APPARATUS FOR DISCHARGING PROJECTILES FROM VESSELS OR FORTS BELOW THE WATER LINE
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Watkins, of Millwall, Poplar, Engineer, for
the Invention of "APPARATUS FOR DISCHARGING PROJECTILES FROM VESSELS
OR FORTS BELOW THE WATER LINE."-A communication from abroad by
George Ingle, of Civita Vecchia, in the Roman States.
Sealed the 17th April 1868, and dated the 19th October 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Watkins at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
19th October 1867.
I, RICHARD WATKINS, of Millwall, Poplar, Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "APPARATUS FOR DISCHARGING PROJECTILES
FROM VESSELS OR FORTS BELOW THE WATER LINE," a communication to me from
abroad by George Ingle, of Civita Vecchia, in the Roman States, to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to certain modes or methods of enabling shot or
projectiles to be discharged or projected through the side of a ship or other
vessel, or a fort or battery, at some point below the exterior water level, and
to the machinery, apparatus, or appliances to be employed for such purpose.
Such machinery, apparatus, or mechanical contrivances may be applied to
existing kinds or descriptions of guns, and also to existing forms and con-
structions of ships or forts and batteries to which the present Invention may
be readily adapted for the purpose of enabling ordnance to be discharged, and
Price 8d.1

page_text: shot, bolts, or shells to be projected from them into and through the water
horizontally and augularly at any convenient depth beneath the surface of the
water.
In applying this Invention to the ordinary form of muzzle or breech-loading
guns at present in use (as, for instance, in the British Navy,) on board
ships of war I proceed as follows:-I employ a tube of bronze or any other
suitable material of a suitable length, internal bore, and thickness; this I
mount in two or more bearings to permit of its being slid or moved longi-
tudinally therein by means of a rack and pinion, or mechanical equivalents
therefor. One end of this tube or "conductor" is fitted to the muzzle of the
gun, to which it may be securely fixed; the bore of the tube and that of the
gun may be of the same diameter, and coincident. The other end of the tube
or "conductor" is fitted with a plug or cap piece. Thus the tube or
"conductor" when attached to the muzzle of the gun will form a con-
tinuation or elongation of the gun itself. Near to the gun end of the tube or
"conductor" I prefer to employ or fit a sliding or other convenient form of shut
off valve for the purpose of preventing water entering the muzzle of the gun
after each discharge, and the valve may either be closed by hand or by the
recoil of the gun.
A cock or union and valve may be fitted to the lower side
of the tube for the purpose of drawing off any water that may be therein, also
for the purpose of effecting a connexion with an air pump or other exhausting
apparatus. The bearings in which the tube slides are by preference cast
together upon and form a part of the foundation or sole plate, which may be
bolted or screwed to the deck of the ship or floating battery, or upon the floor
of a fort.
The interior of the vessel or fort may be fitted in the following manner :-
I either apply a water-tight iron case or box of sufficient strength to resist the
maximum pressure of the water on the outside of such a vessel or fort, or I
einploy a short tube having a single or double stuffing box and a shut-off
valve or valves for preventing the ingress of the water. In some cases I
prefer to use a strong water-tight boxing or case of iron securely attached to
the inner skin or side of the ship, such boxing or case having an opening
through it at a right angle to the exterior, or in the line of fire or discharge.
Between the interior surfaces of the boxing I prefer to fit two shut-off valves,
one to each inner side thereof, and between these valve to fit a short tube
having a gland or glands, and forming a single or double stuffing box.
Through this apparatus the outer end of the long brouze tube or "conductor"
is caused to pass to or through the side of the ship (or fort) before the dis-
charge of a projectile. A cock or union connexion should be fitted to the

page_text: bottom of the boxing (where a boxing is employed), or to the long double-
valved stuffing box, for the purpose of drawing off any water contained
therein. When the discharge is about to take place both valves are closed
until the end of the tube or "conductor" has been capped and is moved
forward so as to enter the stuffing box, when the inner valve is opened for the
purpose of admitting it, and after the capped end of the tube or "conductor"
has been passed into the stuffing box sufficiently far the second or outer valve
is raised or opened, so as to allow of the capped end of the tube passing to or
beyond the side of the ship or fort. The gun after being loaded is then
brought into line with the bronze tube or "conductor," and is moved forward
so that its muzzle may enter into the socket end of the tube or "conductor,"
aud also be secured thereto. Upon the discharge of the projectile taking
place the cap on the outer end of the tube or "conductor" is driven off by
the motion of the projectile in its passage from the gun. The bed plate or
carriage, in the bearings of which the tube or "conductor "is made to travel
longitudinally,is placed between the inside of the ship or fort and the gun or
other source of projectile power. Instead of employing a tube or "con-
ductor," as before described, for effecting the necessary connexion between the
muzzle of an ordinary description or form of gun and the external face of the
ship or fort, I may by constructing the guns in a suitable manner with a
sufficiently long projecting parallel muzzle effect the same object by means of
the strong water-tight boxing or case with double shut-off valves, or by means
of the long tubular stuffing box fitted to the interior or inner side of the ship
or fort. When the gun has been discharged and the shut-off valve near the
muzzle of the gun has been closed the gun may be withdrawn, and the tube
or conductor be drawn back, or be withdrawn from the stuffing box, the outer.
valve thereof being first closed and then the inner one. The water may be
withdrawn from the stuffing box or from the casing after the outer shut-off
valve is closed,and when the tube or "conductor "is withdrawn therefrom it
may be again capped, and is then ready for use when the tube has been moved
forward and the loaded gun has been moved into position.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Watkins in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th April 1868.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Richard Watkins, Herspecial licence that I, the said Richard Watkins,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,the said Richard
Watkins, 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 "APPARATUS FOR DIS-
CHARGING PROJECTILES FROM VESSELS OR FORTS BELOW THE WATER LINE," a com-
munication to me from abroad by George Ingle, of Civita Vecchia, in the
Roman States, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Richard
Watkins, 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 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 Richard Watkins, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the saine is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
in writing, and on reference to the accompanying Sheets of Drawings, that is
to say:-
This Invention relates to certain modes or methods of enabling shot or
projectiles to be discharged or projected through the side of a ship or other
vessel, or from a fort or battery,at some point below the exterior water level,
and also to the machinery, apparatus, or appliances to be employed for such
purpose.
Such machinery, apparatus, or mechanical contrivances may be applied to
existing kinds or descriptions of guns and also to existing forms and con-
structions of ships or forts and batteries to which the present Invention may
be readily adapted for the purpose of enabling ordnance to be discharged, and
shot, bolts, or shells, to be projected from them into and through the water
horizontally and angularly at any convenient depth beneath the surface of the
water.
In applying this Invention to the ordinary form of muzzle or breech-loading
guns at present in use (as, for instance, in the British navy) on board ships of

page_text: "
war, I proceed as follows:- I employ a tube of bronze or any other suitable
material of a suitable length, internal bore, and thickness; this I mount
in two or more bearings to permit of its being slid or moved longi-
tudinally therein by means of a rack and pinion, or mechanical equivalents
therefor. One end of this tube or conductor is fitted to the muzzle of the gun
to which it may be securely fixed. The bore of the tube and that of the gun
may be of the same diameter and coincident. The other end of the tube or
conductor is fitted with a plug or cap piece. Thus the tube or "conductor
when attached to the muzzle of the gun will form a continuation or elongation
of the gun itself. Near to the gun end of the tube or "conductor " I prefer
to employ or fit a sliding or other convenient form of shut-off valve for the
purpose of preventing water entering the muzzle of the gun after each
discharge, and the valve may either be closed by hand, or by means of the
recoil of the gun or by a spring or weighted lever. A cock or union and valve
may be fitted to the lower side of the tube for the purpose of drawing off any
water that may be therein, also for the purpose of effecting a connexion with
an air pump or other exhausting apparatus. The bearings in which the tube
slides are by preference cast together upon and form a part of the foundation
or sole plate, which may be bolted or screwed to the deck of the ship or
floating battery, or upon the floor of a fort.
The interior of the vessel or fort may be fitted in the following manner:-I
either apply a water-tight iron case or box of sufficient strength to resist the
maximum pressure of the water on the outside of such a vessel or fort, or I
employ a short tube having a single or double stuffing box, and a shut-off
valve or valves for preventing the ingress of the water. In some cases I
prefer to use a strong water-tight boxing or case of iron securely attached to
the inner skin or side of the ship, such boxing or case having an opening
through it at a right angle to the exterior, or in the line of fire or discharge.
Between the interior surfaces of the boxing I prefer to fit two shut-off valves,
one to each inuer side thereof, and between these valves to fit a short tube
having a gland or glands, and forming a single or double stuffing box.
Through this apparatus the outer end of the long bronze tube or "conductor "
is caused to pass to or through the side of the ship (or fort) before the discharge
of a projectile. A cock or union connection should be fitted to the bottom of
the boxing (where a boxing is employed) or to the long double-valved stuffing
box for the purpose of drawing-off any water contained therein. When the
discharge is about to take place both valves are closed until the end of the
tube or conductor has been capped, and is moved forward so as to enter the
stuffing box when the inner valve is opened for the purpose of admitting it,

page_text: and after the capped end of the tube or conductor has been passed into the
stuffing box sufficiently far the second or outer valve is raised or opened so as
to allow of the capped end of the tube passing to or beyond the side of the
ship or fort. The gun after being loaded is then brought into line with the
bronze tube or "conductor," and is moved forward so that its muzzle may
enter into the socket end of the tube or "conductor," and also be secured
thereto. Upon the discharge of the projectile taking place the cap on the
outer end of the tube or conductor is driven off by the motion of the projectile
in its passage from the gun. The bed plate or carriage, in the bearings of
which the tube or "conductor" is made to travel longitudinally, is placed
between the inside of the ship or fort and the gun or other source of projectile
power. Instead of employing a tube or "conductor" as before described for
effecting the necessary connexion between the muzzle of an ordinary
description or form of gun and the external face of the ship or fort I may by
constructing the guns in a suitable manner with a sufficiently long projecting
parallel muzzle effect the same object by means of the strong water-tight
boxing or case with double shut-off valves, or by means of the long tubular
stuffing box fitted to the interior or inner side of the ship or fort. When the
gun has been discharged and the shut-off valve near the muzzle of the gun has
been closed, the gun may be withdrawn, and the tube or conductor be drawn
back, or be withdrawn from the stuffing box, the outer valve thereof being
first closed and then the inner one. The water may be withdrawn from the
stuffing box or from the casing after the outer shut-off valve is closed, and
when the tube or "conductor" is withdrawn therefrom it may be again capped
and is then ready for use when the tube has been moved forward and the
loaded gun has been moved into position.
Instead of the boxing or water-tight case interposed between the muzzle of
the gun or the end of the conductor tube and the ship's side, as herein-before
described, a short tubular connection having a shut-off valve on the inner
end thereof may be inserted through the side of the ship, so that when
the valve is open the outer end of the sliding conducting tube may be
inserted and projected sufficiently far into or through the ship's side for the
purpose of delivering or discharging the projectile, and the working or
manoeuvring the gun will then be effected in manner herein-after described or
setforth.
For the purpose of better illustrating my present Invention I have shewn
in the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings its application to a submerged
broadside battery, and also to bow guns for firing "end on " at close range
suited for a ram and such like description of vessel.

page_text: I have shewn in Sheet 1, Figure 1, a plan view and in Figure 2 a
sectional elevation of a mode or method in which I prefer to put my Invention
into practice, and which is shown as being applied to the side of an ironclad
man-of-war.
A is the guide tube through the ship's side fitted with a stuffing box a
and a sluice valve 6 at the inner end of the guide tube. In some cases a
second sluice valve may be placed at the outer end of the same, a cock being
placed between the two valves so as to empty the guide tube of water, and
form, as it were, a double safeguard against the ingress of water. As this
arrangement, however, is not essential only one is shown in the Drawing.
B is the sliding tube or "conductor" in the position it would assume when
prepared for action, the cap c which is fitted to the end of the conductor
preventing water from entering. A second sluice valve 61 is also fitted to the
inner end of the conductor in a somewhat similar manner to that fitted to
the guide tube A. C is the gun, the muzzle of which enters into the socket at
the end of the conductor tube B when the valve has been opened to receive it.
A brauch pipe d from the conductor B leads by means of a flexible pipe d¹
or other suitable means to an air pump D. When the cap c is fitted on one
end of the conductor, and the muzzle of the gun C is in the other end, or
when the valve b¹ is shut down, the conductor B may be exhausted of water
and air. In order to replace the cap c when necessary, as, for instance, after
firing the gun, the gun is run back to the position shown in Figure 1, or in
the dotted lines Figure 2, and then the conductor may be moved back by
means of the pinion E working in a rack cast or fitted on the conductor,
bearings e and e¹ being provided for this purpose. The bearing is slotted
through the top so as to allow the rack to pass and the pinion to work
therein, and both bearings are carried by strong cast iron or metal brackets
firmly fixed to the deck of the vessel. Instead of the guide tube A passing
through the side of a ship, as shewn in the Drawing, it may in a corre-
sponding manner be made to pass through the wall of a fort.
In Sheet 2, Figure 3 is a plan, Figure 4 a front elevation, and Figure 5,
a side elevation of an arrangement for applying this Invention to the bow of
a ship so as to obtain an "end-on "fire. In this Sheet similar letters apply
generally to corresponding parts used in the description of Sheet 1. In the
starboard bow apparatus in Figure 3 the gun is not shown, and the con-
ductor B is shewn as being withdrawn from the guide tube A, and in a
position suitable for fitting on the cap c.
In Sheet 1 the valves b, b', are shewn with weights f, f, connected to their
spindles, so that they may be self-acting. Thus when the conductor B is

page_text: withdrawn from the guide tube A the valve 6 is immediately caused to shut
by means of the weight f. In like manner when the muzzle of the gun C is
withdrawn from the conductor B, or when the recoil of the gun causes it to
run back, the valve 6' is instantly closed, being forced down by the weight f¹.
A spring may be employed instead of a weighted lever. I have not thought
it necessary to show either such a spring or connecting bars or levers between
the gun carriage and the valves by which the movement forward of the gun
or its recoil after firing may be caused to operate the valves for the purpose
of closing and opening them, as such connections may be effected in various
ways.
At Figure 6 in Sheet 1 I have shewn in side elevation a modification of
such portion of the apparatus as is fitted or applied to the side of the ship or
fort, being somewhat similar to the corresponding portion of Figure 2, but
with the addition of another stuffing box, the two stuffing boxes being one at
each end of a water-tight box G, having a cock g to draw off the water when
the conductor B is passed through both the stuffing boxes.
I have shewn in the accompanying Drawing an arrangement of air pump
to be employed for the purpose of pumping out the water and air which may
be contained within the conducting tube, or the tube inserted in the side of
the ship or fort, or from the boxing or casing applied or fitted to the inner
side of the ship or fort so that they may be exhausted, or a vacuum may be
produced within them previous to firing the gun. The cap or cover piece
may be of thin metal, and of any suitable external shape or form, and fitted
only sufficiently to insure its remaining in its place whilst the gun and
conductor tube are run out, and this may be aided by the use of the
exhausting pump.
In the accompanying Drawings I have not considered it necessary to
illustrate the modification, herein-before described, wherein the muzzle of the
gun is constructed of a sufficient length, and so formed and fitted as to
render unnecessary the use of an independent or intermediate conductor tube,
as such an arrangement and disposition of parts will be readily understood,
having reference to the description of the apparatus as herein-before given,
and, moreover, such an arrangement would be better suited or adapted to
breech-loading guns; and I have in the accompanying Sheets of Drawings
confined the illustrations of my Invention to its adaptation to muzzle-loading
guns only.
In like manner although I have not illustrated the application of my said
Invention to forts, the mode or method of adapting the same thereto will be
readily understood.

page_text: For the purpose of enabling the gun to be discharged at any convenient
horizontal angle, instead of only at right angles with the external line of the
hull, as herein-before described and as illustrated in the plan of the broadside
battery, and for the purpose of enabling the position of the gun to be changed
from time to time as may be found necessary or useful, I prefer to fit the
discharge tube B and its guide tube A (as shewn at Figures 1 and 2
Sheet 1) within a spherical carriage, and form a spherical recess or chamber
in the side of the ship, so that a ball-and-socket joint movement can thereby
be effected; or instead of the ball and socket a segmental carriage having the
discharge tube and valve fitted the reinto may be substituted, and be so fitted
as to work in a curved water-tight recess, thus admitting of the horizontal
angle of fire or discharge being changed.
Having now described the said Invention of "Apparatus for Discharging
Projectiles from Vessels or Forts below the Water Line, and illustrated some
of the modes or methods in which I prefer to put my Invention into practice,
what I claim is,-
First. The apparatus for discharging projectiles from vessels or forts below
the water line, as herein described and as illustrated in the several Figures
in the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings.
Second. The modes or methods herein described of fitting ships or other
vessels and forts or batteries for the purpose of enabling ordnance to be
discharged, and shot, bolts, or shells to be projected from them into and
through the water horizontally and angularly beneath its surface.
Third. The modes or methods herein described of constructing and fitting
guns for the purpose
of enabling them to discharge shot, bolts, or shells in the
manner and for the purposes herein-before set forth.
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Seven-
teenth day of April, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness,
G. HIERON,
Clerk to William Smith, C.E.
RICHARD WATKINS. (L.S.)