IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR LOWERING AND RELEASING OR DETACHING PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION SHIPS' BOATS, AND FOR RAISING AND STOWING THE SAME ON BOARD SHIP
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Cullen, of York Grove, Queen's Road,
Peckham, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, for the Invention
of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR LOWERING AND RELEASING OR DETACHING
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Cullen at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 1st May 1873.
I, THOMAS OULLEN, of York Grove, Queen's Road, Peckham, in the
County of Surrey, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR LOWERING AND RELEASING OR
DETACHING SHIPS' BOATS, AND FOR RAISING AND STOWING THE SAME ON BOARD
SHIP," to be as follows :—
.
This Invention consists of a novel construction and arrangement of
levers to be used in place of the davits usually employed on board ship
for raising or lowering the ship's boats. As the apparatus is placed in

page_text: the position of the davits, and is used to perform the same functions, it
may be properly termed an improved ship's davit.
By the novel construction of the apparatus the boats are so suspended
(while being raised or lowered) that they will be prevented from canting
or tipping, and when lifted inboard they may be turned over and placed
bottom upwards with the greatest facility.
The improved davits are arranged in pairs for the convenience of
raising or lowering ships' boats, and each of the davits consists of a pair
of levers which are jointed together at one end. They are also provided
with pullies, over which the hauling ropes are passed. One of the
levers is made with an elbow, and is jointed at the angle to a strong
vertical stanchion fixed against the bulwarks of the ship so that they
may turn thereon as a fulcrum. When one arm of the elbow lever
is in a vertical position the other arm will project over the water at an
angle of about 45°. The other lever, which is not elbowed, will lie close
against the ship's side in a vertical position. At the outer ends of the
levers are pullies, over which are passed the ropes whereby the boats are
suspended. These ropes pass down to and under pullies attached to
cross bars temporarily connected to the boat by pins at the end of a
cord which is connected to the suspending rope, and when the boat
reaches and fairly floats on the water it can be released from the sus-
pending ropes and cross bars by simply drawing on the cord and pulling
out the pins. The davit levers are provided with jointed angular struts
carrying guide pullies over which the ropes pass at the proper angle for
pulling on. When a boat is suspended from the improved davits for
the purpose of being raised and brought inboard, it must first be hauled
up close to the davits, then these latter are pulled over and made to
turn on their pins at the top of the stanchions until they are brought
into a horizontal position inboard. The boat will by this operation be
turned over and deposited either on the deck or on a platform above the
deck, bottom side up. In the meantime the second or straight lever will
be brought into the inclined position previously occupied by the first,
and will be ready to lift a second boat in the same way, and deposit it
bottom upwards over the first boat.
In order to lower the boats the operations will of course be exactly
.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Cullen in the Great Seal Patent Office,
on the 1st November 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
CULLEN, of York Grove, Queen's Road, Peckham, in the County of
Surrey, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Thomas Cullen, Her special licence that
I, the said Thomas Cullen, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Thomas Cullen, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR
LOWERING AND RELEASING OR DETACHING SHIPS' BOATS, AND FOR RAISING AND
STOWING THE SAME ON BOARD SHIP," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Thomas Cullen, 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 Inven-
tion, 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 Thomas Cullen, 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, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say)
―:
This Invention consists of a novel construction and arrangement of

page_text: for raising or lowering the ship's boats. As the apparatus is placed in
the position of the davits, and is used to perform the same functions, it
may be properly termed an improved ship's davit.
By the novel construction of the apparatus the boats are so suspended
(while being raised or lowered) that they will be prevented from canting
or tipping, and when lifted inboard they may be turned over and placed
bottom upwards with the greatest facility one above the other, thus
giving to each vessel double the ordinary number of boats.
Several views of the improved davits in different positions are shewn
in the accompanying Drawings. The davits are arranged in pairs for:
the convenience of raising or lowering ships' boats, and each of the
davits consists of a pair of levers a and b which are jointed together at
one end at c. They are also provided with pullies, over which the
hauling ropes are passed. One of the levers 6 is made with an elbow
6¹, and is jointed at the angle d to a strong vertical stanchion & fixed:
against and extending above the bulwarks of the ship, so that the levers
a and 6 may turn thereon as a fulcrum. When one arm of the elbow
lever 6 is in a horizontal position, as shewn at Fig. 1, the other arm will
project over the water at an angle of about forty-five degrees. The
other lever a, which is not elbowed, will lie nearly parallel to the first
when the boats are stowed away, as represented at Fig. 1, but when the
first boat has been lowered, and the second boat is in a position to be
lowered, this lever will lie close against the ship's side in a vertical
position, as shewn at Fig. 3.
Fig. 2 represents the parts in the position they would assume when
the first boat is ready to be lowered. At the outer ends of the levers
a and 6 are pullies, over which are passed the ropes whereby the boats
are suspended. These ropes pass down to and under pullies attached to
cross bars e, shewn in the detached sectional view, Fig. 4, and also shewn
detached in plan and elevation on an enlarged scale at Figures 5. These
cross bars e are temporarily connected to the boat by transverse pins f
at the end of a cord which is formed into a loop at the centre, and passes
under guide pullies, and when the boat reaches and fairly floats on the
water it can be released from the suspending ropes and cross bars by
simply drawing on the cord and pulling out the pins ƒ,ƒ.
At Figures 6 and 7 I have shewn longitudinal and transverse sections

page_text: of a modification of the plan shewn at Fig. 4 for suspending and
detaching the boat. In this instance the cross bar e is dispensed with,
and ropos e¹, e³, and e³ are substituted for it. The ropes e¹, e¹, are passed
through swivel rings h, h, fixed on each side of the boat, and the three
ropes e, e², and e³ at their ends carry eyes through which the pin's f,f,
pass, and assist in suspending the boat as in the former instance. The
jointed davit levers a, a, are provided with jointed angular struts 9, 9,.
carrying guide pullics, over which the ropes pass at the proper angle for
pulling on.
When a boat, whether it be the first or second boat, is suspended from.
the improved davits for the purpose of being raised and brought inboard
it must first be. hauled up from the position shewn in blue lines in
Figure 2, and brought close to the davits, as shewn at Fig. 2 in colour.
Then the davit levers are pulled over in succession.
The first boat to be hauled inboard will be that shewn at Fig. 3, in
which the davit levers are made to turn on their pins d, d, at the top.
of the stanchions until they are brought into a horizontal position
inboard, as shewn at Figures 1 and 2, and by dots in Fig. 3. The boat
will by this operation be turned over and deposited inboard, bottom side
up, as shewn in the Figures. In the meantime the second or straight
lever a will be brought into the inclined position previously occupied by
the first, and will be ready to lift the second boat, which has been drawn
up from the position shewn by blue lines at Fig. 2, close to the lever.
The boat will then be deposited in the same way, bottom upwards, over
the first boat.
In order to prevent the boats from shifting their position when stowed
away they are secured by means of " gripes," which are passed over
them. To lower the boats the securing "gripes" must be removed, and;
the suspending ropes which are coiled round the drum i must be
slackend so that the first boat may be lifted up. The first operation is
to bring the strut k of the lever a into the dotted position shewn at
Fig. 1. This is effected by hauling on the rope which passes round
the pulley which is actuated by means of a rope j¹, or in any other
convenient manner. By continuing to haul on this rope 7, the lever a
carrying with it the first boat will be raised into a vertical position, as
shewn by blue lines in Fig. 1. Then the boat and lever will by their

page_text: own weight fall over into the position shewn at Fig. 2, being controlled
in that operation by holding on and gradually slacking out the sus-
pending ropes m. By continuing the slacking out of the suspending
ropes m the boat will descend into the water, the lever a remaining in
the same position in which it is supported by the toe piece a*, which is t
a prolongation of the lever a past the centre c. This toe piece a* will
thus underlie and bear against the projecting arm 6¹ of the other davit
lever b. When the boat is supported by the water, the pins f,f, which
secure the supporting cords e³, e³, and e³ to the boat are withdrawn, and
the boat is freed. The suspending ropes m, m, must then be drawn up ]
a short distance, and attached to the side of the vessel by passing the
eye of the cord e³ over a hook n, as shewn by dots at Fig. 2.
In order to lower the second boat, the suspending ropes m² of this
boat, which are wound on the drum i*, must be slackened, and then by
hauling on the suspending ropes m the second lever 6 will be pulled
over the centre, and will then fall into the position shewn at Fig. 3, its
motion being checked and controlled by its own suspending ropes. Upon
continuing to slack out the ropes m¹ the boat will descend from the
position shewn at Fig. 3 into the water, and the first set of davit levers
will assume the position shewn in that Figure.
It will of course be understood that each boat is suspended by two
ropes, which of course must be hauled in or let out simultaneously, as
will be clearly seen in the plan view, Fig. 8., This is effected by con-
necting each pair of suspending ropes to a drum i or i*, Figures 1, 2,
and 3, and also in the side views, Figures 9 and 10. On these drums:
the ropes may be wound in a regular convolute or "Flemish coil."
It will be obvious that either of these drums may be actuated by
ropes m*, m*, or other equivalent mechanical device, and controlled by
a brake.
Having now described my Invention of "Improved Apparatus for
Lowering and Releasing or Detaching Ships' Boats, and Raising and
Stowing the same on Board Ship," and having explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by
Letters Patent as aforesaid, the arrangement or construction of davit
levers with their accessories, as above shewn and described, or any mere

page_text: modification thereof, for reversing, or lowering, severing, and stowing
away and securing ships' boats, as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Cullen, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Thirty-first day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.