A NEW OR IMPROVED AnnaD HAD LOWERING DETACHING 2-。 AND HoISTING SHIPS' BOATS.
Year: 1875

page_text: "
LETTERS PATENT to William Richmond, of 22, Ely Place, Holborn,
in the City of, London, for the Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED
AnnaD
HAD
LOWERING DETACHING
2-。
AND HoISTING SHIPS' BOATS.
77
APPARATUS FOR LOWERING, DETACHING AND HOISTING SHIPS' BOATS.”
Sealed the 21st January 1876, and dated the 10th November 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Richmond
.
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 10th November, 1875.
I, WILLIAM RICHMOND, of 22, Ely Place, Holborn, in the City of
London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "
NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR LOWERING, DETACHING, AND HOISTING SHIPS'
BOATS," to be as follows:-
23 A
.
17:
The object of my present Invention is to lower and hoist ships' boats
evenly at sea, to instantly detach such boats when lowered before
touching the water, and also when the ship is under way.
I attain the said object by the following means: I mount a double
roller upon an axle inside the ship's bulwarks and about midway between

page_text: boat is then raised by turning the said double roller by a winch handle
or handles fitted on the axle of such roller; or the falls may be detached
boat is then raised by turning the said double roller by a winch handle
or handles fitted on the axle of such roller; or the falls may be detached
from the said roller and the boat be nauided up by the seamen,
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Richmond in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 9th May 1876. .
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
RICHMOND, of 22, Ely Place, Holborn, in the City of London, send
greeting.
.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William Richmond, Her special
licence that I, the said William Richmond, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I; the said William Richmond, my exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "A NEW OR
IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR LOWERING, DETACHING, AND HOISTING SHIPS' BOATS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Richmond, my executors or, administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Richmond, do hereby.
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement and accompanying Drawing, which

page_text: forms part of this Specification, reference being made thereto by the
numerals and letters marked thereon, and which reference applies to
each Figure of the said Drawing where the same index numerals and
letters appear..
Figure 1 is an elevation of a portion of the outside of a ship's bulwarks
with a boat slung to the davits of the ship, and shewing a part of my
improved apparatus; Figure 2 is an elevation of the inside view of the
same.
Figure 3 is a transverse section of the said bulwarks and boat with
my improvements attached; Figure 4 is a plan view of the said boat
and my apparatus therein.
Figures 5, 6, and 7 are respectively an elevation, plan, and end view
(enlarged) of my improved double roller or windlass for raising and
lowering the boat.
Figures 8 and 9 are an enlarged elevation and plan of my improved 1
shackle for attaching the boat to the said davit slings.
The object of my present Invention is to lower and hoist ships' boats
evenly at sea, to instantly detach such boats when lowered and before
resting on the water when the ship is under weigh, which object I attain
by the following means :-) -I mount the double roller a upon an axle a¹ 2
inside the ship's bulwarks 6 and about midway between the davits d, the
said bulwarks being protected both inside and outside by strong metal
plates. Around the said roller a the two davit falls d' are passed.
These falls d' are carried by the sheaves e through the ship's side, and
conducted thence by the blocks e¹ outside the ship to near the davits d. 2
The said falls are then conducted by sheaves at e2 up and along the
davits, at the ends of which davits the falls are passed through double
blocks of attached to the ends of the davits d, thence the said falls are
passed through single blocks g, to which they are securely attached, see
Figure 1. These single blocks are provided at their lower ends with a
swivel eye g¹. Near the bow and stern of the boat c a sling his fixed
thereto. To the centre or meeting point of these slings h a strong
coupling (hercin-after called a shackle) is attached. Chain stays
or steadying lines jare carried from the shackles to the sides of the
boat c, see Figures 3 and 4, and properly secured thereto to prevent the a
said boat overturning when being lowered in a storm. A jointed
tongue of the said shackle i is passed through the said swivel eye g¹,

page_text: thus connecting the boat c to the davit falls d'. The free end of the
said tongue is dropped into a slot in the projecting bar ³, which is
jointed to the said shackle i. To the free end of each of the said slotted
bars a tripping line / is attached, and is carried by sheaves or fair leads
along the bottom of the boat to about its centre, and thence up a
vertical casing to the centre seat or thwart of the boat, where they are
united and made fast and ready for use. This tripping line is protected
along the bottom of the boat by a hollow trunk, tube, or other suitable
contrivance. The tongue and slotted bar are protected from
external interference by the metal guard or framing . The said
tongue is secured in the slotted bar is by the plug or pin ¿³ inserted
vertically in the back part of the shackle i. The said shackle is pre-
vented from being accidentally operated by a blow or pressure from
below on the part 2 by the metal guard . The guards and are
rigid projections of the shackle i, so that if one part is struck or moved
the whole shackle moves in unison therewith and the coupling remains
intact. The boat c, now secured to the davit falls d¹, is held in place
where desired by the break k fitted or fixed to the axle a¹ of the double
roller a.
This break k is operated by pressing its lower or free end
towards the ship's side, between the two cheeks k¹, and secured there by
the pin ², see Figures 5 and 7.
To lower the boat c the said break k is liberated by withdrawing the
pin %, when she descends by her own weight to the required position;
when the break k is again applied and secured, as herein-before
described. The boat is thus held in position until the person in charge
thereof sees a favourable opportunity to liberate the boat, when he
directs the pin of each shackle to be simultaneously withdrawn, and
he then smartly pulls the tripping lines 7, when the said slotted bars 2³
are drawn downwards, and each shackle i is thereby instantly and
simultaneously detached from the hooks or rings g₁ of the blocks g, and
the boat is free upon the water.
.
°
The davits are curved to facilitate the swinging of the boat in and out
board, and which enables me to place the shackles i further from the
stem and stern of the boat, and thus the better to equalize the weight
upon the falls.
By my improved apparatus ships' boats can be thus detached from the
davits or davit falls whilst the ship is under weigh and before the boat
touches the water, which secures the occupants of such boats from being

page_text: if liberated at the right time.
To hoist a boat from the water the davit falls d' are lowered and
attached to the shackles i in the boat, as herein-before described. The
said boat is then raised by turning the double roller a by a winch fitted
on the axle a¹ of such roller; or the said davit falls may be detached
from the roller a and the boat be hauled up by seamen in the usual
way.
When it is required to hoist a heavily-laden boat from the water, I
fix to or in connection with the said double roller a toothed wheel-and- 1
pinion arrangement, so as to obtain the requisite power.
Instead of passing the davit falls d' through the ship's bulwarks b, as
now specified, the said falls may when desired be carried along the
inside of the bulwarks to the davits.
Having thus fully described and ascertained the nature of my said 1
Invention and the method of performing the same, I wish it to be
understood that I do not confine myself to the precise forms and
dimensions of the several parts now illustrated, but I claim as my
Invention and desire to secure by the before-mentioned in part recited
Letters Patent the 'Apparatus for Lowering, Detaching, and Hoisting 2
Ships' boats,' substantially as herein described and shewn in the Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Richmond, have hereunto
set my hand and seal this Ninth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.