AN APPARATUS CALCULATED FOR THE BETTER DEFENCE OF SHIPS AND VESSELS OF DIFFERENT DESCRIPTIONS AGAINST BEING
Year: 1811

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
GRIFFIN HAWKINS, of Water Lane, Tower Street, in the City of London,
Ship and Insurance Broker, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, in
and by His Letters Patent, under the Great Seal of Great Britain,
bearing date at Westminster, the Ninth day of May now last past,
for Himself, His heirs and successors, did give and grant unto me, the
said Griffin Hawkins, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege,
and authority, that I, the said Griffin Hawkins, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others, as I, the said Griffin Hawkins,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term
of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick
upon Tweed, my Invention of "AN APPARATUS CALCULATED FOR THE BETTER
DEFENCE OF SHIPS AND VESSELS OF DIFFERENT DESCRIPTIONS AGAINST BEING

page_text: BOARDED OR TAKEN POSSESSION OF BY AN ENEMY;" in which said Letters
Patent there is contained a proviso, obliging me, the said Griffin
Hawkins, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same
to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within two
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereto
had, will more fully appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the
said Griffin Hawkins, do hereby describe and ascertain the nature of
my said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be per-
formed by the Plan or Drawing hereunto annexed, and as follows, that
is to say-
The said apparatus consists of a trough or case of wood having the
top a, bottom b, and back c, Figure 1, fitted together at right angles
and screwed or bolted securely with iron or other bolts made either to
screw with a nutt rivett or forelock as g, y, Fig. 1. The remaining
side or front of the case is a flap d, fitted with rabbitts to the lower and
upper sides of the said case and hung by the hinges and straps e, to the
lower side as at Figure 1, or to the upper side if more convenient, and
secured when shut by staples, eyes, and pins, as at a, a, Figure 3, or
otherways, the ends being filled in and made tight as at d, Figure 4..
This case contains at equal distances, spikes or defensive weapons of iron,
or iron and wood, the outer part formed triangular, sharp edged, and
pointed, as a, a, a, a, Figure 4. or barbed as at c. c, Figure 4; the inner.
ends or shoulders as at A, Figure 1, and 4, connected alternately as at
A. Figure 2, (where the spikes appear cut off as at f, Figure 1,) to the
upper and lower planks a, and b, Figure 1, and 2, by iron or other bolts,
(in the situations of c, c. c, c. Figure 2,) as Figure 6, which may be
either plain or cranked as occasion requires, which work in a ferule of
copper or brass as a, Figure 6, throngh the plank to which the respect
tive spike is attached secured by a pin 6, Figure 6. playing on a washer
c, Figure 6. over the ferule a, and the whole covered and preserved by

page_text: a round plate let into the plank and serewed over the bolt head as b, b, b,
Figure 3, the opposite end of the bolt d, Figure 6, working in a cup or
socket of metal e, Figure 6, sunk into the opposite planks as at d, d, d, d,
Figure 2. Should wood of a light mature be used for the case it may
be desirable to have a slight plate of iron or other metal let in to the
inside of the top and bottom planks with holes to receive the two ends
of every bolt the case may contain, as at a, a, a, à, Figure 8. The
inner ends of the spikes thus bolted have their projecting shoulders
B, B, B, B, B, B, Figures 1, and 4, traversing in circular grooves c, c, c, c,
Figure 4, cut in the back plank e, Figure 1, and b, b, Figure 4, and
are connected by a bar of iron K, K, Figure 4, of sufficient thickness
at the rivetts D, D, D, D, Figure 4, to fill up the vacancy which is
remaining between the spikes as at D. Figure 1. and fixed with a
turning rivett and countersunk head to each spike at precisely the
same distance from rivett to rivett as the centers of the bolts in the
case c, and d. Figure 2, and at any convenient distance on the spikes as
at D, D, D, D, Figure 4. At each end of the bar is a swivel eye E, E,
Figure 4. to receive a chain or rope H, strong enough to bear the
purchase F, F, Figure 4 and 5, to heave the range of spikes either out
or in. This purchase may be formed in the usual way with blocks and
falls, but as a more simple operation a large sheave and handspike G,
Figure 4 and 5, is affixed to the back of the case as at Figure 4, by
iron braces as at L*, Figure 4, or to any convenient place on the inside
of the bulwark or upper works of the vessel R, R, R, R, R, as at
Figure 5, the back of the case having sheaves or rollers II, H, Figure 4,
and 5, to lead the rope or chain I, I, Figure 4, and 5, to the purchase;
the upright iron L, with a brass roller M, Figure 4, assisting the
purchase in heaving out. The purchase G, and F, Figure 5, is adapted.
by the block and rope K, K, Figure 3 and 5, leading through the
cleat L, Figure 3 and 5, to open the flap d, Figure 1, previously to the
extension of the spikes and close it again subsequently to their being.
rehoused, for the cleat M, Figure 5, receiving the slack' of the rope 1, 1,
Figure 5, when the spikes are fully extended by the handspikė G, G.
Figure 5, being brought into the position N, N, N, Figure 5, when the

page_text: handspike is hove back to its situation as at Figure 5, the spikes will
be hove into the case before the rope K, becomes taut, then disengaging
the rope I, I, from M, and heaving on the handspike G, G, till brought
into the position 0, 0, 0, the flap d, Figure 1, will become closed as at
d, d, d, Figure 3. Cases of any length containing a proportionate
number of spikes thus prepared to open and extend their contents by
the simple operation of the lever may be fixed to any part of the upper
works and rigging of a ship, and then are furnished with a movement
by which, when the spikes are extended, the action of an handspike
placed in a square moveable staple P, P, Figure 5, will turn the whole
length of apparatus in the grooves V, V, Figure 5, in a socket or crutch
Figure 9, which are firmly placed and secured to the upper works as at
X, X, Figure 5, or some other convenient situation, with or without the
addition of an iron axle and standard at each end of the cases; and,
when depressed or elevated to the desired position, retained there by the
double circular iron Figure 7, and W, Figure 5, made to the same
segment of a circle as the crutch Figure 9, and let in to a similar
groove as near the center of the length of apparatus as may be, as at
Q, Figure 5, having a bolt and nutt as a, Figure 7, playing in the
double circular iron as at S, Figure 5, which is detained by a pin trans-
fixed horizontally as T, Figure 5, through the holes b, b, Figure 7. The
dimensions of the different parts of this apparatus must vary in propor-
tion to the size of the vessel to which they may be affixed, and the
opinion as to the length of the spikes which may be entertained by those
furnished with them, but the dimensions of those already made, and to
which the Drawings are adapted, are four feet; the length of the spike
from the bolt to the point, one inch and an half thickness at the
shoulder; distance between the anters of the bolts, twelve inches; from
the center of the bolts to the center of the rivetts; in the connecting
bar, fifteen inches; thickness of the plank of the case, one inch and an
half; the length of the case, and number of spikes, as various as the
situations to which they may be adapted, observing that the flap if
made circular as represented in Figure 1, will require plank of double
the thickness to allow for hollowing, to contain the spikes when housed

page_text: n the case more commodiously. The breadth of the square sides of the
case, seven inches, as at a, b, c, Figure 1.
In witness whereof, 1, the said Griffin Hawkins, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eleven.