Improvements in and relating to Submarine Guns.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Aug., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 13th May, 1896-Accepted, 27th June, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Submarine Guns.
We GUSTAF EMIL HESSE of Norrköping in the Kingdom of Sweden, Engineer,
at present residing at No. 21 Strong Place in the City of Brooklyn and State of
New York, and NILS GUSTAF DE FOCH of Jönköping in said kingdom, Engineer,
at present residing at No. 3 Montague Terrace in the said City and State, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention consists mainly in certain combinations whereby two or more
connected breech-loading gun barrels, arranged to revolve around a common centre,
are adapted to a vessel for firing one after another under water through the bow or
wall of the vessel.
In carrying out this invention, the gun barrels are arranged parallel with each
other, and held together by strong encircling discs, bands, or yokes, of steel or
other metal or circular form, the said barrels being arranged with the centre lines
of their bores, at equal distances from the common axis of said discs or yokes about
which the barrels are arranged to revolve, and at equal distances apart in a circle
concentric to said common axis.
The gun barrels, with their discs, bands, or yokes; revolve in a gun frame which
consists of three standards containing bearings for the said discs, bands, or yokes.
Two of the standards are built up from the keel or keelson of the vessel, and the
aftermost standard is set up on a deck from which the gun is to be worked. The
foremost standard has firmly secured to it a fixed muzzle which is common to all
of the barrels, and which is built into and projects through the bow of the vessel
below the line to which the vessel is submerged for service, and at such distance
below the axis about which the gun barrels revolve, that the barrels may be
successively brought opposite to the fixed muzzle, and there secured by a sliding
pin inserted through a hole in a cradle which is formed at the bottom of the
rearmost standard, and through the proper one of three holes provided in the
rearmost disc or yoke.
The foremost disc or yoke is fitted to a taper seat or bearing provided for it, and
is held up to said seat or bearing by means of a ring suitably secured. Between the
seat and ring there is a packing to serve as a gas check.
A single breech-block is provided for all the barrels, being inserted in each one
in its turn. This block slides to and from the barrels in a tray, by which the said
block, when withdrawn, is swung aside, to permit the insertion into the barrels of
the projectiles.
The muzzle is fitted with a sliding valve inside the vessel, for the purpose of
shutting out the water at all times, and which may be operated by any suitable
motor or mechanism, such as a screw worked by bevel gearing, and a horizontal
shaft which works in bearings on the standarde, and furnished with a hand wheel
within reach of the deck.
The barrels may be counterbored, a considerable distance in front of the breech
seat, to a calibre a little larger than that of the rest of the barrel to which the
projectile is fitted, the counterbore terminating in a shoulder and forming an air
chamber to prevent injurious local pressure on the gun at the time of firing. To
the said counterbore is fitted a metal disc which is attached to a piston which is of
a size to fit the barrel in front of the counterbore.
To provide, before firing the gun, for pushing the projectile forward in the barrel,
for the two purposes of entering it into the fixed muzzle, and of obtaining the full
capacity of the air chamber, there is a pipe by which compressed air from a reservoir

page_text: or compressor is introduced into the chamber through an aperture in the cradle, and
other apertures, of which there is one for each barrel, and which extend through
the disc or yoke, in such positions as to range with the first-named aperture, when
the barrels are respectively in position for firing.
In some cases, two revolving gun barrels may be made in the same body of
metal, which is furnished at the ends with central pivots, one pivot turning in a
bearing in the foremost standard, and the other pivot in a bearing carried by the
cradle.
The muzzle closing valve may be operated by means of two toothed racks
attached to the said valve, and pinious on the shaft. The piston, and the means
for introducing compressed air into the gun barrels, may be dispensed with, an air
chamber being formed directly behind and around the taper rear part of the
projectile, and the projectile being intended to be pushed forward by a rammer or
other suitable means.
Dated this 13th day of August 1895.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in and relating to Submarine Guns.
We GUSTAF EMIL HESSE of Norrköping in the Kingdom of Sweden, Engineer,
at present residing at No. 21 Strong Place in the City. of Brooklyn and State of
New York, and NILS GUSTAF DE FOCH of Jönköping in said kingdom, Engineer,
at present residing at No. 3 Montague Terrace in the said City and State, 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
Etatement :-
This invention consists mainly in certain combinations hereinafter described and
claimed, whereby two or more connected breech-loading gun barrels, arranged to
revolve around a common centre, are adapted to a vessel for firing one after another
under water, through the bow or wall of the vessel.
We will first describe our invention in detail with reference to the accompanying
drawings, and afterwards point out its novelty in claims.
Fig. 1 of the drawings represents a central vertical longitudinal section of a
submarine gun having three barrels, and of the forward part of a vessel to which
said gun is fitted, for firing through the bow;
Fig. 2 a plan view of the gun and the bow of the vessel.
Fig. 3 represents a central vertical longitudinal sectional view of the forward
part of a
vessel, and of a submarine gun thereon, having only two barrels.
Fig. 4 is a plan view corresponding with Fig. 2.
Fig. 5 represents a transverse section taken in the line 5, 5, of Figs. 1 and 2";
Fig. 6 a rear view of the gun and its frame, corresponding with Figs. 1, 2,
and 5.
Fig. 7 represents a transverse section taken in the line 7, 7 of Figs. 3 and 4.
Fig. 8 is a rear view of the gun and its frame, corresponding with Figs. 3, 4,
and 7.
Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.
We will first describe the invention with reference to Figs. 1, 2, 5, and 6.
A A A are the gun barrels, which are arranged parallel with each other, and
held together by strong encircling discs, bands, or yokes B, B1, B2, of steel or other
metal of circular form, the said barrels being arranged with the centre lines of
their bones at equal distances from the common axis of said discs or yokes, about
which the barrels are arranged to revolve, and at equal distances apart in a circle
concentric to said common axis.

page_text: C, C¹, C³, designate the gun frame, in which the gun barrels with their discs,.
bands, or yokes, B, B1, B2, revolve. This frame is represented as consisting of three
standards C, C', C2, of iron or steel, containing bearings for the said discs, bands,
or yokes, the standards C C' being represented as built up from the keel or keelson
of the vessel E, and the aftermost standard C' being represented as set up on a
deck D, from which the gun is to be worked. The foremost standard C has cast
or forged with, or otherwise firmly secured to it, a fixed muzzle F, which is common
to all of the barrels, and which is built into and projects through the bow of the
vessel below the line to which the vessel is submerged for service, and at such.
distance below the axis about which the gun barrels revolve, that the barrels may
be successively brought opposite to the fixed muzzle, and there secured by a
sliding pin d inserted through a hole in the cradle G, which is formed at the bottom
of the rearmost standard C2, and through the proper one of the three holes e
provided in the rearmost disc or yoke B2.
The foremost disc or yoke B is represented as fitted to a taper seat or bearing 2,
provided for it in the standard C, and as held up to said seat or bearing by means
of a ring H, which is bolted to the said standard by screw bolts b, and which over-
laps said disc or yoke B. Between the seat a and ring H, there is a packing c, to
serve as a gas check. This ing A may serve to receive, in part, the recoil,.
though that is received mainly by the cradle G, which is formed in the base or
lower portion of the rearmost standard C³, and portions of which project upwards,.
as shown at 10 in Fig. 1 and 11, 11 in Fig. 6, in rear of the rear disc or yoke B²,
the said cradle thus constituting a recoil block. The foremost disc or yoke is
represented as furnished with a pivot v, which enters a bearing in the standard C.
The revolving of the barrels may be effected by any suitable power, as, for
example, an electric motor, but we have represented for that purpose a hand gear-
consisting of a shaft I mounted in bearings on the standards C₁ C, and furnished
with a hand wheel, to be worked from the deck D, and with a pinion gearing
with teeth provided around the disc or yoke B¹.
A single breech block J is provided for all the barrels, being inserted in each
one in its turn. This breech block may be of any known or suitable kind, but is
represented in Figs. 1 and 3 as externally screw-threaded, and fitted to screw-
threaded seats in the barrels, the screw-threads on said block and in said barrels.
being respectively mutilated at intervals, so that the block may be pushed directly
into and withdrawn from the barrels, and screwed up thereinto, and unscrewed
therefrom, by a partial revolution. This kind of block being so well known,
requires no further description. K is a carrier represented as a tray in which the
said block slides to and from the barrels, and by which the said block, when with-
drawn, is swung aside, to permit the insertion into the barrels of the projectiles L,
and the cases M containing the powder by which they are discharged, said tray
being hinged to the recoil block by a hinge 12. N is the toothed rack attached to
the breech block, and gearing with a pinion on a shaft i, which is fitted to the
tray, and turned by a ciank k, to move the block to and from the barrels. P is the
pinion engaging with the teeth (not shown) on the breech block, and worked by a
hand crank 1, for the purpose of turning the said block.
The muzzle F is fitted with a sliding valve F' inside the vessel, for the purpose
of shutting out the water at all times, but when the gun is to be got ready for
discharging the projectile, when the latter is pushed forward in the barrel, and into
the muzzle, as shown in Fig. 1. This valve may be operated by any suitable
motor or mechanism. In Figs. 1 and 2, 5, and 6, the operating mechanism repre-
sented consists of a screw m, worked by bevel gearing n, and a horizontal shaft p
which works in bearings on the standards C°C₁ C, and furnished with a hand
wheel n' within reach of the deck D.
In the gun shown in Figs. 1, 2, 5, and 6, the barrels are counterbored a con-
siderable distance in front of the breech seat, to a calibre a little larger than
that of the rest of the barrel to which the projectile is fitted, the counterbore
terminating in a shoulder q, as shown in Fig. 1, and forming an air chamber to

page_text: prevent injurious local pressure on the gun at the time of firing. To the said
counterbore is fitted a metal disc r, which is attached to a pistons, which is of a
size to fit the barrel in front of the counterbore.
To provide, before firing the gun, for pushing the projectile forward in the
barrel, for the two purposes of entering it into the fixed muzzle, and of obtaining
the full capacity of the air chamber, there is a pipe t, by which compressed air
from a reservoir or compressor is introduced into the chamber through an inlet
aperture u in the cradle or recoil block G, and inlet aperture u', of which there is
one for each barrel, and which extend through the disc or yoke B' in such positions
as to range with the aperture u when the barrels are respectively in position for
firing. When a barrel has been brought to this position and locked by the pin d,
and has received the projectile and the powder case, and the breech block has been
properly placed and secured in its seat in the said barrel, and the valve F¹ has
been opened, the pipe t is opened, and the compressed air being thus introduced to
the said barrel, forces the piston, and with it the projectile, as far forward as
permitted by the disc r, which is stopped by the shoulder q, as shown in Fig. 1,
holding back the piston. The said disc, though strong enough to bear the pressure
of the compressed air, is destroyed by the force of the powder in the discharge of
the gun, from which it is driven out with the piston after the projectile.
The foregoing description will, so far as the same letters are used in the
drawings, Figs. 1, 2, 5, 6, illustrating one example of our invention, and the
drawings Figs. 3, 4, 7, 8, illustrating the other example, apply to both examples,
and with regard to the last mentioned example, we will now briefly describe those
features in which it differs from the first example.
The two revolving gun barrels A¹ A' are represented as made in the same body
of metal, which is furnished at the ends with central pivots v and v³, the pivot vl
turning in a bearing in the foremost standard c, and the pivot in a bearing
carried by the cradle G. The valve F1 is represented as operated by means of
two toothed racks w attached to the said valve and pinions w¹ on the shaft p. T'he
pistons, and the means for introducing compressed air into the gun barrels, are
dispensed with, an air chamber being formed directly behind and around the taper
rear part of the projectile, and the projectile being intended to be pushed forward
by a rammer or other suitable means.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The combination of a vessel, two or more connected breech-loading gun
barrels arranged to move around a common centre within the vessel, a fixed muzzle
arranged in the bow or wall of the vessel and common to all of said barrels, a recoil
block stationary within the vessel and common to all of said barrels, one breech
block common to the several barrels, and a carrier by which said breech block is
attached to said recoil block, and in which it is movable to and from the barrels,
substantially as herein described.
2. In a submarine gun, the combination of two or more gun barrels, each having
an air inlet near its breech, an encircling yoke connecting said barrels near their
breeches, and having air inlets corresponding with those in the barrels, a cradle
which constitutes a bearing for said yoke, and which has an air inlet with which
the said inlets in the yoke and barrels severally range, and means of introducing
compressed air to said inlet in the cradle, substantially as and for the purpose
herein described.
Dated this 30th day of Anril 1806
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicants.