IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS AND VESSELS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Mac Sweny, of 4, America Square,
in the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS AND VESSELS."
Scaled the 25th January 1854, and dated the 10th August 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Mac Sweny
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 10th August 1858.
I, THOMAS MAC SWENY, of 4, America Square, in the City of London,
lo hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS AND VESSELS" to be as follows:-
The Invention has for its object the construction of ships and vessels,
each of several sections or parts, connected together in such manner
that a ship or vessel will be enabled to bend in its length in vertical
planes, but not in a lateral direction, or in a horizontal planes. For
this purpose each section of which a ship or vessel is composed is
separate from the other sections, except at the point of junction, trans-
versely across the vessel, and the ends of the neighboring 'sections will
only come together from the keel upwards when in one position; at
other times there will be a greater or less angular space between the
Sp

page_text: neighbouring sections or parts according to whether the whole of the
sections are on a more or less even keel from end to end of the ship or
vessel. And in order to prevent any prejudicial impediment to the
movement of a ship or vessel in the water by the angular spaces
between the sections they are covered in such manner as to exclude the
water, and yet so as to allow of free bending of the ship or vessel in its
length; or the ends of the sections may be made concave and convex,
and fit into each other, and thus admit of like bending in the length
of a ship or vessel. The purpose of the Invention is to construct a
vertebrated ship, which shall be able to take the form of the curves of
the waves, and thus to render long ships less liable to injury when sup-
ported at parts only of the length, which a long ship is liable to when
constructed in one frame.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Mac Sweny in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 10th February 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1,
THOMAS MAC SWENY, of 4, America Square, in the City of London, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her s
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the seven-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Mac Sweny, Her special
licence that I, the said Thomas Mac Sweny, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Mac Sweny,
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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS AND VESSELS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Mac Sweny, by an

page_text: instrument in writing under my hand and scal, 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 Thomas Mac Sweny, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof (that is to say):
My Improvements in the Construction of Ships and Vessels " are
intended to obviate the liability of vessels breaking their backs or
"hogging," and to promote the increase of speed by facilitating the use
of very long and shallow vessels for navigation. These objects I attain
by constructing vessels in two or more rigid parts or sections, which
when connected together will constitute a complete vessel, having the
usual bow and stern, the parts or sections being so connected as to
permit the vessel (the series of sections) to bend or yield in a vertical
direction, but not in a horizontal one. By "vertical direction" I mean
in planes perpendicular to the surface of the water and passing longi-
tudinally through the vessel. I construct the sections of a vessel so
that one end of a section shall be large enough just to overlap that end
of the next section which connects immediately with it and through
the overlapping parts. I insert stout horizontal bolts or axes to hold
the sections together, and to constitute the centers on which they move
in bending.
In the following description and annexed Drawings the same letters
refer to the same parts. Figure 1, represents a side elevation of a
vessel constituted of three parts or sections 8, 8, 8, united or connected
together by the horizontal axes A, A, which axes I prefer to locate in
or near the vessel's wales. Figure 2, represents a longitudinal horizon-
tal section of the same vessel passing through the axes A, A, and shew-
ing the overlapping parts and the insertion through them of the
axes A, A. In order to prevent the ingress of water to the interior of
the vessel or sections through the joints I close up each of the two ends
brought together at a joint, giving to one end B, a bow or convex form,

page_text: and to the other end B', a concave forin, so-as to fit pretty closely the
adjoining convex end of the next section, leaving merely a narrow space
to allow of free motion of the sections in respect to each other when the
bending of the vessel takes place. Other means of preventing ingress
of water and other forms of joints to permit vertical bending of the
vessel may be used, but I prefer the means above described.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim
is, the construction of ships and vessels each of sections connected
together, as herein explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Mac Sweny, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
JNO. ALCOCK.
THOMAS MAC SWENY. (L.S.)