IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS OF WAR AND OTHER VESSELS, AND IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARMOUR AND OTHER PLATES OF WROUGHT IRON
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Hinton Bovill, of Durnsford Lodge, Wim-
bledon, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN SHIPS OF WAR AND OTHER VESSELS, AND IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARMOUR
AND OTHER PLATES OF WROUGHT IRON."
Sealed the 28th January 1862, and dated the 8th August 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Hinton Bovill at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th August 1861.
I, GEORGE HINTON BOVILL, of Durnsford Lodge, Wimbledon, in the County
of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN SHIPS OF WAR AND OTHER VESSELS, AND IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARMOUR
AND OTHER PLATES OF WROUGHT IRON," to be as follows:-
My improvements consist, firstly, in the application of vulcanized india-
rubber that shall be permanently elastic to the seams of the planks and decks
of ships. The india-rubber packing or caulking is to be well compressed
between the planking; the edges of the planks should be previously coated
with a solution of india-rubber to cause adhesion to the elastic caulking to
take place. The ordinary caulking of oakum may be driven into the seams
in addition to this india-rubber packing, if desired. In old ships this india-
rubber packing may be applied by cutting out or removing a quantity of the
old ordinary caulking from the seams, and driving in the elastic india-rubber
packing. By thus using india-rubber packing the packing will be found to
give and take to the working of the ship, and always maintain the seams
water-tight. In wooden ships of war the vibration of the screw propeller
Price 8d.1

page_text: causes the stern timbers and planking to work and open, the leaks so caused
would with this elastic caulking be remedied.
In order to prevent adhesion to the bottoms of ships, I apply magnetic or
galvanic electricity in such manner as to produce electric currents through the
metal plates forming or sheathing a ship's bottom. For this purpose one of
the poles of the galvanic battery or other apparatus is attached to the plates,
and the electric circuit is made through the plates into the water. By thus
applying electric currents the fouling, corrosion, and the adhesion of barnacles
and living insects will in the case of iron ships be prevented, and in coppered
ships the waste of copper will be diminished.
Heretofore ships and vessels have in some cases been propelled and maneu-
vered by forcing out water. According to my Invention the pipes or apertures
used for this purpose are to be formed or placed as far below the surface of
the water as practicable; the area of these apertures is not to be less than
thirteen inches for every horse power employed, and where practicable the
apertures and conduit pipes leading thereto from the propelling pumps should
be so large that .the velocity of the current of water passing through them
should be about 20 per cent. greater than the speed of the vessel. With the
before-mentioned conduit pipes and apertures are combined centrifugal pumps
known as Gwynne's, so as to cause a continuous stream of water to be kept up
and discharged against the water opposed to it at the stern of the ship or
vessel. It has before been proposed to propel, manoeuvre, and steer vessels
by forcing water by means of centrifugal and other pumps through apertures,
and in some cases through large apertures, but the modes resorted to have
failed to utilize efficiently the propelling power of the engines employed. In
propelling vessels it is preferred that the discharge of the impelling stream of
water should be at the stern acting against the dead water that follows the
ship, and that the inlet should be at the bows. In order to manoeuvre and
steer vessels (having other propelling machinery), it is preferred to have on
either side of the ship a discharge pipe from a centrifugal pump worked either
by an auxiliary or the main engines, with a simple arrangement for reversing
the action of these pipes either to make them the inlet or outlet pipes, accord-
ing to the direction in which it is desired to steer or maneuvre the ship.
In arming ships of war what may be called telescopic martello towers are
used, which are constructed. by preference, of a cylindrical form, and of
wrought iron plates of sufficient thickness to be shot proof. These shot proof
cylinders should be from 6 feet to 9 feet diameter, or more. On the top is
placed a turntable carrying an Armstrong or other powerful gun: this turn-
table and gun are housed in and suitably protected with angular shot proof

page_text: plates, an opening being left in the top to relieve the concussion of the air,
and to clear the smoke produced when firing the gun. The length of the
cylinder will depend on the depth of the ship; in a large vessel it may be
made to rise from 25 to 30 ft. for action, but but when not in close action this
telescopic martello tower will be housed or lowered down, but so that the gun
thereon could still be worked clear of the bulwarks. The tower and gun will
be raised up by hydraulic power. By thus raising a gun to a great height a
shot may be fired through the decks of an enemy's ship, either into the engines
and boilers or right through the bottom of the ship. By the use of such
towers a ship with iron-protected sides would be at the mercy of one having
the advantage of a martello tower.
In order when applying armour or thick plates to the sides of a ship or
vessel to utilize the strength of the iron thus added, and to give strength to
the ship or vessel, instead of the armour plates being fixed or hung to the
outer skin of the vessel, as heretofore practised, I use armour plates with
flanges formed or rolled at two opposite edges, leaving the two ends or other
opposite edges without flanges; these flanges are put together and connected
in a similar manner to that in which the flanges of cast-iron tank plates are
connected, so that when the flanges at the edges of the armour plates are
rivetted or bolted together, and are made fast to the framing of the ship or
vessel, such armour flanged plates will not only support themselves, but will
give strength to the ship or vessel in proportion to the substance of the plates,
whilst the junctions of the armour plates will be the strongest parts of the
structure. It should be stated that it has before been proposed to employ
plates turned up or flanged at all four edges in constructing ships or vessels;
the peculiarity in my using flanged plates consists in their each having flanges
at two opposite edges only. This mode of applying armour plates to iron
built ships, or where the outer skin is of sheet iron or sheet iron sheathed
with wood, is also very suitable for ordinary wood built ships of war, which
may be covered external of the planking with flanged armour plates, put toge-
ther as above described; and such ships, in place of being weakened by the
application of armour plates, will be greatly strengthened, as the flanged
armour plates when bolted together form girders. It is not essential when
using thick plates with flanges at two opposite edges that they should be used
as casings for the ordinary skins of vessels, whether of wood or metal, as such
flanged plates, together with suitable framing, may be employed in construct-
ing ships and vessels so as, to act conjointly as armour plating and skin of a
ship or vessel.
In order to roll plates of iron or steel with suitable flanges or right angie

page_text: bends along two opposite sides of each plate, rollers are used of a suitable form
to produce a section somewhat resembling the letter W, thus
,, and
when such section of iron or steel has been formed, the middle bend is rolled
or made flat; by these means flanged plates may be made with facility either
of moderate thickness or sufficiently thick to be suitable for armour plates.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Hinton Bovill in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 8th February 1862.
i.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE HINTON
BOVILL, of Durnsford Lodge, Wimbledon, in the County of Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said George Hinton Bovill, Her special licence that I, the said George
Hinton Bovill, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said George Hinton Bovill, my executors, administrators, 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN SHIPS OF WAR AND OTHER VESSELS, AND IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
ARMOUR AND OTHER PLATES OF WROUGHT IRON," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said George Hinton Bovill, my executors or administra-
tors, 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 calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Hinton Bovill, do hereby declare
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:-
My improvements consist, firstly, in the application of vulcanized india-
rubber that shall be permanently elastic to the seams of the planks and decks
of ships. The india-rubber packing or caulking is to be well compressed

page_text: between the planking the edges of the planks should be previously coated
with a solution of india-rubber to cause adhesion to the clastic caulking to
take place. The ordinary caulking of oakum may be driven into the seams,
in addition to this india-rubber packing, if desired. In old ships this india-
rubber packing may be applied by cutting out or removing a quantity of the
old ordinary caulking from the seams, and driving in the elastic india-rubber
packing. By thus using india-rubber packing the packing will be found to
give and take to the working of the ship, and always maintain the seams
water-tight. In wooden ships of war the vibration of the screw propeller
causes the stern timbers and planking to work and open; the leaks so caused
would with this elastic caulking be remedied,. and, in wooden ships that are
covered with armour plates this india-rubber packing will be found very
important as a caulking to the wood planking, for the seams cannot be
recaulked with oakum in the ordinary way from time to time after the armour
plates are on.
Secondly, in order to prevent adhesion to the bottoms of ships, I apply
magnetic or galvanic electricity in such manner as to produce electric currents
through the metal plates forming or sheathing a ship's bottom. For this
purpose, one of the poles of galvanic batteries or other apparatus, by prefer-
ence the positive poles, are attached to the plates at different parts of the
ship, and the electric circuit is made through the plates into the water. The
negative poles of the batteries are carried into the water, and attached to
plates as collectors, and insulated from the plates or metal of the ship's bottom,
to which the positive poles are connected. The electric circuit will thus be
kept up from the positive to the negative pole plates. By thus applying
electric currents, the fouling corrosion and the adhesion of barnacles and living
insects will in the case of iron ships be prevented, and in coppered ships the
waste of copper will be diminished. I am aware that it has before been
proposed to produce a galvanic action to the metal sheathing of ships' bottoms,
but the methods used for that purpose were by applying zinc and other metals
outside the vessel in the water, so as to excite galvanic action by the metals
so employed with the copper sheathing of the ship, the two metals, viz., the
copper of the ship and the zinc plates, acting as the plates of a galvanic
battery, and the wastage of material taking place in the inferior metal, and
such methods failed to accomplish the desired object. My Invention is
essentially different, as I do not employ the metal of the ship's bottom to
generate the electricity.
Heretofore ships and vessels have in some cases been propelled and
manoeuvred by forcing out water.

page_text: According to the third part of my Invention, the pipes or apertures
used for this purpose are to be formed or placed as far below the surface
of the water as practicable: the area of these apertures is not to be less
than 13 superficial inches for every horse power employed, and where
practicable the apertures and conduit pipes leading thereto from the
propelling pumps should be so large that the velocity of the current of
water passing through them should be about 20 per cent. greater than the
speed of the vessel. With the before-mentioned conduit pipes and apertures
are combined centrifugal pumps, so as to cause a continuous stream of water
to be kept up and discharged against the water opposed to it at the stern of
the ship or vessel. It has before been proposed to propel, manoeuvre, and
steer vessels by forcing water, by means of centrifugal and other pumps,
through apertures, and in some cases through large apertures, but the modes
resorted to have failed to utilize efficiently the propelling power of the engines
employed. In propelling vessels, I prefer that the discharge of the impelling
stream of water should be at the stern acting against the dead water that
follows the ship, and that the inlet should be at the bows. In order to
manoeuvre and steer vessels (having other propelling machinery.) I prefer to
have on either side of the ship a discharge pipe from a centrifugal pump
worked either by an auxiliary or the main engines, with a simple arrangement
for reversing the action of these pipes, either to make them the inlet or outlet
pipes according to the direction in which it is desired to steer or manoeuvre
the ship. Drawing, Figure 2, shows a plan of a centrifugal pump with two
valves for reversing the action of the inlet and delivery pipes, but this may
also may be accomplished by many other simple mechanical contrivances.
Fourthly, in arming ships of war, what may be called telescopic martello
towers are used, which are constructed, by preference, of a cylindrical form and
of wrought-iron plates of sufficient thickness to be shot proof; these shot
proof cylinders should be from 6 feet to 9 feet diameter or more.
On the top
is placed a turntable, carrying an Armstrong or other powerful gun; this
turntable and gun are housed in, and suitably protected with angular shot
proof plates, an opening being left in the top to relieve the concussion of the
air, and to clear the smoke produced when firing the gun. The length of the
cylinder will depend on the depth of the ship; in a large vessel it may be
made to rise from 25 to 30 feet for action, but when not in close action, this
telescopic martello tower will be housed or lowered down, but so that the
gun thereon could still be worked clear of the bulwarks as a pivot gun. The
tower and gun will be raised up by hydraulic power or other mechanical con-
trivance worked by the auxiliary engine. By thus raising a gun to a great

page_text: height, a shot may be fired through the decks of an enemy's ship either into the
engines and boilers, or right through the bottom of the ship. By the use of
such towers, a ship with iron-protected sides would be at the mercy of one
having the advantage of a martello tower.
Fifthly, in order, when applying armour or thick plates to the sides of a
ship or vessel, to utilize the strength of the iron thus added and to give
strength to the ship, instead of the armour plates being fixed or hung to the
outer skin of the vessel, as heretofore practised, I use armour plates with
flanges formed or rolled at two opposite edges, leaving the two ends or other
opposite edges without flanges; these flanges, are put together and connected,
when bolts or rivets are used, in a similar manner to that in which the flanges
of cast-iron tank plates are connected, but I prefer to weld the flanges of the
plates when set up in position in a similar way to that in which large deck beams
are welded by means of a portable forge or furnace, and which is well under-
stood, so that when the flanges of the armour plates are welded, rivetted, or
bolted together, and are made fast to the ship or vessel, such armour flanged
plates will not only support themselves, but will give strength to the ship in
proportion to the substance of the plates, whilst the junctions of the armour
plates will be the strongest parts of the structure. I am aware that it has
before been proposed to employ plates turned up or flanged at all four edges,
so as to form trays in constructing ships or vessels; the peculiarity of my
using flanged plates consists in their having flanges at two opposite edges
only. This mode of applying armour plates to iron-built ships, or where the
outer skin is of sheet iron or sheet iron sheathed with wood, is also very
suitable for ordinary wood built ships of war, which may be covered external
of the planking with flanged armour plates put together, as above described,
with bolts or rivets, and such ships, in place of being weakened by the appli-
cation of armour plates, will be greatly strengthened, as the flanged armour
plaes when bolted together form girders to each side of the ship. It is not
essential, when using thick plates with flanges at two opposite edges, that they
should be used as casings for the ordinary skins of vessels, whether of wood or
metal, as such flanged plates, together with suitable framing, may be employed
in constructing ships and vessels so as to act conjointly as armour plating and
skin of a ship or vessel. The butt end of the plates (where there are no
flanges) I prefer to connect by means of a short iron plate crossing the joint,
and fitted tightly between the flanges of the plates so as to form a fish plate; it
is then to be screwed or rivetted firmly in its place, as shown in Drawing,
Figure 9. In putting the plates together, I prefer thai care should be taken
to so place them as to break joint with one another. In constructing ordinary

page_text: iron vessels with plates flanged on two opposite sides, I form the flanges
sufficiently deep to give such lateral strength and stiffness as enables the
number of ribs or frames to be greatly reduced, whereby the cost is dimi-
nised, and the weakening of the iron plates forming the sides of ordinary
iron ships by enormous numbers of rivet holes avoided. Where stringers are
required, a row of plates with still deeper flanges may be introduced, so as to
form the stringers, and the deck beams and decks may be very firmly secured
thereto. I form decks of vessels as well as of ships of war with the plates
flanged on the two sides; the flanges may be formed as deep and as thick
as required, so that when welded or bolted together, the flanges form the
deck beams of proper strength, and the plates form a continuous tic fore and
aft of the ship as well as transversely; upon this iron deck ordinary deck
planking may be laid. In ships of war these iron deck plates may be made
of sufficient thickness to be shot proof.
Lastly, in order to roll plates of iron or steel with suitable flanges or right-
angle bends along two opposite sides of each plate, 1 employ rolls of a suitable
form to produce a section somewhat resembling the letter W, shown in
Drawing, Figure 11, and when such section of iron or steel has been formed.
the plate is passed between flattening rolls to flatten the middle bend or curve,
and this flattening of the middle of the plate brings the edges or flanges up to
the required angle. By these means plates flanged on two sides may be made
with facility, either of moderate thickness or sufficiently thick to be suitable
for armour plates. Where hammered plates are required, I forge the same in
top and bottom tools. To prepare the angled edges in a similar form to that
produced by the rolls before the middle is flattened, the forged plate may
then have its middle flattened under the hammer, or be passed through the
flattening rolls to bring the two flanged edges up to the angle desired. It
will be seen that the thickness, depth, and angle of the flanged sides may be
varied at pleasure, by preparing the rolls of suitable form without departing
from the principle herein described. I would have it understood that I have
rolled small narrow clips of iron for railway chairs somewhat on this plan; !
do not claim, therefore, the principle of rolling or forging iron, as herein
described generally, but only so far as relates to the making of iron commonly
known as plates for forming thereon flanges on two sides.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure represents a transverse section of a ship plated with iron, having
flanges on two sides. These plates a, a, a, a, have T-iron b. b, b, b, rivetted
between the flanges for the convenience of securing them to the frames c, c, c, c,

page_text: of the ship without perforating the outer skin of the ship. These T-irons may
either stop short or pass through to the outside to facilitate caulking the seam.
The T-iron at the joints, as shewn, forms in the case of armour-plated ships, a
strong base or seat at the edges of the plates to resist the concussion of shot
at that part. c, c, c, c, the frames of the ship, constructed of plates flanged at
two edges. Frames or ribs constructed of this form are very strong, and give
facilities for securing the outer skin to one flange and the inside wood or iron
lining where used to the inner flange. d, d, represents the telescopic martelo
tower, with the turntable carrying a gun on the top, and covered with an
angular shot proof hood, which revolves with the table. The shot proof
cylinder forming the tower is raised by means of two hydraulic presses e, e, of
sufficient length of stroke to raise the tower to its required height. These
presses are placed inside the cylinder to protect them from shot. The water
is forced into these hydraulic presses through the pipes f, f, connected with
the water passages in the rams g. g. When the tower is sent up in going into
close action the stay chains h, h, are drawn tight, and a catch, pawl, or other
convenient means may be employed for fixing the tower in position, in addition
to its bearing on the hydraulic presses. By withdrawing the fixing catch
pawl and opening the escape cock of the hydraulic press, the water will escape,
and the tower will easily descend. There is a guide stay bar across the bottom
of the tower furnished with two bushes i, i, to act as steadying guides to the
press rams, which work through them. Strong rings or circular curves are
formed in the decks for the tower to work through, and to these guide friction
rollers J, J, are attached to facilitate the raising and lowering of the tower.
K represents a centrifugal pump, with pipes 1, 1, leading out through either
side of the ship, which pipes are made to act either as delivery or inlet pipes
by opening and closing the valves, shewn in Figure 2; accordingly as the
valves are worked, determining the discharge of water from one or other side
of the ship, so will the vessel be steered or manoeuvred.
Figure 3 represents an enlarged view of a telescopic martello tower, the
top of which is increased in diameter so as to allow more space for working
the gun. It will be obvious that the size of turntable and gun house at the
top of the tower may be of any required dimensions within reasonable
limits. The ammunition is to be sent up the centre of the tower, which will
be large enough for men, to pass up and down through.
Figure 2 is an enlarged view plan of a centrifugal pump for steering and
manoeuvring the ship. The pipes A, A, are, by the opening and closing of
the valves B. B, converted into either inlet or discharge pipes. These valves
are to be worked by the shafts C, C, and bevil wheels D, D, connected by

page_text: other bevel wheels E, E, to the vertical shaft F, which is carried up to a
convenient part of the vessel for being worked by the steersman; by this
arrangement, as one valve opens to the inlet of the pump the opposite, valve
closes, thus transferring the suction from one side to the other, and as these
same valves act upon the delivery openings of the pump the discharge is
simultaneously regulated. Many other simple mechanical arrangements may
be adopted for working and regulating the centrifugal pumps so as to pro-
duce the effect required.
Figure 4 is a transverse section on an enlarged scale of the armour
plates a, a, flanged on their edges, and bolted together. The T-iron b,
which is bolted between the joints of the plates, is rivetted to the frame C.
Figure 5. shews another mode of securing the armour plates a, a, to the
frames C without bolts passing through the armour plates. Two angle irons
are bolted to the flanges of the-plates, and then rivetted to the frames C.
Figure 6 shews a mode of applying armour plates to wood ships.
In this
case the flanges of the armour plates are made bevilled, in order the better
to resist the effect of shot. The plates are rivetted together with external
flanges, which greatly facilitates the application of armour plates to existing
wooden ships. When the armour plates are fixed in their position they form
a complete and deep iron. girder to each side of the ship, giving greatly
increased strength. The T-iron b. is let, into the wood planking, and bolted
on right through, the timbers. The leg of the T is rivetted between the
flanges of the planks.
Figure 7 shews an arrangement of the flanges of the armour plates a, a, by
which a wood fillet d is secured between the external flanges, in order to fix
an outside covering or planking of wood to the armour plates when required.
F, F, represent the vulcanized india-rubber packing or caulking in the seams
of the planking.
Figure 8 is another plan for securing an outer sheathing of wood to armour
plates without perforating the plate with holes. G is an eye bolt fitted on to
the ends of the bolts, which secure the flanges of the plates. The outer wood
planking is screwed up by means of the nuts on the eye bolts G.
Figure 9 shews the mode of securing the butt ends of the plates by means
of the fishing plate H, which fitted tightly between the flanges of the plates,
and then secured by bolts I, I, screwed into tapped holes in the inside of the
plate on each side of the vertical joint.
Figure 10 (plan) shews armour plates a, a, combined with wood backing D,
secured to an internal iron skin or ship formed of the plates, with double
flanges rivetted together, with the joints running vertically. The plates

page_text: forming this internal shell or iron ship may be advantageously placed
diagonally.
Figure 11 represents a view of part of a pair of rolls for forming the plates,
flanged on two edges. The rolls act upon the flanges A9 A, of the plate in the
position shewn, as when ordinary angle iron is being rolled. After the plate
leaves the rolls in the form shewn, or such modification thereof as may be
required for producing particular shapes or angles, the middle bend of the
plate B is passed between a pair of flattening rollers which flatten the body of
the plate, and at the same time bring the flanges up to the required position.
Plates may be made on this plan of various widths, from narrow (rough iron
to several feet wide.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Hinton Bovill, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
BATTYY
GEORGE HINTON BOVILL. (...)