IMPROVEMENTS IN PROTECTING SHIPS AND FORTIFI- CATIONS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT. to Edward Charles Morgan, of the City of Norwich,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROTECTING SHIPS AND FORTIFI-
CATIONS."
Sealed the 12th September 1861, and dated the 16th March 1861.
on the
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Charles Morgan
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
16th March 1861.
I, EDWARD CHARLES MORGAN, of the City of Norwich, do hereby declare
the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROTECTING SHIPS; AND
FORTIFICATIONS, to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in protecting ships and
fortifications. For these purposes, in order to apply iron and steel plates with
more advantage than they have heretofore been applied, and more completely.
to prevent shot and shell from penetrating into a ship or fortification, the sides
of a ship or fortification are made with angular projecting ribs in lines running
in the direction from stem to stern of a ship, or horizontally, vertically, or
otherwise in regard to a fortification. It is preferred to have three such
angular projecting ribs for a ship, but this number may be varied, and the
number for a fortification will vary. The lowest angular projection com-
mences below the water line of a ship or floating battery, and below the earth
in regard to a land fort (when the angular projections are placed horizontally,)
its greater projection coming considerably above the line of floatation or the
earth, which, in regard to a ship, will aid in preventing the ship rolling; the

page_text: next angular projection commences where the lower one finishes. In
the event of a ball or shell striking the lower plates of the lowest angular
projection at a point below the apex or ridge of the lowest angular projection,
the tendency would be to cause the ball or shell to be deflected downwards
into the water or earth, whilst if a ball or shell struck the-lower-iron or steel-
plated angular projection above the apex or ridge the tendency would be to
cause the ball or shell to be deflected upwards and away from the ship or fort.
Such would likewise be the action of the next angular projection or pro-
jections. In all cases the under plated surface of each angular projection will,
when struck by a ball or shell, tend to deflect the ball or shell downwards,
whilst the upper surface of each angular projection will tend to deflect a ball
or shell upwards. These angular projections it is preferred should be filled
up internally with timber, and coated with strong plates of iron or steel of such
thickness as not to be liable to be penetrated by a ball or shell.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Edward Charles Morgan in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 16th September 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
CHARLES MORGAN, of the City of Norwich, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the: Sixteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Edward. Charles Morgan, Her special licence that I, the said Edward Charles
Morgan; my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Edward: Charles. Morgan, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS! IN PROTECTING SHIPS, AND. FORTIFICATIONS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Edward Charles Morgan, my executors or admi-
nistrators, 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

page_text: calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Charles Morgan, do hereby
déclare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed; to be particularly described and ascertained in and by' the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in protecting ships and
fortifications. For these purposes, in order to apply iron and steel plates with
more advantage than they have heretofore been applied, and more completely
to prevent shot and shell from penetrating into a ship or fortification, the sides
of a ship or fortification are made with angular projecting ribs in lines running
in the direction from stem to stern of a ship, or horizontally, vertically, or
otherwise in regard to a fortification. It is preferred to have three such
angular projecting ribs for a ship, but this number may be varied, and the
number for a fortification will vary. The lowest angular projection com-
mences below the water line of a ship or floating battery and below the earth
in regard to a land fort (when the angular projections are placed horizontally),
its greater projection coming considerably above the line of floatation or the
earth, which, in regard to a ship, will aid in preventing the ship rolling. The
next angular projection commences where the lower oné finishes: In the
event of a ball or shell striking the lower plates of the lowest angular pro-
jection, at a point below the apex or.ridge of the lowest angular projection the
tendency would be to cause the ball or shell to be deflected downwards into
the water or earth, whilst if a ball or shell struck the lower iron or steel-
plated angular projection above the apex or ridge, the tendency would be to
cause the ball or shell to be deflected upwards and away from the ship or fort;
such would likewise be the action of the next angular projection or pro-
jections. In all cases the under plated surface of each angular projection will,
when struck by a ball or shell, tend to deflect the ball or shell downwards,
whilst the upper surface of each angular projection will tend to deflect a ball
or shell upwards. These angular projections it is preferred should be filled
up internally with timber, and coated with strong plates of-iron-or-steel-of such
thickness as not to be liable to be penetrated by a ball or shell...
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will proceed more fully to
describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shews a transverse section of a ship or vessel having two fighting.
wlied thomato and conted with think

page_text: armour plates of iron or steel according to my Invention; Figure 2 is a
transverse section of another ship or vessel having but one fighting deck and
two angular projections applied thereto, and coated with thick armour plates
of iron or steel according to my Invention; Figure 3 shews a side view on a
smaller scale of a ship or vessel such as is shewn in transverse section at
Figure 2; and Figure 4 shews an elevation partly in section of a land forti-
fication; in which upright as well as horizontal angular projections coated with
thick armour plates of iron or steel are used.
Heretofore, in applying armour plates of iron or steel to the sides of ships,
it has been usual to affix them as nearly parallel to the skin of the ship or
vessel as may be; such is the case in regard to the Warrior and other vessels.
Now, according to my Invention, I cause two or more angular horizontal pro-
jections to be formed external of a ship or vessel, and I prefer that such pro-
jections should be solid, and of wood, but other materials may be used. The
lower angular projection commences 'considerably below the line of floatation
of the ship or vessel, as is shewn in Figures 1 and 2, where a, a, is the skin
of the sides of the ship or vessel; b, b; is the lower angular projection on each
side, which it will be seen commences considerably below the line of floatation;
and if struck by a ball or shell below the ridge c, such ball or shell would be
deflected downwards clear of the bottom of the ship or vessel. In Figure 1.
there are shewn three such angular projections b, d, and e, having ridges at
c, f, and g. It will be seen that the ridges c, f, are connected by regularly
inclined surfaces c', c², so that in the event of a ball or shell striking the
angular projection 6 above the ridge c, such ball or shell would be immediately
deflected upwards out of its course and towards the inclined surface c of the
angular projection d, by which it would be again deflected. In like manner
would a ball or projectile be affected by the angular projection e. In Figure 2
there are only two angular projections 6 and d, having ridges c and f; in this
Figure the angles are shewn to be less acute than those shewn at Figure 1,
consequently the ball or projectile would be deflected from the ship or vessel
without striking the upper plate or angular projection.
I would here remark, that I am aware that it has before been proposed
(by Louis Gompertz) to apply two horizontal projections at the side of a ship
or vessel, but in place of such angular projections being connected by two
inclined surfaces such as c³, c³, as above described, there was placed between
them a double angular projecting bar and the upper surface of the lower
angular projection was a curved surface, with a view that should a ball or pro-
jectile strike above the ridge of the lower angular projection, such projectile
should be first deflected somewhat downwards, then upwards in a curved

page_text: course, and then again somewhat downwards, so as by the aid of the upper
surface of the angular projecting bar to
projecting bar to cause the projectile to take a
course in flying off from the ship or vessel parallel or nearly so to the line at
which it came to the ship or vessel; and I call attention to this previous
publication, in order to state that my Invention, as above described, is peculiar
in employing two opposite inclines c¹, c³, between the ridges of two angular
projections 6 and d, as shewn at Figures 1 and 2, and also between two
angular projections & and e, as shewn at Figure 1. I prefer that the angular
projections b, d, e, as shewn in the Drawing, should be of wood formed and
applied externally of the skin a, a, but these projections may be made of other
material, and be left without packing of wood or other substance. These
angular horizontal projections are plated over with thick armour plates h, h,
of iron or steel, and such plates, as well as the wood or other material (of
which the angular projections are formed) are securely fixed to the skin or
side of the ship or vessel by through bolts i, i, or they may be otherwise fixed
to the side of a ship or vessel. In applying armour plates to a fortification,
similar angular projections are made, which may be horizontal or horizontal
and upright, as shewn in Figure 4.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that what I claim is the
mode above explained of applying two angular projections to ships and vessels
and to fortifications, whereby the ridges of two contiguous angular projections
are connected by two surfaces c¹, c, inclined to each other as herein
.described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Charles Morgan, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
0
EDWARD CHARLES MORGAN. (L.S.)
Witness,
B. J. L. MORGAN,
Of Town Close,
Norwich,
Gentleman.