IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LOWERING, AND RAISING SHIPS' BOATS, AND FOR ATTACHING OR DETACHING THE SAME
Year: 1884

page_text: I JAMES NELSON of 1 Mount Charles Belfast Ireland Tea Planter and Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR LOWERING, AND RAISING SHIPS' BOATS, AND FOR ATTACHING OR DETACHING
THE SAME, to be as follows:-
=
This Invention consists of an improved and novel arrangement of davits, upon
which the boats are suspended, whereby the boats can be more readily lowered
and raised.
This is accomplished by carrying the davits in sockets with trunions, which turn
on horizontal centres, and supported by upright stanchions at a convenient
distance from the lower ends or heels of the davits, causing the boat when lowered
to be well clear of the ship's side-the davits may be of the usual bent form, and
free to turn upon their vertical centres: they are weighted at their lower ends to
rather more than counterbalance their upper parts, or a spring may be used for
this purpose or they may have a hollow tank made to hold water, which can be
let out when the counterbalance is not required, the tank or counterbalance
framing, can be used as a deck-seat or life-raft.
On the lower ends of the davits, are swivel loops, connecting steel wire ropes
passing through suitable pulleys or runners at the waterway of the deck, with a
drum or barrel after the fashion of a small capstan, with a worm wheel on top,
working into a worm or screw with winch handle; enabling one man to raise or
lower an ordinary life boat in less than one minute of time, or other suitable
winding tackle may be used.
The ropes which carry the boat aro so arranged that in lowering the heads of
the davits, they allow the boat to go further from the davit heads, and of course
the reverse action takes place in raising the davit heads from their horizontal to
their vertical position; these ropes or falls from the boat, pass through single
blocks at the top of the davits, and lead through runners at the waterway, in a
line with the heels of the davits, and up to belaying pins on the sides of the
upright stanchions where they are belayed.
By this arrangement of davits, the boat is lowered clear of
also at a sufficient distance clear of the davits themselves, and
the boat to rise at either end or bodily, before it was time to
the ships side, and
also if a sea caused
detach her; either

page_text: davit or davits would rise from their horizontal position by means of the
counterbalance or spring, so that no injury could be caused to the boat or
its crew.
To detach the boat from the ropes or falls by which it is suspended, I use a
simple and effective contrivance, consisting of double hooks or jaws, one or both
parts of which are hinged or swivelled, at their lower ends; the same having flat
surfaces. The rings or hooks at the ends of the blocks or ropes by which the boat
is suspended are put in these double hooks or jaws, and the hinged or swivelled
ends of the hooks, are caught or held on the flats, by a slide bar or wedge, which is
kept in position by a lever so as to retain the ends of the hinged or swivelled
hooks. Whenever the lever is shifted, the ends of the hinged or swivelled hooks
are set free, the suspending hook or ring slips off, and the boat is liberated;
whether a strain is on the suspending ropes or not the hooks drop open of their
own weight.
The simplicity of this contrivance enables it to be easily and exactly set or
adjusted so that both ends of the boat can be detached at the same moment, by
having a simple connection of a bar or rod acting upon or by bell levers, whereby
both slide bars or wedges can be drawn clear of the hinged or swivelled hooks at
one time, and yet, in attaching the boat when required to raise it out of the water,
one end can be attached without interfering with the other, and yet withal when
the boat is suspended to the davits one end cannot be liberated without the other
being set free.
The double hooks or jaws have also safety pins, to keep them in position when
examining the slides or wedges to see that they are in good working order.
בד
11
CT
100

page_text: I, JAMES NELSON 1 Mount Charles Belfast Ireland Tea Planter and Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR LOWERING AND RAISING SHIPS' BOATS AND FOR ATTACHING OR DETACHING
THE SAME and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This Invention consists of an improved and novel arrangement of davits upon
which the boats are suspended whereby the boats can be more readily lowered and
raised, this is accomplished by carrying the davits in sockets with trunions, which
turn on horizontal centres, and supported by upright standards at a convenient
distance from the lower ends or heels of the davits, causing the boat when lowered
to be well clear of the ship's side the davits may be of the usual bent form and free
to turn upon their vertical centres; they are weighted at their lower ends to
rather more than counterbalance their upper parts, or a spring may be used for
this purpose, or they may have a hollow tank made to hold water, which can be
let out when the counterbalance is not required, the tank or counterbalance framing
can be used as a deck seat or life raft.
'
On the lower ends of the davits are swivel loops connecting steel wire ropes or
chains passing through suitable pulleys or runners at the waterway of the deck
with a drum or barrel after the fashion of a gipsy winch with winch handle
enabling one man to raise or lower an ordinary life boat in less than one minute
of time or other suitable winding tackle may be used.
The ropes which carry the boat are so arranged that in lowering the heads of
the davits they allow the boat to go further from the davit heads and of course
the reverse action takes place in raising the davit heads from their horizontal to
their vertical position; these ropes or falls from the boat pass through single
blocks at the top of the davits, and lead through runners at the waterway in a line
with the heels of the davits and up to belaying pins on the sides of the upright
standards where they are belayed.
By this arrangement of davits the boat is lowered clear of the ship's side and
also at a sufficient distance clear of the davits themselves, and also if a sea caused
the boat to rise at either end or bodily, before it was time to detach her either
davit or davits would rise from their horizontal position by means of the
counterbalance or spring, so that no injury could be caused to the boat or
its crew.
Also by this arrangement of davits when the boat is swung inboard over the
chocks, by easing off the winch a little, the heels of the davits will move outwards
and consequently the upper ends or heads will come lower from their vertical
position, allowing the boat to sit firmly in the chocks, of course in bringing them
to their vertical position again the boat will be raised sufficiently off the chocks to
let them down clearing the keel of the boat for swinging out.
To detach the boat from the ropes or falls by which it is suspended I use a
simple and effective contrivance consisting of double hooks or jaws, one or both
parts of which are hinged or swivelled at their lower ends, the same having flat
surfaces. The rings or hooks at the ends of the blocks or ropes by which the boat
is suspended are put in these double hooks or jaws and the hinged or swivelled
ends of the hooks are caught or held on the flats by a slide bar or wedge which is
kept in position by a lever so as to retain the ends of the hinged or swivelled
hooks, whenever the lever is shifted the ends of the hinged or swivelled hooks are
set free, the suspending hook or ring slips off and the boat is liberated, whether a
strain is on the uspending ropes or not the hooks drop open of their own
weight.

page_text: The simplicity of this contrivance enables it to be easily and exactly set or
adjusted so that both ends of the boat can be detached at the same moment, by
having a simple connection of a bar or rod acting upon or by bell levers, whereby
both slide bars or wedges can be drawn clear of the hinged or swivelled hooks at
one time; and yet in attaching the boat when required to raise it out of the water,
one end can be attached without interfering with the other, and yet withal when
the boat is suspended to the davits one end cannot be liberated without the other
being set free.
The double hooks or jaws have also pins to keep them in position when
examining the slides or wedges to see that they are in good working order.
The accompanying Drawings are intended to illustrate the mode of performing
or operating my Invention. In said Drawings like letters refer to like parts.
Figure. 1. is a side view of vessel with boat drawn in section with davits erect
and turned outwards in their sockets with trunnions in standards and their lower
ends connected by steel wire ropes or chains to a gipsy winch, also shewing
arrangement of connecting and disconnecting gear in boat.
Figure. 2. is a cross section of vessel shewing the davits lowered and the boat in
the water with the falls attached.
Figure. 3. is an enlarged front view in section of standard, trunnions, weight
and gipsy winch.
Figure. 4. is a plan view of Figure. 3.
Figure. 5. and 7. shew clip hooks with their wedges and lever attachments at
bottom of boat for connecting and disconnecting the boat.
Figure. 6. is an end view of standard shewing spring attachment to davit in
lieu of balance weight.
A represents the hollow standards which are suitably connected to the vessel at
the required distance apart. These standards support the sockets with trunnions A¹
which turn horizontally in their bearings A2, which are let in and bolted to the
sides of the standards A.
B are the davits let into the trunnioned sockets a¹, and free to turn upon their
vertical centres, they are weighted at their lower ends as marked b¹, to rather
more than counterbalance their upper parts, or a spring 63, may be used for this
purpose. On the lower ends of the davits B are swivel loops b³ connecting steel
wire ropes or chains passing through suitable pulleys 5 at the base of the
standard A, and around a runner 6, to a drum or barrel 67, after the fashion of a
gipsy winch, to which they are made fast; the drum or barrel b', may have a
circumference equal to the distance from the heel of the davit B when in a
vertical position as in Figure 1, to the heel when in a horizontal position as in
Figure 2 which in the accompanying Drawing of a ship with rail 3 feet 6 inches
high would be about 5 feet; the drum b' may be cast with an internal wheel
having 35 teeth, in this works a wheel of 34 teeth, on an eccentric, on the winch
handle shaft, a plate is attached to this 34 toothed wheel having a slot in the
lower end working on the axle of the runner 6, all contained in a simple framing
one side of which may be the ship's bulwarks, the handle has 16 inch radius and
one man exerting a force of 100lbs. (this is usual) on this handle through the
excentric and wheels can raise a boat of one ton easily, the weight he really raises
is two tons owing to the davit heads being two thirds distance from the fulcrum,
it will be seen that the short length of 5 feet to be unwound or wound lowers or
raises the boat right into or from the water by thirty five turns of the winch
handle which can be accomplished in less than half a minute, for heavier boats a
greater number of teeth will be required or the drum may be of a less diameter
and allow the steel wire ropes or chain to ride or not ride according to the width
of the face of drum; a great feature of this winch is, that it will retain what it
wound on, without catches or palls.
68 are the wire ropes or falls which carry the boat C, they pass through single
blocks b at the davit heads and lead through runners 610, near the waterway,

page_text: and up to belaying pins 611 on to sides of the standards A where they are
belayed.
If the boat is carried in chocks the falls 63 can be adjusted so that when the
davits are vertical the boat C will hang clear of the chocks, and by easing off the
gipsy winch 67 the heels of the davits B will depart from their vertical position
allowing the davit heads to come lower inboard thus lowering the boat into the
bed of the chocks and of course reversing the winch brings the davits to their
vertical position again raising the boat clear of the chocks so that they can be let
down clearing the keel of the boat for swinging out, this is accomplished in a few
seconds by one man as compared with the large number required to raise the boat
by the falls alone.
In Figure 5 and 7. D represents the clip hooks for holding the ends of the
supporting falls 68, which are held in position by the jaws at the top of the
stanchions d', above the thwarts d², by the bolts d³, and d', the latter d' also acts
as the axle pin for the swinging portion of the hooks: d' are wedges of a suitable
angle say 25° on the upper, ends of rods do, which are connected with the bell
cranks d, which are hinged on the lower parts of the stanchions d', these bell
cranks are also connected by a rod or bar of iron de passing through a bracket ³,
which may be fastened at the bottom of boat in a suitable place to allow the
lever to work freely; this lever may be carried to the side of the boat or
kept in the centre; by moving the lever do the wedges d³ are drawn downwards
and the swinging portion of the hooks are set free; whether a strain be on them
or not they will drop open of their own weight so disengaging the boat by one
simple movement of the lever. " are pins for the purpose of keeping the hooks
in position at any time the wedges may require to be examined or in attaching
the falls,
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
First The construction arrangement and operation of sockets with trunnions
turning on horizontal centres and carrying the davits turning upon their vertical
centres at a convenient distance from their lower ends for lowering and raising
boats, all substantially as and for the purpose herein before described with reference
to Figures 1. 2 and 6 of the accompanying Drawings.
Second: The construction and arrangement of connecting and disconnecting
gear for ships' boats by clip hooks, one or both held at boss of their axle by a
wedge of suitable angle by preference of 25° the same having no tendency to
slide either upwards or downwards when closed in position.
:-
Thirdly The method described of lowering or raising the boat on to or off the
chocks by the swinging of the davits.
יהנות
4th 1
1100