IMPROVEMENTS IN RUDDERS FOR VESSELS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the "International Patent
Office," Southampton Buildings, London, Consulting Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RUDDERS FOR VESSELS."-A com-
munication from abroad by Stephen Gano Coleman, of Providence,
Rhode Island United States of America.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Robert Lake at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition
and Declaration, on the 13th June 1870, pursuant to the 9th section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," Southampton
Buildings, London, Consulting Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS, I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
RUDDERS FOR VESSELS," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for
the same, and have made solemn Declaration that it has been com-

page_text: municated to me from abroad by по стешац, з
Rhode Island, United States of America.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification under my hand and
seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing forming a
part of this Specification, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional
view of the stern of a vessel A with an ordinary rudder, having wings
a¹, a', attached thereto, B represents the rudder post, and C the blade
of the rudder; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the same. Like letters
designate like parts.
In order to understand the nature and effect of this Invention the
usual operation of steering a vessel should be first described.
Suppose a vessel A, Figure 1, to be in motion, and it is desired to
change her course. This is effected by turning the rudder blade C
ordinarily used on vessels to the position shown in the Figure, which
causes the vessel to describe while moving forward after the position
of the rudder blade has been so changed a curved line similar to that
indicated by the curved arrow in Figure 1. This results because of the
opposing pressure of the water on the inner side of the rudder blade, that
is, the side opposite the letter B, Figure 1, and the forward motion of
the vessel through the water.
It will be observed that in the common style of rudder, no steerage
power whatever is developed in such a case on the outer side of the
rudder blade, that is, the side upon which the letter B is located in the
Drawing Figure 1.
Having confined the above operation and explanation to the ordinary
form of rudder, let us now suppose that wings of suitable form, such as
a', a', be properly attached and stayed to the rudder blade C, and the
vessel afterwards put through a similar change of course.
In this case
not only does the forward motion of the vessel bring the opposing force
of the water to bear with greater effect and increased leverage over that
exerted on the blade alone by acting in opposition to the inner wing
of the rudder blade, but in addition, the opposite or outer wing attached
to the rudder blade plays an entirely new and most important part,
namely, that of catching within its grasp a powerful stream of dense
water, and forcing the same between the rudder blade and the wing,

page_text: acting in fact like a duplicate rudder moving in concert with the
principal rudder, both wings together greatly increasing the steerage
power over the vessel, causing her to turn much quicker and in smaller
space, advantages of the highest importance. From the fact that these
wings extend further sideways from the stern into more dense water
than can from the nature of the case exist near the ordinary rudder
blade of a moving vessel changing her course, vessels of full runs can be
steered with greater accuracy than at present. Like results as the
foregoing will follow from a rudder constructed with the ordinary rudder
blade omitted entirely and the wings attached to a rudder post only.
I regard the former as the most convenient for the alteration of existing
rudders, the second perhaps as the best for building new rudders.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated
to me by my foreign correspondent, and shown how the same may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice, I claim, additional
wings or blades a¹, a', attached to an ordinary rudder or rudder post
substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake have hereunto
set my band and seal, this Eleventh day of June in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE. (L.S.)
Witness,
J. TEARE,
Clerk to Mess. Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
Southampton Buildings,
London.