Improvements in or connected with the Hulls or Bodies of Ships.
Year: 1893

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with the Hulls or Bodies of Ships.
We, CARL KROPP, Ship's Captain, and GEORG KROPP, Druggist, both of
16 Kirchenstrasse, Swinemünde, in the German Empire, 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 statement, reference
being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters and figures marked
thereon, that is to say:-
Hitherto the hulls or bodies of ships have been so constructed that when a ship
is in motion, the water is forced forwardly, sideways, and what is particularly
serious downwardly. The volume of water thus forced down, especially where
the ship is made to advance with considerable speed, offers a material resistance to
her progress; whereas, if the displacement of the water were effected in an upward
instead of a downward direction, this would necessitate the exercise of comparatively
small power on the part of the ship, which would have much less resistance to over-
come. It is therefore obvious that the most serviceable form of a ship's hull or
body would be that which would enable the ship, when in motion, to force down as
little as possible of the water it displaces, while causing it to drive the water as
much as possible towards the surface. In view of this evident fact, we have devised
a ship's hull of the improved construction illustrated in the acccompanying drawings
in which :-
Fig. 1 is an elevation of the improved hull or body of a ship and
Figs. 2 and 3 cross sections thereof.
The letters of reference on Figs. 2 and 3 designate the curves corresponding to
the planes of the sections indicated in Fig. 1.
As shewn more particularly in Fig. 2, the ram or spur of the ship of our improved
construction assumes the shape of a plough-share, whereby the water which is being
displaced by the front part of the moving ship is caused to rise towards the surface.
It will therefore be understood that this construction is preeminently suited to ships
intended to travel at high rates of speed.
Another object sought to be accomplished in devising this improved hull, is to
provide it with a ram or spur, which, by reason of its peculiar shape, can be utilized
as an ice-breaker. Ice-breakers hitherto employed are arranged to run onto the ice
and to break it by their weight. The surface of the ice in being thus pressed down,
however encounters very considerable resistance from below, being forced against
the practically inelastic mass of water. If, however, the sheet of ice could be
broken up by acting upon it from below, i.e. from the water side, instead of from
above, where only the resistance of the air is to be overcome, the breaking would
naturally be effected much more readily, the resistance of the air being far less than
that of the water. By utilizing this improved form of ship for ice-breaking
purposes, and causing it to run onto or against the ice, its ram or spur will cut
through the ice from below. Indeed, its action in this case is very like that of the
ordinary wooden ice-breakers which are generally used in rivers and have proved
very efficient in practice.
In connection with ice-breaking and other craft navigating in cold seasons, it has
been observed that there forms on the hull or body, up to the level of the water
line, a coat or crust of ice, which is apt to seriously interfere with the speed of
motion. We obviate this inconvenience by running a heating pipe, or a series
thereof, from the boilers to the portion of the inner wall of the hull or body, which
is on a level with the water line, whereby we are enabled to sufficiently heat the
corresponding part of the body of the ship as to prevent ice settling thereon, or
forming a coat or crust on its outside.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. Ships, or other navigable craft, adapted for use both as means of transport
and as ice-breakers, characterised by a ram or spur having the shape of a plough-
share, which when the ship, or the like, is used for breaking ice, cuts the sheet or
block of ice from below; but when the ship is used as a means of transport and
when it is desired to attain a high rate of speed, said ram or spur forces up the
greater part of the water displaced by the ship towards the water level, substantially
as described.
2. In ships and other craft of the class referred to in the preceding claim, the
arrangement of heating pipes in contact with the hull or body of the ship and on a
level with the water-line, for the purpose of preventing the formation of ice on the
outside of said hull or body, as set forth.
3. Our improvements in or connected with the hulls or bodies of ships, substan-
tially as described and as shewn with reference to the annexed drawings.
Dated this 20th ds of T1002
ERNEST DE PASS,
Chartered Patent Agent,
78, Fleet Street, London, and 6, Victoria Street, Nottingham,
Agent for the Applicants.