IMPROVEMENTS IN CRADLES FOR HEAVING UP SHIPS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Turnbull, of Harwich, in the County of
Essex, Foreman Shipwright, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CRADLES FOR HEAVING UP SHIPS."
Sealed the 10th March 1857, and dated the 8th January 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Turnbull at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th January 1857.
I, ROBERT TURNBULL, of Harwich, in the County of Essex, Foreman Ship-
wright, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN CRADLES FOR HEAVING UP SHIPS," to be as follows:-
My Invention of improvements in ships' cradles refers to cradles placed
on inclined ways or rails for heaving or drawing up ships out of the water,
and has for its object to enable the heaving up of a ship drawing more water
than can be effected by the ordinary cradle on the same ways. I construct a
cradle for this purpose in parts, so that the one part may separate a certain
distance from the other, while at the same time the parts of the cradle are
suitably tied and held together to limit the separation and to keep them in
their proper relative position, while either elongated or contracted, when con-
tracted the cradle is considerably less in length than the ship which may be
lifted on it.
In placing a ship on the cradle, the parts of the cradle are brought close
together and lowered down the ways, and the ship brought over it so as to

page_text: ground or take the front part of the cradle with her fore foot a little in front
of the fore part of the cradle, her stern at the time projecting a considerable
distance beyond the after end of the cradle. The cradle being now hove on the
fore part, advances up the ways and lifts the fore part of the ship, the after part
at the time being afloat and not on the after part of the cradle. During this
time the other parts of the cradle remain stationary, and until the fore part has
advanced, say, about fifteen or sixteen feet (the limit of its sliding connecting
bars). Having arrived at this limit, the second part of the cradle follows the
first up the ways and separates from the after part until it has moved the
distance of, say, ten or twelve feet, as limited by the connecting bars; the whole
cradle now (if in three parts) moves bodily together. By this time the stern of
the ship will be brought immediately over the after part of the cradle on which
she settles or grounds, and is supported as in ordinary.
By forming the cradle in three or more principal parts, support is given to
the vessel at suitable points and without much intermediate space between the
parts when separated, while at the same time affording considerable extent of
elongation. If the cradle is divided in two parts it will in some respects
answer the purpose, but I think with less advantage than if further subdivided.
If there is plenty of water for the ship to come over the cradle, it may be
adjusted and fixed at once to the length of vessel to be raised. The parts of
the cradle should be adjusted, so that the extent of their separation should be
suited to the length of the vessel to be hove up.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Turnbull in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th July 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, J, ROBERT
TURNBULL, of Harwich, in the County of Essex, Foreman Shipwright, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself. Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Robert Turnbull, Her especial license that I, the said Robert Turnbull, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert
Turnbull, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during

page_text: 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN CRADLES
FOR HEAVING UP SHIPS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Robert Turnbull, 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 after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Turnbull, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My Invention of improvements in ships' cradles refers to cradles placed
on inclined ways or rails for heaving or drawing up ships out of the water,
and has for its object to enable the heaving up of a ship drawing more water
than can be effected by the ordinary cradle on the same ways. I construct a
cradle for this purpose in parts, so that the one part may separate a certain
distance from the other, while at the same time the parts of the cradle are
suitably tied and held together to limit the separation and to keep them in
their proper relative position while either elongated or contracted; when
contracted, the cradle is considerably less in length than the ship which may
be lifted on it.
In placing a ship on the cradle, the parts of the cradle are brought close
together and lowered down the ways, and the ship brought over it, so as to
ground or take the front part of the cradle with her fore foot a little in front
of the fore part of the cradle, her stern at the time projecting a considerable
distance beyond the after end of the cradle. The cradle being now hove up on
the fore part advances up the ways, and lifts the fore part of the ship, the after
During
part at the time being afloat and not on the after part of the cradle.
this time the other parts of the cradle remain stationary, and until the fore
part has advanced, say, about fifteen or sixteen feet (the limit of its sliding
connecting bars). Having arrived at this limit, the second part of the cradle
follows the first up the ways and separates from the after part until it has
moved the distance of, say, ten or twelve feet, as limited by the connecting
bars; the whole cradle now (if in three parts) moves together.
By this time

page_text: fixture with the side pieces a', b', c', which keeps the whole of the longitudinal
parts together when traversing the cradle from under ship.
The parts A, B, C, D, and E, are connected together by longitudinal tie
rods k, k, k, of iron, one of which is represented on an enlarged scale at.
Figure 6, as connected with parts of the middle longitudinal timbers b, b;
these rods are fitted with iron socket pieces 7 and 1', the one end being fixed
by cotters n, n, in l, while the other end is free to slide in 1', but is furnished
with a head m, by which it is prevented being drawn out or beyond the posi-
tion shewn in Figure 6; the socket picces, which are fitted to the middle
timber b, are recessed into that timber, so that the rod k is entirely below the
blocks p, p, on which the keel of the ship rests; the sockets being so recessed
into the timbers are secured by through bolts q passing through the feather
or thin part of the socket. The timber is so recessed throughout its length,
so that the rod k may be slid its whole length therein. The socket pieces 1, 1',
and rods k, k, of the side timbers a, c, are similarly fitted and fixed, but so that
the rods project from the sides; the rods & so fitted permit the parts of the
cradle A, B, C, D, and E, to approach close to each other, as at Figure 1, or to
separate to a distance from each other, as at Figure 3. is a chain attached
to the after part E, and carried underneath the parts B, C, D, and connected
with a short picce s, and secured and held thereto by a stopper to retain the
whole of the parts close together; t, t, are the palls as used in ordinary cradles,
which take into racks on the ways to hold the cradle after partially or entirely
heaving the ship up. The several palls of each part are connected with a
rope or cord carried up to high-water mark. When the cradle is lowered
down, these palls are secured in a raised position, and so held by the cords,
and are let go in succession as the several pieces A, B, C, D, and E, ascend
the ways, and as it may be desired to hold the ship when fleeting the beaving
purchase. When the cradle is let down the ways for the purpose of heaving up
a ship, the several parts A, B, C, D, and E, are brought close together, as at
Figure 1, and secured by the chain r, s, & then lowered; the ship is then floated
over it, and her fore foot entered between the guide pieces u, u, and grounded
on the fore part A with the water line, as shewn at 1,-1; the chain v is then
hove upon, previously to heaving upon the chain v; the chain r, s, which holds
the parts of cradle together is now let go by the stopper before mentioned, a
rope being carried up to high-water mark for that purpose. By heaving on
the chain v, or other purchase by which the ship is hove up, the fore-part A
will pass up the ways with the fore-part of the ship grounded upon it, leaving
the remaining parts B, C, D, and E, as at first lowered; this proceeds until the
parts A and B separate to the extent limited by the sliding bars & between

page_text: those parts; the further heaving up now separates the parts B and C, the part
B proceeding up the ways, leaving the remaining parts C, D, and E, behind
until the full extent of separation limited by the sliding bars between the
parts B and C, and as represented in Figure 2, in which it will be seen that
the ship is partially raised, and drawing less water forward than aft, as marked
by the water line 1, 2. In this manner the heaving up is conducted until the
several parts of the cradle are entirely separated from each other, and it is
extended to its full length, and to the length of the ship, as seen in Figure 3,
in which position the vessel is about to ground on the full length of the
cradle; w is a guide for setting her fair on the blocks at the after end. The
water line 1, 3, shows the level and probable depth of her immersion at this
time. After the separation of the several parts A, B, C, D, and E, and after
the ship takes the blocks aft, I bring forward the sliding chocks f. f, by the
cbains attached thereto, as well understood in lifting ships with ordinary cradles.
After the ship fairly settles on the cradle, she is hove out of water on the
eradle as so extended. When raised to the point required, I now shore her
up at the several points between the parts A, B, C, D, and E, of the cradle, and
when so properly shored and lifted from the cradle, I remove all the cross
timbers of that structure, except the after piece i; I also remove the cross
stays g, g, when the longitudinal timbers still connected by the sliding rods
k, k, may be traversed down the ways from under the ship, and may be again
put together to heave another ship up on the same ways if the first is carried
sufficiently high above high-water mark, or the first ship may be hove in a
direction transverse to the inclined ways on "hollows and rounds," or on
other suitable parts whereby she may be so moved out of the way of the
succeeding operation.
In cases where the incline of the ways is not very steep, or from other
causes, the weight of the parts of the cradle is insufficient to carry it down,
I place an iron sheave or pulley at the lower end of the ways and pass a chain
over it, the one end of which I attach to the lower end of the cradle, and
carry the other end up above high-water mark, whereby the cradle may be
.assisted in the descent. Before lowering the cradle, the several parts
A, B, C, D, and E, are placed close together and secured by the chain r, s, and
chain stopper, as before explained. Thus it will be seen, that supposing the
limit of the ways to be at X, say at low-water mark, the fore-part of the
cradle will be much nearer that point by reason of the contraction of the
cradle than if it were of the full length of the ship to be lifted, and that
therefore a ship may be lifted by this means, which by reason of her draught
of water, her stern of necessity projects beyond the lower end of the ways

page_text: a considerable distance, as seen in the Drawing, Figure 1, and whereby
I am enabled to lift a ship, which otherwise would not be within the limits
of the ways and cradle. In addition to this advantage with cradles,
according to my Invention, I am enabled to shore up a ship more readily
and more easily to remove the cradle from under her after she is hove up,
than is the case with ordinary cradles. The launching of ships on my
improved cradle is conducted in a manner inversely to that described with
reference to that of heaving up, & will not require any further description.
I would remark that, although I have represented the cradle in the
Drawing as divided into five parts, it may be otherwise divided, that is to say,
separated into two, three, or more parts for the purposes described; and also
that the length of the cradle may be varied by adding to or removing one or
more of the separated parts, and also that the length of the cradle when
extended may be limited by varying the length of the sliding bars or the extent
of their sliding movement.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I would have it understood that what I claim as my
Invention, to be protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent,
is the construction of cradles for heaving up ships in parts whereby they may
be extended or contracted, for the purposes and as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, Robert Turnbull, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Seventh day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
W. CLARK, Patent Agent,
53, Chancery Lane, London.
ROBERT TURNBULL. (L.s.)