IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE APPLIED TO STEAM SHIPS OR OTHER VESSELS TO NULLIFY OR MINIMIZE THE EFFECTS OF COLLISIONS AT SEA OR ELSEWHERE
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Nelson Smith, Gentleman, of Mildmay House,
The Green, Stoke Newington, London, in the County of Middlesex, & Richard
Rhod Swann, Gentleman, of Lloyds, Royal Exchange, London in the County
of Middlesex for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE
APPLIED TO STEAM SHIPS OR OTHER VESSELS TO NULLIFY OR MINIMIZE THE
EFFECTS OF COLLISIONS AT SEA OR ELSEWHERE
"
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Nelson Smith and
Richard Rhod Swann at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
31st March 1883.
WILLIAM NELSON SMITH, Gentleman, of Mildmay House, The Green, Stoke
Newington, London in the County of Middlesex. & RICHARD RHOD SWANN,
Gentleman, of Lloyds, Royal Exchange, London in the County of Middlesex.
IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE APPLIED TO STEAM SHIPS OR OTHER
VESSELS TO NULLIFY OR MINIMIZE THE EFFECTS OF COLLISIONS AT SEA
ELSEWHERE'
"
"
WOR
Our invention consists in improvements in apparatus which are designed to be
applied to steam ships or other vessels and whose object is to nullify or minimize
the effects of a collision between two vessels either at sea or in rivers harbours
docks or elsewhere
In carrying the said invention into practice we form at the front of the stem
of the steamship or other vessel a chamber or tube wherein a weight which may
be of any desired dimensions is adapted to move or slide. This weight is supported
by a cord rope or chain whose ends are secured to two fans or plates which when
in their normal position enclose the aforesaid chamber or tube containing the
weight. These fans or plates are pivoted to each other at their front edge the
pivot being preferably on the centre line of the vessel fore and aft. From this
pivot the said fans or plates extend rearwardly and outwardly and their rear
edges rest in contact with the sides of the hull of the vessel back of the stem and

page_text: to the rear of the chamber or tube containing the weight. In other words the
aforesaid fans or plates when in their normal position form a somewhat V-shaped
chamber in front of the stem of the vessel. The aforesaid weight suspended upon
the cord rope or chain constantly tends to hold the fans or plates in close contact
with the sides of the stem of the vessel and to maintain the pivot which connects
the said fans or plates at their front edge on the centre line fore and aft of the
vessel. In order to secure the aforesaid fans or plates to the stem of the vessel or
preferably to the front of the chamber or tube containing the weight we secure
by a pivot to each of the said fans or plates (preferably near the pivot at their
front edge) a plate or stretcher These plates or stretchers extend rearward on an
incline in a reverse direction to the inclination of the fans or plates and are pivoted
in any suitable manner to the front of the said chamber or tube. From the above
construction it follows that the weight suspended on the cord rope or chain
constantly tends to draw the fans or plates into close contact with the sides of the
stem or fore part of the vessel so that the said fans or plates constitute practically
an extension of the fore part of the vessel and act as the cutwater. In order to
retain the lower portion of the fans or plates as well as the upper portion thereof
in close contact with the vessels hull, or in other words in a closed position we
may employ in addition to the cord rope or chain supporting the weight and
secured to the upper ends of the said fans or plates a second cord rope or chain
secured to the lower ends of such fans or plates and passing around suitable
pullies or guides and thence through the eye or loop of the weight through which
the other cord rope or chain passes. Or we may employ springs or other suitable
means to ensure the proper closing of the fans or plates upon the vessels sides at
their lower ends
The operation of the said apparatus is as follows:-That is to say-Assuming
a vessel provided with our apparatus to strike another at right angles or nearly at
right angles to the line of its keel the aforesaid fans or plates on the impact of the
striking vessel would be forced bodily outward at their reard edge and in such
outward movement will through the medium of the cord rope or chain or a series
of them raise the aforesaid weight in its chamber or tube. It follows therefore
that there is practically a yielding or cushioning compartment at the front of the
striking vessel as the force of the impact determines the extent to which the rear
edges of the fans or plates open and consequently the height to which the weight
is raised so that the force of the impact is exerted in raising the weight instead of
making a cutting blow through the side of the vessel struck. Immediately a
clearance between the two vessels in collision is effected the aforesaid plates or fans
will be returned automatically to their original position by the descent or force of
the weight. If the the striking vessel should strike the other vessel on a line at an
angle less than a right angle to the line of the keel of the vessel struck then the
force of the impact will be expended in forcing the plates or fans bodily out of the
centre line of the striking vessel and in forcing their rear edges open and
consequently raising the weight The fore part of the striking vessel may therefore
be said to be moved out of the centre line so that immediately after the impact
the blow will be a glancing one and not a cutting one as heretofore. It will be
readily understood that instead of a weight. we may use a spiral or other spring
for the purposes herein described

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Nelson Smith and Richard Rhod Swann in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 27th September 1883.
WILLIAM NELSON SMITH Gentleman of Mildmay House The_Green_Stoke
Newington London in the County of Middlesex and RICHARD RHOD SWANN
Gentleman of Lloyds Royal Exchange London in the County of Middlesex
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE APPLIED TO STEAM SHIPS OR OTHER
VESSELS TO NULLIFY OR MINIMIZE THE EFFECTS OF COLLISIONS AT SEA OR
'ELSEWHERE
22
Our invention consists in improvements in apparatus which is designed to
be applied to steam ships or other vessels and whose object is to nullify or
minimize the effects of a collision between two vessels either at sea or in rivers
harbours docks or elsewhere
improved apparatus auu
Figure 2 is a similar view with the said apparatus shewn in central vertical
section
Figure 3 is a plan of Figure 1 our improved apparatus being in its normal
position and
Figure 4 is a similar view showing the said apparatus in other positions
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the drawing
In carrying the said invention into practice we form at the front of the stem a
of the steamship or other vessel a chamber or tube b wherein a weight o which
may be of any desired dimensions is adapted to move or slide. This weight is
supported by a cord rope or chain & whose ends are secured to two fans or plates e
which when in their normal position enclose the aforesaid chamber or tube b con-
taining the weight c. These fans or plates e are pivoted to each other at their
front edge as at e¹ the pivot being preferably on the centre line of the vessel fore
and aft as shewn in Figure 3. From this pivot the said fans or plates e extend
rearwardly and outwardly and their rear edges rest in contact with the sides of
the hull of the vessel back of the stem and to the rear of the chamber or tube b
containing the weight as also shewn in Figure 3. In other words the aforesaid
fans or plates e when in their norinal position as in Figure 3 form a somewhat
V shaped chamber in front of the stem of the vessel. The weight c suspended
upon the cord rope or chain & constantly tends to hold the fans or plates in close
contact with the sides of the stem of the vessel and to maintain the pivot which
connects the said fans or plates at their front edge on the centre line fore and aft
of the vessel. In order to secure the aforesaid fans or plates e to the stem a of the
vessel or preferably to the front of the chamber or tube c we secure by a pivot fl
to each of the said fans or plates e (preferably near the pivot at their front edge)
a plate or stretcher f. These plates or stretchers f extend rearward on an incline
in a reverse direction to the inclination of the fans or plates e and are pivoted in
any suitable manner to the front of the said chamber or tube From the above
construction it follows that the weight c suspended on the cord rope or chain d
constantly tends to draw the fans or plates e into close contact with the sides of
the stem or fore part of the vessel so that the fans or plates constitute practically
an extension of the fore part of the vessel and act as the cutwater In order to
retain the lower portion of the fans or plates e as well as the upper portion thereof
in close contact with the vessels hull a or in other words in a closed position. We
may employ in addition to the cord rope or chain & supporting the weight c and
secured to the upper ends of the said fans.or plates a second cord rope or chain secured

page_text: to the lower ends of such fans or plates and passing around suitable pulleys or
guides and thence through the eye or loop of the weight through which the other
cord rope or chain passes; or we may employ a spiral spring as at g or springs or
other suitable means to insure the proper closing of the fans or plates upon the
vessels sides at their lower ends.
The operation of the said apparatus is as follows that is to say:-Assuming a
vessel provided with our apparatus to strike another at right angles or nearly at
right angles to the line of its keel the aforesaid fans or plates on the impact of the
striking vessel would be forced bodily outward at their rear edge, as shewn in full
lines in figure 4, and in such outward movement will through the medium of the
cord rope or chain d or a series of them raise the weight c in its chamber or tube b.
It follows therefore that there is practically a yielding or cushioning compartment
at the front of the striking vessel as the force of the impact determines the
extent to which the rear edges of the fans or plates e open outward, and conse-
quently the height to which the weight c is raised so that the force of the impact
is exerted in raising the weight instead of making a cutting blow into the side of
the vessel struck. Immediately a clearance between the two vessels in collision is
effected the aforesaid plates or fans e will be returned automatically to their
original position by the descent or force of the weight c. If the striking vessel
should strike the other vessel on a line at an angle less than a right angle to the 1
line of the keel of the vessel struck then the force of the impact will be extended
in forcing the plates or fans e bodily out of the centre line of the striking vessel,
as shown for instance in dotted lines in figure 4, and in forcing their near edges
open and consequently raising the weight c. The fore part of the striking vessel
may therefore be said to be moved out of the centre line, so that immediately after
the impact the blow will be a glancing one and not a cutting one as heretofore. It
will be readily understood that instead of the weight we may use a spiral or other
spring for the purposes herein described.
If desired the plates or fans e may be perforated, and they may either be flat or
curved as the bows of the vessel may require.
Our improved apparatus may be composed of wood, iron, copper, zinc, brass, tin,
gutta percha, india rubber, or any other substance or substances or any combination
or mixture of these or other metals or substances. For instance the said apparatus
may be composed of one substance or metal lined or coated with any other substance
or metal.
Instead of a weight or spring to keep the fans or plates under ordinary circum-
stances in juxtaposition to the side of the vessel we may employ hydraulics,
electricity, steam power, or magnets attached either to the vessel or to the fans or
plates; or we may use springs or catches sufficient to resist the ordinary pressure,
but yielding to the force due to the violent contact of the fans or plates with some
other substance.
Having thus fully described our said Invention and the manner of performing
the same, we wish it understood that we claim,―
The improvements in apparatus to be applied to steam ships or other vessels to
nullify or minimize the effects of collisions at sea or elsewhere, substantially as
herein set forth.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Nelson Smith and Richard Rhod
Swann, have hereunto set our hands and scals, this Fourth day of August in
the year of our Lord, One thousand eight hundred and eighty-three.