and by these means stopping, reversing, and varying the direction of motion
of the ship as may be desired.
In carrying my invention into practical effect double acting cylinders arranged
preferably in the front and stern parts of the ship are connected at their ends by
suitable channels or races with the outside water, and are so constructed, that when
their pistons are actuated by any suitable motor or motors, water from the outside is
alternately drawn into the ends of the cylinders and expolled therefrom. The said
cylinders are placed as low down in the ship as is practicable in order to insure their
upper parts being always below low water line.
In order to change the direction of motion of the ship, one or more of the above
described cylinders in the stern of the ship are provided with hoods capable of being
rotated in such a manner, as to divert the expelled water in the direction required to
to give the desired change of motion to the ship. These hoods are rotated by means
of toothed gearing or other suitable mechanical means. The guiding action of tho
hoods is also assisted when desired by stopping one or more of the cylinders when
more than one is employed on one side of the ship, while the action of those on the
other side is continued.
In order to stop the ship, or to reverse its motion when going forward, the action
of the stern cylinders is stopped, and the direction of the currents from the outlets of
those cylinders placed in the front and other convenient parts of the ship are diverted
by means of adjustable. guide plates, capable of being withdrawn into casings in the
interior of the ship when not in use.
The cylinders placed in the front part of the ship have their mouths or openings
at a convenient inclination and directed aft, spreading out so as to cover as much of
the ship that is under water as is possible without coming above the ballast water
line. The advantage to be gained by this is, that the ship is not only moved by the

page_text: expulsion of the water in the cylinders, but it also receives an indirect aid, as the
expelled water rebounds or curves under the ship, setting up a counter current in
the direction of motion, so that, as the ship moves forward it comes into the said.
current; this considerably reduces the resistance due to skin friction, as the vessel is
thus moving in a favourable current.
The number and shape of the cylinders employed depend upon the shape of the
vessel, and the purposo for which it is designed. For instance, in life-boats, all the
openings should be directed to the bottom, as they are of light construction, and
being employed in rough water other openings might got empty. They could be
guided as at present.
In the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation
of a ship having two double acting cylinders at the fore, and two at the stern, and
provided with guides constructed according to my invention.
Fig. 2 is a sectional plan of the same and
Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the stern of a ship shewing the stern cylinders with
their steering hoods connected and controlled by toothed gearing.
One end of each of the stern cylinders A is directly open aft, the other end having
an opening B on one side, (the piston not coming beyond this opening) connecting
it to the channel or race C leading more or less to the stern of the ship as shewn, so
that on the piston D being forced aft the water is expelled at E, and on the return
of the piston the water drawn in during the previous stroke through the openings B
and race C is expelled at C, producing a constant current of water from the ship.
On the end of the cylinder A is mounted a revolving hood F forming a kind of
bonnet, one part projecting backwards and downwards at an inclination so that, when
in its normal position.it causes the water expelled from the back end of the cylinder A
to be diverted into a downward direction.
By forming cogs upon the hood F and gearing them into a pinion G they may
be rotated so as to divert the current of water in any direction and thereby steer
the ship.
The cylinders H in the front part of the ship are placed as near to the bows as
practicable, the channels or races I of the rear ends of the cylinders being conducted
downwards, so that the water is driven out astern and under the ship. The channel
or race K of the front end of the cylinder H is connected to the side of the ship in an
aft direction as clearly shewn.
Where there are two front cylinders as shewn, the ship can be turned more quickly
by stopping the piston on that side to which it is desired to turn; or the direction of
the current may be reversed on that side in the same manner as when going back-
wards. This latter method is also specially applicable in the case where only one
front cylinder is employed.
In order to reverse the current of the front cylinders, a plate or plates is or are
placed in any convenient parts of the races or channels, one end of each plate M
being recessed and hinged so as not to interfere with the current, and the other end
left free. The plate M is rotated on its hinge by a plate L sliding in a water tight
casing N. The plate L can be thrust forward so as to cause the plato M to take up a
position across the channel or race, and so that its end projects beyond the plate M.
It will thus be seen that the current is directed towards the bows of the ship. If
desired the plate M may be omitted, the plate L serving alone to reverse the current,
but it is a great help, giving a better direction to the new channel. The plate M is
kept in its place when the plate L is withdrawn by being attached to it, or trapped
by it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what 1
claim is :-
:-
In apparatus for the propulsion, guidance, and stoppage of ships :-
1. The method of propelling shins by means of currents of water produced by

page_text: 2. The construction of apparatus for guiding ships propelled by currents of water,
consisting of rotating hoods attached to the stern propolling cylinders, and operated
by gearing in such ruanner, that the current of the expelled water can be diverted
into the required direction to produce the desired change in the direction of motion
of the ship substantially as described.
3. The employment of adjustable guide plates for reversing the direction of the
current of the expelled water on leaving the propelling cylinders, and thereby stopping
or reversing the direction of motion of the ship substantially as described.
4. The arrangement and construction of apparatus for the propulsion, guidance,
and stoppage of ships substantially as described with reference to the drawings.
Dated this 4th day of April 1888.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
156, Strand, W.C.