IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LAUNCHING TORPEDOES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter Brotherhood, of No. 25, Ladbroke Gardens,
Notting Hill, in the County of Middlesex, for an Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LAUNCHING TORPEDOES."
PROVISIONAL, SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter Brotherhood at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st September 1880.
PETER BROTHERHOOD, of No. 25, Ladbroke Gardens, Nottinghill, in the County
of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LAUNCHING TORPEDOES."
My Invention has reference to improved apparatus for launching torpedoes,
more particularly those known as "fish torpedoes," and has mainly for its object,
firstly, to facilitate the placing of the torpedo on the launching apparatus, and,
secondly, to effect the rapid propulsion of the torpedo through the ship's port, and
simultaneously launching it, thus avoiding any exposure of the torpedo outside the
ship until the moment of launching.
For this purpose a carriage provided with a pivot near the porthole of the ship,
and carried on traversing wheels, has on its upper surface a slide, upon which is
again mounted a second slide or frame that carries the torpedo. The carriage
contains a reservoir for compressed air, and connected thero with through a suitable
reducing valve a telescopic "impulse tube," such as are at present used for launching
torpedoes. The piston rod of this is connected to the slide upon the carriage, which
has saddle pieces embracing the upper planed surfaces of the carriage, and also has
lugs embracing rods at the sides of the carriage, which rods have buffer springs at
their front ends to receive the shock of the slide when propelled forward by the
impulse tube. The frame carrying the torpedo is guided upon the lower slide by
means of saddle pieces embracing the upper surfaces thereof, and it is supported
on such surfaces by means of rollers, the effect of this arrangement being that
when the underslide has been propelled rapidly forward by the impulse tube so as
to project with the greater part of its length through the porthole; and is then

page_text: brought to a sudden stop by the buffers, the upper slide or frame with the torpedo,
by reason of the momentum imparted thereto, slides rapidly forward upon the
under slide, and thus effects the launching of the torpedo into the water.
In mounting the torpedo upon the apparatus the tail end is placed in a cage on
the frame, and is carried at its middle by lugs projecting from its side, which fit
into recesses upon the frame, where they are held by suitable retaining catches,
these catches being released by stops on the underslide when the upper slide and
torpedo are projected forward, as above described. When in the backward position
the upper sliding frame is retained by a bolt or catch at the rear end, which is
withdrawn at the same time that the air pressure is admitted to the impulse tube
from the reservoir.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Peter Brotherhood in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th
March 1881.
PETER BROTHERHOOD, of No. 25, Ladbroke Gardens, Notting Hill, in the County
of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LAUNCHING TORPEDOES."
My Invention has reference to improved apparatus for launching torpedoes,
more particularly those known as "fish torpedoes," and has mainly for its object,
firstly, to facilitate the placing of the torpedo on the launching apparatus, and,
secondly, to effect the rapid propulsion of the torpedo through the ship's port and
simultaneously launching it, thus avoiding any exposure of the torpedo outside the
ship until the moment of launching.
For this purpose a carriage provided with a pivot near the port hole of the ship,
and carried on traversing wheels, has on its upper surface a slide, upon which is
again mounted a second slide or frame that carries the torpedo, The carriage
contains a reservoir for compressed air, and connected therewith through a suitable
reducing valve a telescopic "impulse tube," such as are at present used for launching
torpedoes. The piston rod of this is connected to the slide upon the carriage,
which has saddle pieces embracing the upper planed surfaces of the carriage, and
also has lugs embracing rods at the sides of the carriago, which rods have buffer
springs at their front ends to receive the shock of the slide when propelled forward
by the impulse tube. The frame carrying the torpedo is guided upon the lower
slide by means of saddle pieces embracing the upper surfaces thereof, and it is
supported on such surfaces by means of rollers, the effect of this arrangement being
that when the under slide has been propelled rapidly forward by the impulse tube
so as to project with the greater part of its length through the port hole, and is
then brought to a sudden stop by the buffers, the upper slide or frame with the
torpedo, by reason of the momentum imparted thereto, slides rapidly forward upon
the under slide, and thus effects the launching of the torpedo into the water.
In mounting the torpedo upon the apparatus the tail end is placed in a cage on
the frame, and is carried at its middle by lugs projecting from its side, which fit
into recesses upon the frame, where they are beld by suitable retaining catches,
these catches being released by stops on the under slide when the upper slide and
torpedo are projected forward, as above described. When in the backward position
the upper sliding frame is retained by a bolt or catch at the rear end, which is
withdrawn at the same time that the air pressure is admitted to the impulse tube
from the reservoir.

page_text: piston, the rod of which is attached at d to the lower sliding frame E. This
sliding frame is fitted with dovetail guides e on the upper face of the carriage B,
and it has two cars e¹, el, embracing side rods e², e³, which have at their front ends
helical buffer springs e³, e³. On the upper face of the lower sliding frame E is
fitted with guides the upper sliding frame F, having antifriction rollers ff. The
torpedo has near the middle of its length a wing a projecting outwards at each
side, and resting on a dange f¹ projecting inwardly from the frame F, in which
position each wing is held by a catch that is pressed upwards by a spring f³,
and has a tail ƒ, by which it is released, as will hereafter be explained. At the
end of the upper slide F, which terminates in a cage enclosing the end of the
torpedo, there is a hook a¹, which is engaged by a spring bolt g fitted to slide in a
bracket projecting upwards from the end of the carriage B. This spring bolt is
connected by a lever g¹ and rod g³ to the handle g³ of a three-way cock G, which
communicates by pipes with the receivers C, the cylinder D, and a discharge. The
connection of the rod g to the handle g³ is formed by a pin working in a slotted
hole, so that it is only during the last part of the downstroke of the handle that
the spring bolt gis raised. The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-The
torpedo A being placed so that its wings a rest on the flanges of the upper-sliding
frame F, and that the end hook a¹ is engaged by the bolt g, the lower frame or
-carriage-B-is-trained-so-as-to-direct-the-torpedo in the required line of flight. When
it is to be launched the handle is pushed down, moving the cock G so as to
admit compressed air from the receivers C to the cylinder D, and as the-handle-
completes its downstroke it withdraws the bolt g from engagement with the hook a².
The pressure acting on the piston in D moves it rapidly forwards, propelling the
lower sliding frame E, the upper sliding frame F, and the torpedo A. When the
lower sliding frame E strikes the buffer springs e³, which arrest its forward
movement, the upper frame F and the torpedo A are carried onward by their
momentum, and as the frame F approaches stops c, e, at the end of the frame E,
the tails f' of the catches fare pushed upwards by meeting tappets e; the wings a
of the torpedo being thus released by withdrawal of the catches f2, the torpedo, in:
virtue of its momentum, continues its flight.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, I claim,-
The use for launching torpedoes of apparatus consisting of a carriage mounted
so that it can be trained for direction, and provided with an air cylinder and
receivers for compressed air, a lower sliding frame acted on by the piston of the air
cylinder, and carrying an upper sliding frame, on which the torpedo rests by wings
held by spring catches, the torpedo and sliding frames being retained by a catch at
the end of the latter, which is released by the movement that admits the compressed
air to act in the cylinder, substantially as herein described with reference to the 4
accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Peter Brotherhood, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.