Improved Means or Apparatus for supporting and reeding Torpedoes to Torpedo Discharging Apparatus.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Mar., 1887
Complete Left, 12th Dec., 1887
Complete Accepted, 17th Feb., 1888
Improved Means or Apparatus for supporting and reeding
Torpedoes to Torpedo Discharging Apparatus.
We, WILLIAM CAMPER STOREY, of 13, Regent Street, in the County of Middlesex,
Naval Architect, and GRAYDON POORE, of 19, Queen Victoria Street, in the City of
London, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of this invention is to so arrange and support torpedoes that they may
be easily and successively supplied or fed to the discharging tube of torpedo discharging
apparatus.
According to this invention torpedoes are carried in suitable chambers or supports
at the rear of the torpedo discharging tube, and are arranged, by preference in a
circle, with their axes in planes parallel, or approximately so, to that of the discharging
tube. The torpedoes are supplied to the discharging tube either by causing the
chambers, or supports that carry them, to move so as to bring the torpedoes succes-
sively in line with such rube into which they are then forced by manual or suitable
mechanical means; or, the torpedoes may be supported in a rack or racks from which
they are each lifted in turn and brought into line with the discharging tube by one
or more suitably arranged carriers or levers, each torpedo when in position being
forced into the discharging tube as before. In the latter arrangement, each pair of
rack arms or supports that carry a torpedo is capable of retreating to allow of the
passage of a torpedo from a lower pair of arms or supports.
Dated this 11th day of March 1887
W. LLOYD WISE.
Per F. J. Brougham,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: Torpedoes to Torpedo Discharging Apparatus.
We, WILLIAM CAMPER STOREY, of 18, Regent Street, in the county of Middlesex,
Naval Architect, and GRAYDON POORE, of 49, Queen Victoria Street, in the City of
London, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what
manner the saine is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement:-
The object of this invention is to so arrange and support torpedoes that they may be
easily and successively supplied or fed to the discharging tube of torpedo discharging
apparatus.
According to this invention, torpedoes are carried in suitable chambers, supports,
or containers at the rear of the torpedo discharging tube, and are arranged, by
preference, in a circle, with their axes in planes parallel, or approximately so, to thai
of the discharging tube. The torpedoes are supplied to the discharging tube either
by causing the chambers, supports, or containers that carry them, to move so as to
bring the torpedoes successively in line with such tube into which they are then
forced by manual or other suitable means; or, the torpedoes may be supported in a
rack or racks from which they are each lified in turn and brought into line with the
discharging tube by one or more suitably arranged carriers or levers-constituting a
movable transferring device-each torpedo when in position being forced into the
discharging tube as before. In the latter arrangement each pair of the rack-arms or
supports that carry a torpedo is capable of retreating to allow of the passage of a
torpedo from a lower pair of arms or supports.
Referring to the accompanying sheet of drawings,
Fig. 1 is a side elevation, and
Fig. 2 an end elevation of one at rangement of apparatus according to this invention
for supporting and feeding torpedoes to the discharging tube of torpedo discharging
apparatus, part of such a tube being shown in section in Fig. 1.
Figs. 3 and 4 are similar views to Figs. I and 2 respectively; they illustrate another
arrangement of apparatus according to this invention.
Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views at right angles to each other of a carrier or lever.
Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, 1 is a cylindrical vessel capable of being roiated; it is
mounted between rollers 2 carried by standards 3. The vessel 1 is formed or provi ted
with chambers or containers 4 each of which serves to carry a torpedo 5. The
chambers or containers may be tubes; or instead of a vessel with rubes a couple of
dises with holes through them and connected together with the holes of one dise

page_text: :
opposite to those of the other might be employed or two or more series of connected
rings might be employed as an obvious equivalent the rings of one connected series
being secured to those of the other with their axes in line.
6 represents so much of
a torpedo discharging tube as is necessary to illustrate the application thereto of
apparatus according to this invention. The axes of the chambers 4 are so arranged
that as the vessel 1 is rotated (intermittently) each torpedo will be brought in
succession into line with the discharging tube 6 into which it is forced by any suitable
means. 7, 7, are handles by which the cylindrical vessel I may be rotated. 8, 8, are
notches or recesses into which a spring catch or pin 9 can automatically enter as each
torpedo is brought into line with the discharging tube 6 and firmly hold the cylindrical
vessel 1 during the operation of transferring a torpedo therefrom. 10 is a foo: lever
by which the spring catch or pin 9 can be withdrawn from one of the notches or
recesses 8.
In Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive, the torpedoes are carried in circular racks comprising
standards or frames 11 to which are pivotted arms or supports 12. 13, 13 are pins
or projections carried by the standards or frames 11; they serve to hold the arts or
supports 12 in position for carrying torpedoes 5 as shown. 14, 14, are carriers or
levers constituting a movable transferring device; they are fixed to a longitudinal
shaft 15 mounted in suitable standards 16, one only of which is shown in the drawings.
17 is a crank handle secured to the shaft 15 by it the said shaft and carriers or
levers 14 can be rotated at will. Each carrier or lever 14 is provided at its outer
end with a squared part 18 (Fig. 5) to which is secured by a nut 19 a correspondingly
formed socket 20 which forms part of a rod 14 a. To the other end of each rod 14"
is pivotted a bent rod or bar 21 which is free to turn in one direction but has its
motion limited in the other direction by a stop 22 that normally bears against the
rod 14a. By this arrangement when the shaft 15 and the transferring device is partly
rotated in the direction of the arrow (Fig. 4), and the bent rods or bars 21 of the
said device come into contact with the torpedo to be lifted, they turn on their centres
so as to clear the same. The longer end of the rods or bars 21 subsequently fall, or
are moved by hand so as to pass below the torpedo. By rotating the shaft 15 in the
opposite direction, the transferring device 11-14 a, is caused to carry a torpedo up
into line with the discharging tube as before. torpedo is being lifted, it acts
upon the arms or supports 12 above it and turns them upward upon their pivots to
allow of its upward passage, after which the said arms or supports fall or are returned
to their normal positions." By unscrewing each nut 19, turning the rods 14 a and
bent rods or bars 21 through half a revolution and again securing the rods 14 a to the
carriers or levers 14, the transferring device is rendered capable of successively
lifting the torpedoes located to the right-hand side of the centre line in Fig. 4.
As a
In lieu of securing each rod 14 a to its corresponding carrier or lever 14 in the
manner hereinbefore described, their adjacent ends may be screw-threaded and united
by a sleeve nut. By rotating this nut in one direction or the other, the length of
the compound carrier or lever 14, 14 a may be shortened and lengthened consecutively
for the purpose of passing and subsequently engaging with a torpedo to be lifted.
23 is a disc fixed to the shaft 15; it is provided with a notch or recess into which a
spring catch or pin 9 enters for the purpose hereinbefore described.
10 is a
projecting flange by which the catch or pin 9 may be withdrawn from one of the
notches or recesses S.
In lieu of supporting the torpedoes on a fixed rack, they may be carried in chambers
or containers secured to pitch chains of suitable construction, and the movement of
which successively feeds the torpedoes to the discharging tube.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
1. For supporting torpedoes and feeding them to discharging apparatus a series of
chambers supports or containers arranged connected together and mounted in such a

page_text: manner that each in succession can be caused to bring a torpedo contained or held by
it opposite to the discharging apparatus substantially as described.
2. For supporting torpedoes and feeding them to discharging apparatus a series of
supports for torpedoes in combination with a movable transferring device by operating
which torpedoes can be transferred one at a time in a successive manner from the
said supports
and be brought into position opposite the discharging apparatus sub-
stantially as described.
3. Our apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference respectively
to and illustrated by Figs. 1 and 2, and by Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive of the drawings
annexed for the purpose specified.
1
1097
W. LLOYD WISE.
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicants.