IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS WHEREBY WAR SHIPS ARE PROTECTED AGAINST DAMAGE BY SHOT OR OTHERWISE AND MERCHANT VESSELS ARE READILY BALLASTED WHICH MADH ENCES
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William John Clapp of Nantyglo in the County of
Monmouth Surgeon for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF SHIPS WHEREBY WAR SHIPS ARE PROTECTED AGAINST DAMAGE BY SHOT
OR OTHERWISE AND MERCHANT VESSELS ARE READILY BALLASTED WHICH
MADH
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William John Clapp at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 19th September 1883.
WILLIAM JOHN CLAPP of Nantyglo in the County of Monmouth, Surgeon,
IMPROVEMENTS IN
SHIPS ARE
PROTECTED AGAINST DAMAGE BY SHOT OR OTHERWISE AND MERCHANT VESSELS
WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE
THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS WHEREBY WAR
APPLICABLE
ALSO
ARE READILY BALLASTED
ARMOUR PLATED TURRETS OR FORTS FOR SHIPS OR FOR LAND DEFENCES
TO
The Invention has for its object improvements in the construction of war and
other ships and of armour plated turrets or forts for ships or for land defences and
relates to means whereby war ships and armour plated turrets or forts are better
protected against damage from shots or otherwise and merchant ships are enabled
to be speedily ballasted, without involving the labour and loss of time hitherto
incurred when ballasting in the usual way.
For this purpose I construct the outside of the ship, down to a suitable distance
below the water line, of iron or steel plates rolled or otherwise shaped with curved
projections thereon running either vertically or horizontally thereof, thereby forming
a series of cells or chambers between the inner face of such plates and other plain
plates forming the skin proper of the ship.
These cells or chambers are formed to communicate with each other and an
aperture or apertures are provided into which water can be pumped and from which

page_text: such water will flow and thereby find its way into all such cells or chambers and
when desired the water can be removed from such cells or chambers by pumps
ejectors or other suitable means.
Turrets or forts for use on ships or for land defences are constructed in a
somewhat similar manner.
By these means war ships and turrets or forts can when required have the cells
or chambers before described filled with water which will thereby distribute the
impact of shot or other destructive agent over a larger area of the plating and
afford greatly increased protection whilst merchant ships can be ballasted by
simply filling the said cells or chambers with water and then when receiving cargo
the water can be ejected therefrom.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William John up in the Patent Office on the 19th March
1884.
Clapp
"
WILLIAM JOHN CLAPP of Nantyglo, in the County of Monmouth, Surgeon
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS, WHEREBY WAR SHIPS ARE
PROTECTED AGAINST DAMAGE BY SHOT OR OTHERWISE, AND MERCHANT VESSELS
ARE READILY BALLASTED WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE ΤΟ
ARMOUR PLATED TURRETS OR FORTS FOR SHIPS OR FOR LAND DEFENCES"
The Invention has for its object improvements in the construction of ships
whereby war ships are protected against damage by shot or otherwise, and
merchant vessels are readily ballasted without involving the labor and loss of time
hitherto incurred when ballasting in the usual way, which improvements are also
applicable to armour plated turrets or forts for ships or for land defences.
My Invention is represented in the accompanying drawings of which Figure 1
represents a transverse section and Figure 2 is a side elevation of parts of a ship
with my improvements applied thereto, and Figure 3 is a section of parts drawn to
a larger scale.
In carrying my invention into effect I construct those parts of the ship
requiring protection of iron, steel or compound plates a rolled or otherwise shaped
with curved projections thereon running either vertically or horizontally thereof
thereby forming a series of cells or chambers a' between the inner face of such
plates and other plain plates b forming the skin proper of the ship.
These cells or chambers a' are.formed to communicate with each other by means
of passages a³ and an aperture or apertures c are provided into which water can be
pumped and from which such water will flow and thereby find its way into all
such cells or chambers a¹ and when desired the water can be removed from such
cells or chambers a¹ by pumps, ejectors or other suitable means discharging the
water through the outlet or outlets d.
Turrets or forts for use on ships or for land defences are constructed in a
somewhat similar manner.
The plates a and b are so formed and fitted as to be practically watertight, but
in the event of any leakage through the plates b the water is kept outside the
ship by the plating e whilst should there be any small leakage through the
plates a, the cells a¹ below the water line will always remain full except when
the water is discharged therefrom by the pump or other ejecting apparatus and the
cells or chambers a¹ above the water line can be kept practically full by means of
the pumps.
The plates a are held in position partly by bolts a³ and partly by plates f
shaped to fit between ribs of the plates a such plates f being held in position by
bolts f¹.
Between the plating b and the plating e is fixed a wood or other backing g.
In some cases the entire of the sides and bottom of a ship are constructed
according to my Invention, in other cases the sides only to a suitable distance
below the water line or the bottom only is so protected whilst for ballasting
merchant ships the plates a which may extend as far as may be required are made
much lighter than those represented in the drawings and the construction of the
ship is altered by dispensing with the wood backing g and one of the platings b, e
(say the plating b) in which case the plates a will be fixed directly to the plating e
and the chambers a¹ will be made larger in proportion than those represented in
the drawings.

page_text: By these means war ships and turrets or forts can, when required, have the cells
or chambers a¹ before described filled with water which will thereby distribute the
impact of shot or other destructive agent over a larger area of the plating and afford
greatly increased protection whilst merchant ships can be ballasted by simply
filling the said cells or chambers with water and then when receiving cargo the
water can be ejected therefrom.
By constructing the bottoms of ships as above described, a complete protection
against the destructive effects of torpedoes and other explosives is obtained.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention and the mode in which
I carry the same into effect, I would have it understood that what I claim is :-
First, The employment in the construction of ships, turrets and forts of iron,
steel or compound plates a rolled or otherwise formed with curved projections on
the exterior thereof and with cells or chambers a¹ on the interior thereof
substantially as herein shown and described and for the purposes stated.
Second. The combination of plates a and b, cells or chambers a', passages a³
and inlet and discharge openings c and d whereby water can be supplied to the
cells or chambers a¹ and ejected therefrom substantially as herein shown and
described, and for the purposes stated.
In witness whereof I the said William John Clapp have hereunto set my hand
and seal this fourteenth day of March in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty four...
WILLIAM JOHN CLAPP. (L.S.)