Year: 1887

page_text: 1 JOHN YOUNG SHORT of Pallion, Sunderland in the county of Durham, Ship-
builder 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 certain improvements in the construction of the hulls of
vessels and is more particularly applicable to high speed vessels such as torpedo boats,
yachts and the like.
The object of the invention is to ensure to the vessel greater safety and power of
flotation in case of collision or piercing of the outer skin or plating, and also greater
strength and stiffness to the structure in a longitudinal direction.
The invention consists firstly in dividing the vessel longitudinally into a greater
number of watertight compartments than are obtained by the usual methods of con-
struction, and secondly in using such longitudinal compartments as receptacles for
cork or other light and buoyant material by the use of which the weight and displace-
ment of the vessel are not materially increased.
I will now more fully describe my invention in reference to the accompanying
drawings which represent its application to a torpedo boat, though it will be obvious
that it is equally applicable to any other class of vessel. Figure 1 is a sectional
plan, Figures 2, 3 and 4 are enlarged cross sections on lines 1--2, 3-4 and 5-6
respectively.
The hull generally is constructed in the usual manner, a a being the outer skin or
plating having any desired number of transverse bulkheads a' a' a'. From and
between these bulkheads a' a' I fit longitudinal watertight bulkheads bb bb on each
side of the vessel and at a suitable distance from the outer skin a, thus forming the
separate and watertight compartments c c c. The distance intervening between the
skin'a and the bulkheads 6 varies according to the size and construction of the vessel,
but for a boat such as is illustrated about two feet is found to be convenient and
suitable spacing. The bulkheads bb are secured in the usual manner to the trans-
verse bulkheads a' a', and also above waterline to the deck d, and below waterline to
the outer skin a, or to the lower flooring f, and by this construction greater longi-
tudinal strength and stiffness is given to the structure of the vessel. The longitudinal
I Duinn 21

page_text: bulkheads bb may be vertical or curved or angled to suit the sectional contour of the
vessel at the various points, and may be carried the whole length fore and aft, or a
separate compartment may be left at either end as illustrated.
The second part of my invention consists in using these said longitudinal double
skin compartments as receptacles for cork or other light and buoyant material,
and the fore and after compartments may be entirely filled with such material if
desired.
By this construction the vessel is provided with an interior protective watertight
cork belt all round the skin extending for any required distance above and below the
water line, and in case of collision or piercing of the outer skin a the flotation of the
vessel is little if any affected the supporting value of the cork or equivalent material
in the pierced compartment compensating or being more than equal to the weight
of the water the pierced compartment would otherwise contain, and it will be readily
understood that hereby the safety of the vessel is greatly increased.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :—
1. The herein before described construction of torpedo and other vessels with any
desired number of interior longitudinal bulk heads each forming with the transverse
bulkheads a double skin water tight compartment to the vessel as set forth.
2. In a vessel constructed with interior longitudinal double skin water tight
compartments as specified the use of such compartments as receptacles for cork or
other equivalent buoyant material as and for the purposes set forth.
Dated this Twenty seventh day of September 1887.
J. C. CHAPMAN,
70, Chancery Lane, W.C.,
Agent for Applicant..