Improvements in Ships and in the Adaptation of Propellers thereto.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 26th June, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 19th Mar., 1889
Complete Specification Accepted, 20th Apr., 1889
Improvements in Ships and in the Adaptation of Propellers
thereto.
I, CHARLES SPINKS of Milleny Mill, Balerno, in the County of Midlothian, North
Britain, Wood Turner and Saw Miller do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This Invention, which relates to improvements in ships and in the adaptation of
propellers thereto, has for its object to increase the efficiency of propellers by
preventing the water through which they rotate being broken up so much as is the
case with propellers as ordinarily applied or adapted to ships.
The Invention consists in forming the after part of the ship with a longitudinal
central space extending from the stern to some distance inwards. The distance to
which such space extends may be varied to suit the length of a propeller and the
other requirements of the ship, the position of the engines therein and the feature of
the construction and adaptation of this Invention generally. The space in which the
propeller is contained is provided at one or both sides with an opening through which
the water in which the ship floats descends to or rushes in at an angle upon the
propeller so that the propeller as it rotates is always fed with the stream of solid or
unbroken water which it discharges rearwards through and from the space in the
stern of the ship in which it is contained, the sides of this space not only tending
to maintain the water in a solid and unbroken state but also cause it to be discharged
in that state from the space wherein the propeller is situated. The openings in the
sides of the space are fitted with sluices or equivalent valves for regulating the
quantity of water passed in through either or both of them on to the propeller.
A double propeller may be used, that is to say, a propeller which does the
principal part of the work in driving a ship and a director propeller which divides
the water and guides it on to the main propeller.
The stern is preferably fitted with two rudders, one at the end of each side of the
space hereinbefore referred to.
Dalth 5th day of Inno 1888
ST. JOHN V. DAY,
115, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow,
Petitioner's Agent.

page_text: improvements in Ships and in the Adaptation of Propellers
thereto.
I, CHARLES SPINKS of Milluny Mill, Balerno, in the County of Midlothian, North
Britain, Wood Turner and Saw Miller do hereby declare the nature of this invon-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
My Invention, which relates to improvements in ships and in the adaptation of
propellers thereto, has for its object to increase the efficiency of propellers by
preventing the water through which they rotate being broken up so much as is the
case with propellers as ordinarily applied or adapted to ships.
My Invention consists in forming the after part of the ship with a longitudinal
central space extending from the stern to some distance inwards. The distance to
which such space oxtends may be varied to suit the length of the propellor and
the other requirements of the ship but the said space is hy preference much longer
than the propeller so as to provide a considerable space filled with water in front
of the propeller, that is to say between the forward end of the propellor and that
part of the ship thereof which the propeller shaft passes. The space in which the
propeller is contained, is provided at one or both sides with an opening through
which the water in which the ship floats descends to or rushers in at an angle upon
the propeller so that the propellor as it rotates is always fed with the stream of solid
or unbroken water (giving an additional propulsive effect) which is discharged rear-
wards through and from the space in the stern of the ship in which it is contained,
the sides of this space not only tend to maintain the water in a solid and unbroken
state but also cause it to be discharged in that state from the space wherein the
propeller is situated. Each opening in the side of the space is fitted with a sluice or
equivalent valve for regulating the quantity of water passed in through either or
both of them on to the propeller.
A double propellor may be used, that is to say, a propeller which does the principle
part of the work in driving a ship and a director propeller which divides the water
and guides it on to the main propeller.
The stern is preferably fitted with two rudders, one at the end of each side of the
space hereinbefore referred to but a single central rudder may be employed.
In order that my Invention may be properly understood and readily carried into
effect, have hereunto appended six explanatory shoots of drawings in the soveral
Figures of which corresponding parts are marked with the same letters of reference.
Figure 1, is a side elevation of the stern end of a ship constructed in accordance
with my said Invention.
Figure 2. is an elevation of the stern end of a ship corresponding to Figure 1.
Figure 3, is a plan of the dock portion of the same part of a ship as that shown at
Figures 1 and 2, wherein the space for receiving the propeller and the propoller

page_text: lines.
:
Figure 4, is an inverted plan of the same portion of a ship as that shewn in the
three preceding Figures.
Figure 5, is another end elevation of a ship constructed and fitted according to my
improvements but having a single central rudder in place of the two rudders shewn
at Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Figure 6, is an inverted plan corresponding to Figure 5.
In Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, the space marked A, within which the screw propeller B,
is contained, is formed by the two deep keels C, as more particularly seen in the
inverted plan at Figure 4. The shaft D, upon which the screw propeller B, is
carried passes from the interior of the ship out through the stuffing box bearing or
equivalent bearing E. The outer end of the propeller shaft D, is supported in a
bearing in the cross pieco F, carried between the two deop keel portions C, as more
particularly shewn at Figures 2 and 4. In diameter the space A, is somewhat
larger than the diameter of the propeller B, so as to allow the water put in motion
by the propeller to be present always in sufficient quantity around the same. In
each keel-piece C, an opening G, is formed, as more particularly shewn at Figure 1.
Each opening G, is fitted with a sluice H, shewn in dotted lines in Figure 1, fitted in
grooves so as to slide up and down therein for the purpose of opening or closing or
regulating the extent of opening of the space G, from time to time as required. Each
sluice H, is fitted with a shaft or rod I, the upper part of which has a screw thread
formed upon it as shewn in Figures 1 and 2. The screw portion of each shaft I,
passes through a nut formed in the hand wheel J, each of which hand wheels is
fitted into the top of a stand K, attached to the deck of the ship as shewn at Figures 1
and 2. By turning the hand wheels J, in one direction the sluices H, are raised and
by turning them in the opposite direction the suices H, are lowered. When the
sluices H, are raised so as to open the spaces G, water flows in upon the propeller B,
through the spaces G, as indicated by arrow lines at Figure 4, which must be large
enough to cause a sufficient quantity of water to flow in upon the propeller from
above. Owing to the propeller, B, having the deep keel C, on either side of it and
extending outwards some distance astern, that is to say beyond or aft the propeller,
the water immediately surrounding the propeller is by means of the deep keel C, kept
from being broken up into spray as is the case with screw propellers fitted to ships in
the ordinary manner and the result of this arrangement is that practically the whole
of the water put into motion by the propeller is projected in an unbroken state aft
the ship or in other words the ship is propelled without a great portion of the driving
force of the propeller being expended in breaking up the water through which the
ship is moving.
From the annexed drawings it will be seen that the ship up to the part where the
propeller shaft D, passes through the stuffing box or equivalent bearing F, is of the
ordinary construction and that the space A, formed by the two deep keels C, extends
from that part sternwards only.
In the course of my experiments I have used the space A, of different lengths
and I have found that when the said space A, is only a little longer than the length
of the propeller that a comparatively small amount of propulsive effect is obtained,
whilst by making the said space A, of about the length shewn in the drawings
relatively to the length of the propeller I have attained a maximum propulsive effect.
It is however to be understood that I do not limit myself to the proportional length
of the space A, shewn in the drawings as with different forms of propellers the
length of the space A, will necessarily be varied.
In the propeller B, shewn in the annexed drawings, I provide it with what I term
a director propeller L, which I find to be of some advantage in increasing the
efficiency of the propeller B, but such director propeller may be dispensed with.
At Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4, the space A, is shown provided with a rudder M, at
each side of the space A, but a single rudder may be used in which case it is placed
centrally as shown at N, in Figures 5 and 6.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
The improvements in the construction of ships for the adaptation of screw propellers
thereto consisting in the providing of the stern portion only of ships with a spaco A,
for containing the propeller and a sufficient of water in front of the propeller in the
said space; the sides or deep koel C, having one or more openings G, formed therein
each fitted with a sluice Hf, capable of being raised or lowered for the purpose of
adjusting the extent of opening of the said space or spaces G, substantially as
bereinbefore described and shown upon the annexed sheets of drawings.
.
h
JOHN LIDDLE,
154, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow,
Applicant's Agent.