An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Preventing or Diminishing the Rolling and Pitching of Ships or Vessels.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Dec., 1990
Complete Specification Left, 5th Oct., 1891-Accepted, 5th Dec. 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Preventing or Diminishing
the Rolling and Pitching of Ships or Vessels.
I, HIRAM STEVENS MAXIM, of Crayford Works, Crayford in the County or
Kent, and Victoria Mansions, Victoria Street in the City of Westminstef
Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention is designed to prevent or diminish the rolling and pitching of ships
or vessels at sea.
The heavy rolling or pitching motion of a ship is not due to the action of a single
wave, but is produced by a series of successive impulses received from the waves.
For instance when a ship strikes or is struck by a wave, the bow of the ship is
slightly raised thereby. It then falls slightly below its original position, and the
next succeeding wave, providing it strikes the ship at the proper time, increases
the distance through which the bow rises in its next upward movement, and so long
as the waves continue to strike the bow of the ship while the same is rising, the up-
and-down movement or pitching continues to increase. As the ship has a natural
period of vibration, it is but seldom that the waves will, for any extended period,
be exactly the correct distance apart to keep perfect time with the natural vibration
of the ship. The acceleration of the pitching motion, however, frequently con-
tinues for a sufficient length of time to cause the ship to alternately rise and fall at
the bow and stern through a considerable distance, thus greatly impeding its
progress through the water and, in the case of screw-steamers, causing serious
racing of the screw-propeller and engines. When the waves strike the bow of the
arrested
ship while the latter is falling, the downward movement of the ship
thereby; but it is at this time that the ship plunges into the water, the bow of the
ship descending while the wave is rising, and the two consequently coming into
violent collision, whereby great quantities of water are sometimes thrown on
the deck.
The above observations also apply to the rolling motion of the ship. The waves
which strike the ship at a moment when it is not rolling, or when it is rolling in
the direction of movement of the wave, do not have much effect except in pro-
ducing or increasing the rolling motion; but the waves which strike the ship while
the same is rolling in one direction and the wave is moving in the reverse direction,
are liable to cause injurious shock or concussion and the shipping of large quantities
of water.
For the reasons above stated, it would require a relatively small amount of force,
if properly applied to the ship, to prevent or greatly diminish the rolling or pitching
of the same.
For this purpose, I make suitable provision whereby, when either end or side of
the ship is decending, a greater or less amount of force will be exerted to resist
its descent and to resist the ascent of the other end or side of the ship.
I accomplish the desired result in a convenient and advantageous manner by the
employment of strong fins worked by hydraulic or other motor apparatus, the
action of which is controlled by gravity or otherwise. For instance, I provide the
ship with strong fins projecting on each side thereof below the water-level, and so
connected with the said motor apparatus that, when the ship is rolling in one
direction, both fins will be turned in such a manner as to cause, or tend to cause
the lifting of the side of the ship that is descending, and the depression of the side
thereof that is rising. I also provide the ship with a large plate or fin forward or
aft, or both forward and aft, connected in such a manner to suitable machinery

page_text: that, when the ship has a tendency to fall at the bow, the fins will be adjusted to
such a position that they will act to arrest or to resist this movement and
vice versa.
In carrying my said invention into practice, I find it advantageous to construct
my apparatus as follows, that is to say, I provide two strong boiler-plate or other
metal tubes, which are firmly secured to the sides of the ship and to the keel or
deck by suitable ties and struts. Inside of each of these tubes, I arrange another strong
steel tube or hollow shaft which is free to turn through an angle of several degrees,
and to the outer end of which the corresponding fin is attached. At the inner end
of these oscillating shafts are attached suitable pivoted arms or beams, which are
connected to the plungers or rams of hydraulic cylinders arranged in such a manner
that, when the port fin is feathered so as to move its forward edge down, the
starboard fin is feathered so as to move its forward end up, and vice versa.
The hydraulic cylinders are connected with a pipe provided with an equilibrium
valve, and a gyroscope is pivotted in such a manner that it does not participate in
the rolling or pitching of the ship, being held by the combined action of gravity
and of the gyroscope, from following the angular motion of the ship, and is arranged
to operate the said valve so that the fins are feathered at the proper time and in
the proper direction. A suitable pump or accumulator is provided for supplying
the water to the cylinders. The fins are pivotted or hinged to their oscillating
shafts in such a manner that they can be raised, so that, when the ship is in the
dock or anchored in a still harbour, they will rest closely against the sides of
the vessel. A long taper plug provided with a long screw is arranged within
the oscillating shaft and is adapted to enter a hole in the fin. When the fin is
lowered into its operative position the said screw may be turned so as to force the
said plug outward until it passes through the hinge-joint and enters the fin, thus
ensuring great rigidity of the parts. This plug effectually prevents any vibration
about the said hinge-joint, but does not prevent the required turning of the fins
and the shafts within the large tubes. When it is desired to turn the fin upward
so that it will rest against the side of the ship, the said screw is turned in the
reverse direction and the plug drawn back, when the fin may be lifted by means of
a hook or otherwise, and secured to the side of the ship.
The gyroscope for operating the equilibrium valve is driven by a jet of water
from the pump and is suitably connected with the said valve, and is, in some
instances; constructed with counterweights. The said gyroscope is, however,
preferably constructed as follows, viz. :-The rotating part thereof is suitably
mounted upon the stationary part, through which the water enters and flows
through the rotating part, thus causing the latter to rotate in a manner similar to
that in which a "Barker's mill" operates. In this case a projection or stud at the
top of the rotating part is adapted to engage with suitable gearing for operating
the equilibrium valve.
One or more fins are attached to the bow of the ship to prevent pitching and are
operated in a manner substantially similar to that above described.
Where great steadiness is required, as in passenger steamers, it may be desirable
to connect the equilibrium valve to the gyroscope in such a manner that, whenever
the ship, is moved by the action of the fins, the equilibrium valve itself will be
moved to a greater or less extent, that is to say, should the ship roll slightly to the
port side, then the gyroscope would open the valve in such a manner that the port
side of the ship would be lifted, and the starboard side depressed. This effect
would continue until the ship was completely righted. The equilibrium valve
should, however, commence to close as soon as the ship commences to answer the
effort of the fins, so that, by the time the ship has resumed its horizontal or level
position, the valves will be brought back again to zero, or to a point at which there
is no action at all, and the fins held in a position to move exactly edgewise through
the water; in this position they are ready to instantly answer the least movement
of the ship. This result I can accomplish in several ways. For example by
employing a sleeve operated inside of the valve-chamber, or by suitably pivotting

page_text: the lever which operates the equilibrium valve so that, as the ship rolls back into a
level position, the valve will be operated so as to bring the fins into a horizontal
position by the time the ship has assumed its proper position.
In this manner I am enabled to exactly imitate the action of the fins of fishes
and to keep the ship almost level or horizontal in a heavy sea-way.
My invention affords the advantages that it will not only prevent sea-sickness,
but will prevent the raising of the screw out of the water and the retardation of
the ship by its plunging heavily into advancing seas, thus greatly expediting the
progress of the ship through the water.
It is obvious that these fins may be operated in any other convenient manner for
the purpose above specified. Such fins may be placed at various points on the
ship. If desired they may be placed in a vertical position through the bottom of
the ship.
Instead of the hydraulic apparatus above mentioned, I sometimes use small
reversible steam-engines, the connections between the engines and the fins being
similar to those between the steam steering-gear and the rudder of a ship, and a
suitable valve and valve-motion being employed.
With steam steering-gear as heretofore usually adopted, the movement of the
rudder shuts off the steam, that is to say, as soon as the rudder has answered to the
action of the engine, the steam is automatically shut off, and the rudder cannot
move any further in the same direction unless the valve is moved still further by
the action of the man at the wheel. Likewise in my apparatus the valve may be
arranged in such a manner that, whenever the fins have answered to the action
of the gyroscope the supply of steam or water will be cut off automatically.
It is obvious, moreover, that I can, if desired, employ pneumatic or other suitable
apparatus for operating the said fins and for controlling the movements thereof as
required.
נים
FAL 1
Dambar 1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method of and Apparatus for Preventing or Diminishing
the Rolling and Pitching of Ships or Vessels.
I, HIRAM STEVENS MAXIM, of Crayford Works, Crayford, in the County of
Kent, and Victoria Mansions, Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster,
Mechanical Engineer, 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:-
My invention is designed to prevent or diminish the rolling and pitching of ships
or vessels at sea.
The heavy rolling or pitching motion of a ship is not due to the action of a single
wave, but is caused by the accumulative effect of a series of impulses imparted by
a succession of waves. When the bow of a ship strikes or is struck by a wave it
is first slightly raised thereby and then when the force of the blow is spent it falls
slightly below its original position and a vibratory motion is thus set up. The
succeeding wave providing it strikes the ship at the proper time that is to say when
the bow is rising increases the amplitude of the ship's oscillation set up by the first
ware and so long as the waves continue to strike the bow while the same is rising
It is but seldom
the up and down movement or pitching continues to increase.
that the waves will for any considerable period follow each other at exactly such
intervals as to keep perfect time with the natural period of vibration of the ship,
but the synchronism frequently continues for a sufficient length of time to cause
the ship to alternately rise and fall at the bow and stern through a considerable

page_text: distance, thus greatly impeding its progress through the water and in the case of
screw steamers causing injurious racing of the screw propeller and engines besides
being disagreeable to the passengers. When a wave strikes the ships bow while
the latter is descending the downward movement of the ship is partially arrested
or retarded thereby; but the violent collision of the bow with the waves frequently
causes the shipping of great quantities of water.
These observations also apply to the rolling motion of the ship. The waves
which strikes the ship at a moment when it is not rolling or when it is rolling in
the direction of movement of the wave have their effect in producing or increasing
the rolling motion, but those waves which strike the ship while the same is rolling
in one direction and the wave is moving in the reverse direction are liable to
cause injurious shock or concussion and the shipping of large quantities of
water.
Hence a relatively small force acting on the ship at the proper time, and in the
proper direction will prevent or greatly diminish the rolling or pitching of the
same, for the said small force, operating to neutralize each wave-impulse, will in
addition prevent the possibility of cumulative action of the kind hereinbefore
referred to.
According to my invention I make suitable provision whereby when either end
or side of the ship is descending a greater or less amount of force will be exerted
to resist its descent and to resist the ascent of the other end or side of the ship
thereby checking the rolling or pitching action; I accomplish the desired result in
a convenient and advantageous manner by the employment of resisting or counter-
acting surfaces the action of which is controlled by a gyroscopic, or gyrostatic
apparatus. The said gyrostat or other appliance is employed to govern the said
surfaces through the medium of steam, hydraulic, or pneumatic motor apparatus 80
that they will form inclined planes which by their action on the water as the vessel
moves through the waves will tend to prevent the rolling and pitching of the said
vessel. For instance I provide the ship with strong fins or blades projecting on
each side thereof preferably in a horizontal or nearly horizontal direction below
the water level and so connected with the said motor apparatus that, when the ship
is rolling in either direction, both fins will be turned in such a manner as to resist
and counteract such rolling movement. I also provide the ship with a large blade
or fin forward or aft or both forward and aft so connected to the steam or other
motor apparatus that when the ship has a tendency to fall at the bow, the fins will
assume the most advantageous position to arrest or resist this movement and
vice versa.
In carrying my said invention into practice I find it advantageous to con-
struct and arrange my apparatus as shown in the accompanying drawings in
which,
:
Figure 1 is an elevation
Figure 2 is a plan, and
Figures 3 and 4 are transverse sections drawn to an enlarged scale of a ship
provided with my apparatus for preventing or diminishing rolling and pitching.
Figure 5 is a side elevation of one form of the said apparatus detached and
drawn to a still larger scale.
Figure 6 is an end elevation of the same.
Figure 7 is a sectional view of one of the cylinders.
Figure 7 is a similar view illustrating a modification hereinafter described,
and
Figures 8 to 10 are detail views of another part of the apparatus hereinafter
described.
I provide two strong metal tubes A which are firmly secured to the sides of the
ship one at each side thereof and to the keel or deck by suitable ties and struts.
Inside of each of these tubes I arrange another strong tube or hollow shaft B
preferably of steel which is free to turn or oscillate through an angle of several
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page_text: ends of these oscillating shafts are attached arms or beams D, D¹ which are
connected with and are operated by the connecting rods E of a steam engine. I
prefer to use an engine having three cylinders F, F', F arranged, and connected
by steam pipes, as shown, the said cylinders being supplied with steam through one
distributing valve. F is a cylinder provided with an ordinary steam chest F* in
which is arranged to work a very accurately balanced equilibrium piston valve.
The construction of this valve and the arrangement of the ports or passages are
clearly shown in Figure 7. F** is the valve, Fs is the valve rod, Fis the steam
inlet pipe, and F' is the exhaust pipe. The valve F** is constructed with little or
no lap so that a very slight movement to either side of its central position will
cause steam to be admitted to one or the other end of the cylinder. The
cylinders F, F' are not provided with valve boxes but are connected with the
cylinder F by pipes G, G. The pipe G forms a free communication between the
upper ends of the outer cylinders F, F and the lower end of the middle cylinder F,
and the pipe G¹ forms a similar communication between the lower ends of the said
outer cylinders and the upper end of the said middle cylinder. It is thus obvious
that when steam is allowed to enter either end of the cylinder F it will have free
access to the corresponding end of the cylinder F* and to the opposite end of the
cylinder F. The two pistons of the outer cylinders will therefore move together
while that of the middle cylinder moves in the opposite direction when steam is
admitted. The piston of the middle cylinder F is preferably made to have double
the area of the piston of each outside cylinder so that the effort on the beams
hereinafter described will be the same at each end.
The two metal tubes A are relatively arranged as shown so that the beams or
arms D, D on the ends of the shafts B therein can be operated by the engine
cylinders in the required manner, that is to say, the middle cylinder is provided
with two connecting rods one of which is coupled to one end of the beam D and
the other to the adjacent end of the beam D'. The other ends of the beams D D'
are coupled respectively to the connecting rods of the outer cylinders F; and F³.
Therefore power is applied at both ends of each rocking beam to cause the two
hollow shafts B to turn or oscillate in opposite directions when the engine pistons
move as above specified.
H is a shaft supported in bearings H¹ and extending lengthwise of the ship.
This shaft must be held by a gyroscope or gyrostat or other means in such a
manner that it will not participate in the rolling motion of the ship, but on the
contrary will form a fixed part relatively to which all other parts will oscillate
when the ship rolls. I is a gyrostat pivoted to the shaft H at H2 and so constructed
and arranged that the rotating part thereof can be driven at a very high rate of
speed. I sometimes use a gyrostat driven by means of a jet of water from a pump
which jet may be arranged to enter through the stationary part of the gyrostat
and flow through the rotating part, the latter being thus caused to revolve in a
manner similar to that in which a Barker's mill operates; or I may use a gyroscope
or gyrostat driven by a steam turbine or any suitable convenient power. I prefer
however to drive the gyrostat by means of electricity for which purpose I mount
the rotary part of the gyrostat on the axle of the armature 1 of an electric
motor to which current is conveyed by wires 12. The pivot H* is so arranged
that while the gyrostat is free to swing lengthwise of the shaft H it cannot swing
transversely thereto independently of the shaft. Therefore the gyrostat is not
affected by the pitching of the ship. J is an arm or lever fixed on the shaft H
(see Figure 6) and coupled by a link J' and lever J' to the valve rod F. The
lever Jis extended rearwardly beyond the pivot of the connection with the
link J and to its tail end is pivoted one end of a link K the other end of which is
coupled to an arm or extension D2 of the lever or beam D.
The fins C are pivotted or hinged at C₁ to their oscillating shafts B in such a
manner that they can be raised as indicated in Figure 4 so that when the ship is in
dock or anchored in still water they will rest closely against the sides of the vessel.
Moreover they may be so adjusted when the ship is running in a calm. sea.
Το

page_text: maintain the rigidity of the fins or blades when extended and at the same time to
allow of the said fins or blades being raised to their inoperative positions I provide
the following device, that is to say: A long taper ended plug L (see Figure 9)
provided with an internal screw thread is arranged within each oscillating shaft B,
and is adapted to enter a taper hole C provided in the fin. L' is a screw shaft
adapted to screw into the said plug L. The shaft L' extends from end to end of
the hollow oscillating shaft B and is provided at its inner end with suitable
collars L to prevent longitudinal movement thereof and with a hand wheel L³ for
rotating the same. L is a packing ring of rubber or other suitable material placed
inside one of the collars L to prevent the leakage of water through the hollow
shafts. B. When the fin is lowered into its operative position, the shaft L' may be
turned by the hand wheel L³ so as to screw the same out of the plug or bolt L and
force the latter outward until it passes through the hinge joint C₁ and enters the
hole C in the fin C thus ensuring great rigidity of the parts. This device
effectually prevents any slackness or vibration of the fins about their hinge-joints
and at the same time allows of the required turning of the shafts B within the
fixed tubes A. The fins are preferably so constructed that the part in rear of the
axis B is longer than that in front of the said axis. When it is desired to raise
the fin to its inoperative position the said screw shaft L' is turned in the reverse
direction until the plug or bolt L is withdrawn from the fin, the latter may then be
lifted by means of a hook or other convenient means and secured to the side of
the ship. Or if desired the fins may be lowered to hang against the ships side.
C³ is a hole or eye provided in the fin with which the lifting hook may be
engaged.
The fins or blades C are constructed preferably of steel plating. so shaped as to
present a feather edge to the action of the water as is shown in Figure 10. When
in their normal or horizontal position, they have but little effect on the ships
motion.
I prefer to place the said fins a little forward or aft of the midship section as for
instance in the position shown in Figure 2 so that when they are folded they may
not project beyond the greatest width of the ship. They are also placed well below
the water line.
The action of the aforesaid apparatus is as follows. Assuming that the ship rolls
over to one side then owing to the great resistance offered by the rotating gyrostat
to the change of its plane of rotation the shaft H to which the gyrostat is pivotted
will be prevented from turning in space but it will have a rotary motion relatively
to its bearings H' corresponding to the extent of roll of the ship. Consequently
the equilibrium distributing valve F** of the steam cylinder F which valve as
before described is connected to the shaft H will be moved relatively to the said
cylinder. One or other of the steam ports will thus be opened and steam will be
admitted to the cylinders thereby operating the pistons and partially rotating the
shafts B. By this action the fins or blades C are so feathered that the forward
edge of the blade on the descending side of the ship will be caused to point upward
while that of the blade on the ascending side of the ship will be caused to point
downward. It is obvious that the inclined surfaces of the blades in this position
as they advance through the water will powerfully act to check the rolling move-
ment that is to say the pressure of the water will tend to raise the descending blade
or fin and depress the ascending blade or fin. While the blades are thus feathered
the arm D is at the same time moved by reason of its attachment to the beam D
and this movement acting through the link K operates to rotate the lever J' about
its pivot at the upper end of the link J' and thereby returns or restores the
equilibrium valve to its central position and closes the steam port. The blades or
fins will however be rigidly held in their inclined position until the ship answers the
lifting force and begins to return because it is obvious that any return movement of
the blades unless it is accompanied by a corresponding movement of the ship will
cause the steam port to be opened again and so admit steam into the cylinders to
resist the said return movement. Similarly if the blades or fins are moved in the

page_text: over.
other direction the valve will be put over to the other side and so caused to admit
steam to the opposite end of the cylinders which will have the effect of bringing.
back the fins to their first position. The more the ship heels over the greater will
become the inclination of the blades because the initial movement of the valve F**
being greater it will require a greater movement of the shaft B acting through the
arm D' to return or restore it to the central position. It will therefore be seen
that the feathering of the fins is governed by the extent to which the ship heels
A very delicate action of the feathering blades is thus obtained, and the
force brought to bear on the ship to resist rolling is proportioned to the extent of
rolling motion. Moreover it follows that as the ship is gradually righted, the fins
will also gradually return to their normal position and the moment the ship is on a
level beam the fins or blades will move exactly edgewise through the water. This
is a very important feature of my invention. The great steadiness ensured by this
delicately acting arrangement which imitates the action of the fins of a fish when
swimming, is specially advantageous in passenger vessels as it allows the ship to be
kept almost level or horizontal even in a heavy sea.
་
I have herein above described my apparatus as applied for checking the rolling
of the ship. It is obvious that it may be equally well applied for checking
pitching. In this case however the shaft H must be placed athwart ships instead
of parallel to the keel, and the blades or fins are attached either to the bow or
stern or both bow and stern of the ship. In Figures 1 and 21 have shown a blade
applied to the bow of the ship and one on each side near the stern for preventing
pitching. The gyrostatic apparatus is fitted in the ship in a position conveniently
near the said blades.
My invention affords the advantages that it will not only diminish the cause of
sea-sickness to passengers but will prevent the raising of the screw out of the water
and the consequent' racing of the engine, and the retardation of the ship by its
plunging heavily into advancing seas, thus greatly expediting the progress of the
ship through the water.
The fins may be placed at various points on the ship.
Instead of the steam engine above described, I sometimes use a hydraulic or
pneumatic engine for operating the said fins.
If in case of accident or otherwise the fin on one side of the ship should be
disabled, the fin on the other side will still act more or less effectually to prevent
the rolling of the ship. And if desired each fin may be especially constructed with
a view to doing the whole of the work if necessary.
In the Provisional Specification reference is made to a sleeve for accomplishing
the same result as is obtained by the lever arrangement shown in Figure 6. In
case a sleeve is used, as shown at M Figure 74, this sleeve is provided with ports
and is interposed between the steam cylinder and the equilibrium piston valve, and
is connected by a rod M' with the fins in such a manner that the said sleeve is
noved by the action of the fins, while the piston valve is operated by the move-
ment of the gyroscope. When the piston valve opens and allows steam to enter
the cylinder so as to turn the fins, the latter as soon as they commence to turn will
move the sleeve in the same direction as the valve and so as to overtake the valve
and close the steam-port.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that I am aware
that it has already been proposed to employ blades or plates projecting vertically
below the keel of a ship for the purpose of preventing the rolling of the same, but
such an arrangement has not been automatically operated or controlled, and has no
effect in controlling the pitching, and is open to very serious objections which do
not apply to fins or plates which project horizontally from the sides on the bow or
stern of a ship as herein described, and I declare that what I claim is :-
First. A ship or vessel provided with one or more horizontally projecting fins or
blades so arranged and controlled that the same can be automatically or otherwise

page_text: adjusted to present inclined planes or surfaces to the action of the water, for the
purpose specified.
Second. A ship or vessel provided with projecting fins or blades which are
automatically inclinable to the action of the water as the ship rolls or pitches, and
which are so arranged that the angle of inclination is always and in every position
proportioned to the angle through which the ship has rolled or pitched from its
central position, for the purpose specified.
Third. The construction and arrangement of the said fins or blades so that they
can be set close to the side of the ship, substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
Fourth. The said fins or blades jointed to the outer ends of shafts provided at
their inner ends with rocking arms or beams operated by a steam or other engine
for the purpose specified.
Fifth. The combination, with the fin or blade and its tubular shaft, of the
internal screw shaft and plug or bolt substantially as, and for the purpose,
specified.
Sixth. The peculiar arrangement of the three cylinder engine whereby all of the
cylinders are supplied with steam by one distributing valve and the pistons of the
said engine are relatively moved, and operate on the said rocking beams, as, and
for the purpose, specified.
Seventh. The combination with the apparatus specified in the above claims of a
gyroscopic or gyrostatic apparatus for controlling the action of the engines as
above set forth.
Eighth. The combined gyroscope or gyrostat and electric motor constructed and
attached to the shaft and operating as, and for the purpose, specified.
Ninth. The connection of the fin, or fins the distributing valve, and the gyrostat
by the mechanism shewn in Figure 6, or substantially similar mechanism for
governing the position of the distributing valve by the turning movement of the
fins, for the purpose specified.
Tenth. The apparatus for preventing or diminishing the rolling and pitching of
ships consisting of the parts described with reference to the accompanying
drawings or substantially similar parts combined and operating as and for the
purpose specified.
Dated this gah 1...
11001
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.