Improvements in Submarine Vessels or Pontoons for Sunken Ship Raising Purposes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Nov., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 20th Mar., 1894-Accepted, 16th June, 1894.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Submarine Vessels or Pontoons for Sunken Ship
Raising Purposes.
I WILLIAM EDWARD SYER of 17 Great Ancoats Street Manchester in the
County of Lancaster Looking-glass Manufacturer and Engineer do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
This invention relates to improvements in submarine vessels or pontoons, to be
operated in or under water, for the purposes of raising sunken ships or vessels.
Hitherto it has been difficult to operate successfully with submarine vessels or
pontoons of large dimensions for the above purposes, by reason of the arduous task
of moving them into their requisite positions. when sunk or resting at the bottom of
the water.
The object of my improvements is to construct a sinkable and raisable submarine
vessel or pontoon, which when sunk, will rest with its deck or upper-part upper-most;
bearing upon its keel or bottom so lightly, that very little power will be required
to move it, and so that either of its ends may be raised or lowered when in or
under water, thus adjusting itself to various positions and affording facilities for
fixing it in several ways to a sunken ship or vessel.
I attain my object by constructing a submarine vessel or pontoon having a deck
and strong keel somewhat in the form of a canal boat; with an air-tight partition,
or a narrow permanent air-receptacle across the middle from port to starboard, and
extending from under the deck to the keelson or bottom; thus leaving two vast
chambers, one in the fore, and one in the after-part of the vessel, into which water
is admitted through suitable inlets, and then driven out by compressed air, with
flexible armoured hose from the surface. I prefer the narrow permanent air-
receptacle to the air-tight partition (although I may use either) as it is important
that no air should pass from one water chamber to the other. A manhole could
then be made in the deck to the air-receptacle for the purpose of testing it, previous
to operations.
On the deck or upper part I also construct one or more permanent air-cases or
air receptacles of sufficient dimensions to keep the deck or upper part uppermost
when submerged, without preventing the said vessel or pontoon from sinking, when
its water chambers are filled with water, which is admitted through suitable inlets
and outlets for water and air.
The said submarine vessel or pontoon is made from steel, iron, or other suitable
material, and is sufficiently stayed inside to withstand an external and internal
pressure of 60 or 80 pounds (more or less) on the square inch, so that it may be
sunk to considerable depths.
:
The dimensions of the said submarine vessel or pontoon are as follows: Depth
from deck to bottom inside, about two thirds of its beam or width its beam or
width, is about three fourths of the beam or width of the sunken ship: its length
is rather more than the length of the sunken ship.
The above dimensions may be reduced or altered as circumstances require. Two
of the aforesaid submarine vessels or pontoons will be used for raising a sunken
ship or vessel.
Dated this 13th day of November 1893.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Submarine Vessels or Pontoons for Sunken Ship
Raising Purposes.
I WILLIAM EDWARD SYER of 17 Great Ancoats Street Manchester in the
County of Lancaster Looking-glass Manufacturer and Engineer 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 improvements in submarine vessels or pontoons, to be
operated in or under water, for the purposes of raising sunken ships or vessels.
Hitherto it has been difficult to operate successfully with submarine vessels or
pontoons of large dimensions, for the above purposes; by reason of the arduous
task of moving them into their requisite positions, when sunk or resting at the
bottom of the water.
The object of my improvements is, to construct a sinkable and raisable submarine
vessel or pontoon, which when sunk will rest with its deck (or upper-part) upper-
most, bearing on its keel or bottom so lightly that very little power will be
required to move it, and so that either of its ends may be raised or lowered when
in or under water thus adjusting itself to various positions, and affording facilities
for fixing it in several ways to a sunken ship or vessel.
I attain my object by constructing a submarine vessel or pontoon having a deck
and strong keel somewhat in the form of a canal boat; with an air-tight partition
or a narrow permanent air-receptacle across the middle from port to starboard,
and extending from under the deck to the keelson or bottom; thus leaving two
vast chambers, one in the fore and one in the after part of the vessel, into which
water is admitted through suitable inlets, and then driven out by compressed air
with flexible hose from the surface.
I prefer the narrow permanent air-receptacle to the air-tight partition as it is
important that no air should pass from one water-chamber to the other; a manhole
could then be made in the deck to the air-receptacle for the purpose of testing it.
On the deck or upper-part I also construct one or more permanent air-cases or
air-receptacles of such dimensions as not to prevent the said vessel or pontoon from
sinking when its water chambers are filled with water; but of sufficient dimensions
to keep the deck uppermost when submerged.
I prefer to carry out this feature of my invention, by constructing two permanent
air-cases or air-receptacles.
The said submarine vessel or pontoon is made from steel iron or other suitable
material and is sufficiently stayed inside to withstand an external and internal
pressure of 60 or 80 pounds (more or less) on the square inch so that it may be
sunk to considerable depths.
The dimensions of the said submarine vessel or pontoon are as follows: Depth
from deck to bottom inside, about two thirds of its beam or width its beam or
width, is about three fourths of the beam or width of the sunken ship; length
rather more than the length of the sunken ship.
The above dimensions may be reduced or altered as circumstances require. Two
of the aforesaid submarine vessels or pontoons will be used for raising a sunken
ship to the surface.
And in order that my said invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same and in what manner the same is to
be performed and for that purpose I shall refer to the mechanism illustrated in the
accompanying drawings, in which―
Fig. 1 is a vertical section of the entire submarine vessel or pontoon;
Fig. 2 is a top view of the submarine vessel or pontoon showing the position of
the narrow permanent air-receptacle dividing the water-chambers:

page_text: Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the submarine vessel or pontoon holding a sunken.
ship on an even keel;
Fig. 4 is a vertical cross section of the submarine vessel or pontoon on the
line 12, Fig. 2 bringing a sunken ship on an even keel;
Fig. 5 is a cross section of two submarine vessels or pontoons in position for
raising a sunken ship to the surface S is the sunken ship;
Fig. 6 is a perspective view of two submarine vessels or pontoons raising a
sunken ship to the surface, bows or fore parts first.
Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.
The submarine vessel or pontoon is made from steel or iron plates of the usual
thickness, and is, with the exception of the inlets and outlets air and water tight..
Under the deck and the insides are furnished with ribs and strengthened with
tie-bolts fastened to the keel, these tie-bolts also act for equalizing the strain, when
lifting with its keel.
The narrow air-receptacle B is formed by riveting or fastening its fore and after
sides to the sides, bottom, and under the deck of the submarine vessel, these fore and.
after sides are impervious to air and in order to stay them sufficiently to withstand
the before mentioned pressure and restrain yielding in their centres they are made
convexo-concave as shown in Figures 1 and 2; this air-receptacle B receives air
through a cock in the deck (it may be filled with water but air is the most con--
venient). When this cock is shut, the air-receptacle B is impervious to air.
I use the narrow air-receptacle B which divides the water chambers W W: to
form a partition for the purpose of adjusting the quantity of water in the said
water-chambers and to enable the water to be admitted or retained in either the.
fore or after part of the submarine vessel or pontoon while water is being driven.
out of the other part.
The two permanent air-cases or air-receptacles A A are constructed so that no
water may enter them when they are submerged, they are capable of holding
enough air to keep the deck uppermost when the said vessel is completely sub-
merged and resting at the bottom of the water. Each are fitted with cocks for
receiving air and when these cocks are shut the permanent air-cases or air-
receptacles A A are impervious to air.
The proportions of the permanent air-cases or air-receptacles A. A are shown in.
Figures 1 and 2 they will vary with the different thickness of material used but
can be calculated and ascertained by ordinary methods.
These air-cases or air-receptacles are riveted or fastened to the deck and frame
of the said vessel and in order to stay them to withstand the before mentioned
pressure they are ribbed inside and strengthened with tie-bolts; and their tops are-
made whale-backed as shown in Figures 4 and 5.
Three-way stop and regulating cocks communicating with an air-compressor or
air-force pump, and the open air, are connected to the surface ends of flexible
pneumatic hose the lower ends of the said hose being connected (when operating)
to the pneumatic pipes P P which form both outlets and inlets for air to the water-
chambers W W; small air-escape cocks are fitted in the deck on each side of the
after part of each water chamber.
It will now be evident that with the aid of the air-cases A. A and by stopping
or regulating the admission or escape of air to or from the water-chambers on
each side of the narrow air-receptacle B with the stop and regulating cocks at the
surface ends of the pneumatic hose while the inlet cocks N N and discharge
pipes H H are open, that the submarine vessel or pontoon will adjust itself to
various positions or angles when submerged, while its deck at the same time is
retained uppermost.
When operating with the submarine vessel or pontoon sink the after-part first,.
by opening the after inlet cock N at the same time open the after three-way cock
at the surface end of the after pneumatic hose to the open air, before the after
deck is submerged, open the fore inlet cock N but do not open the fore three-way
cock at the surface till water is required in the fore water-chamber, it is obvious.

page_text: that little or no water can enter the water-chambers while the cocks at the surface
are shut, as the air cannot escape from the water-chambers, the stern of the said
vessel allowed to gently touch the bottom and is kept near the place it touches
by its own weight, the air is then allowed to escape from the fore water-chamber
by opening the fore cock at the surface to the open air, and the said vessel sinks
deck uppermost near the place required.
In bringing the submarine vessel or pontoon to the surface drive the water out
of the fore water-chamber first, which will bring the bow up to a convenient angle,
and the said vessel slightly resting on the lower part of its sternpost, then drive
the water out of the after water-chamber, and the said vessel will rise deck
uppermost to the surface.
When the submarine vessel or pontoon is brought to the surface a man steps on
to its deck, and shuts the inlet cocks N N (which are always open when the vessel
is submerged) by means of a spindle V which is fixed and works through the deck
in an airtight gland, he then dis-connects the hose and the said vessel Hoats safely
on the surface.
The water may be driven out of the water chambers through the inlet cocks N N
alone, but it is better to provide discharge pipes H H in the event of the cocks N N
being out of order, and by connecting hose from the surface to the discharge
pipes H H the water could be observed passing out.
If the submarine vessel is required to be brought to the surface stern first,
another set of pipes will be requisite at the opposite ends of the water-chambers
but it will scarcely ever be necessary as the after part can be raised to several
angles or positions with the pipes as shown.
The lower plates of the clamps E E grip 3 or more beams of the sunken ship S
Fig. 5 close to the ships side: CC are chairs for holding ship in position
R Fig. 4 is a steel wire rope.
The specific gravity of the flexible pneumatic hose is lighter than water to
prevent kinking and allow a free passage for air.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is―
1. The combination in a submarine vessel or pontoon of an air-receptacle B
dividing the water-chambers W W together with the air-receptacles À A all
substantially as shown and set forth.
2. The air-receptacle B dividing the water-chambers W W for the purpose
specified.
3. The air-receptacles A A for the purpose specified.
ת
WILLIAM EDWARD SYER.