IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING VESSELS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Stopporton, of the Isle of Man, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING VESSELS."
Sealed the 1st November 1856, and dated the 18th August 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Stopporton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th August 1856.
I, JOHN STOPPORTON, of the Isle of Man, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING VESSELS," to be as
follows:
My improvements in propelling relate to the application of reciprocating
submerged propellers to the propulsion of ships or vessels, which consist in the
use of surfaces which in one direction of their motion present a surface to act
directly on the water, & thereby to propel the vessel onwards; but during the
opposite direction of motion these surfaces (being hinged or jointed) open &
permit the free passage of the water, & therefore do not retard the onward
progress of the vessel. I employ two or more such surfaces, in order that
one may be in the act of propulsion while the other is performing the retro-
grade movement. If a greater number than two are used, I prefer that they
follow each other in regular succession. I make these surfaces of a number
of plates or pieces, each constituting a flap, separately hinged to the open

page_text: framework of the propeller, in order that the surface may close & open
quickly at the alternations of motion, and render as little of the stroke
inoperative as possible. I either employ these propellers in direct communi-
cation with the pistons of the engines, and project them at the stern of the
vessel, or they may be actuated by connecting rods in communication with
cranks whose shaft or shafts are projected through the sides or other con-
venient part of the ship. In order to back or go astern, the propeller frames
may be fitted with a double set of flaps, one set of which are constantly held
up, so as to present the edge only in its passage through the water, except
when propelling. The one set or the other are thrown out of action by
suitable gear, according as the vessel may be required to go ahead or astern.
The backing may be effected by an auxiliary propeller of the same or any
other kind, which may be raised out of the water when its action is not
_necessary, or thrown out of gear, so that it does not present an obstruction to
the vessel's motion ahead.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Stopporton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
17th February 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
STOPPORTON, of the Isle of Man, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Stopporton, Her special licence that I, the said John Stopporton, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Stopporton, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN PROPELLING
VESSELS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Stopporton,
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 cease the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office

page_text: within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Stopporton, do hereby declaro
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):—
My improvements in propelling relate to the application of reciprocating
submerged propellers to the propulsion of ships or vessels, and consist in the
use of surfaces which in one direction of their motion present a surface to act
directly on the water, and thereby to propel the vessel onwards; but during
the opposite direction of motion, these surfaces being hinged and jointed, open
and permit the free passage of the water, and therefore do not retard the
onward progress of the vessel. I employ two or more such surfaces, in order
that one may be in the act of propulsion while the other is performing the
retrograde movement. If a greater number than two are used, I prefer that
they follow each other in regular succession. I make these surfaces of a
number of plates
or pieces, each constituting a flap, separately hinged to the
open framework of the propeller, in order that the surface may close and
open quickly at the alternations of motion, and to render as little of the
stroke inoperative as possible. I either apply these propellers in direct com-
miunication with the pistons of the engines, and project them at the stern of the
vessel, or they may be actuated by connecting rods in connection with cranks
whose shaft or shafts may be projected through the sides, or may be in other
convenient part of the ship. In order to back or go astern, the propeller
frames may be fitted with a double set of flaps, one set of which are con-
stantly held up, so as to present the edge only in its passage through the
water, except when propelling. The one set or the other are thrown out of
action by suitable gear, according as the vessel may be required to go ahead
or astern. The backing may be effected by an auxiliary propeller of the
same or any other kind, which may be raised out of the water when its
action is not necessary, or thrown out of gear, so that it does not present an
obstruction to the vessel's motion ahead.
or work,
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents in side elevation the stern of a vessel having four of my
improved propellers fitted thereto; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the engines
and machinery connected with the propellers and section of the ship, while
Fig. 3 is a plan of the same.

page_text: Fig. 4 represents a stern view of the vessel, and Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and
11 some of the parts detached. In the Drawings the reciprocating motion
of the engines communicates reciprocating motion to the propellers through
the intervention of cranks and crank shafts, in order to communicate a longer
stroke to the propeller than the mere stroke of the engines; but instead of
this arrangement, the piston rods of the engine may be placed in direct com-
munication with propeller rods, as will be herein-after explained in reference
to backing astern.
A, A, are a pair of trunk engines communicating motion to two crank
Two crank shafts are
shafts B, B, by their connecting rods C, C, C, C.
represented in order to obtain long connecting rods D, D, to drive-the several-
propellers; but one crank shaft B may alone be used, and fitted with the
additional cranks represented in red lines E, E. Any other description of
engines; either upright or horizontal, may be used as the driving power when
transmitted through crank shafts, it being a necessity to use horizontal engines
only when the power and motion of the steam piston is applied direct to the
propeller rods.
The cranks F, F, are of greater radius than the engine cranks G, G, to
increase the stroke of the propellers beyond that of the engines.
H, H, are the propellers, four in number, being disposed two on each side
near the run of the ship, as represented in the stern view, Fig. 4. These
propellers are carried by rods I, I, sustained and moving horizontally in
guides a, a, and b, b, inside and outside the ship, the guides b, b, being
immersed; they should be thinned to a knife-edge both fore and aft, so that
they may pass easily through the water. This same remark will also apply
to the framing of the propeller itself. If the rods I are sufficiently stiff, the
outside guides b, b, may be dispensed with, taking care to support tliem firmly
by guides inside the ship and in the ship's side.
The propellers each consist of a rectangular frame c, c, seen separately in
Figs. 6, 7, and 8, Fig. 6 being a side view, Fig. 7 a stern or back view, and
Fig. 8 a plan viewed from the top. On the frame c, c, which is fixed by its
boss d to shaft I, there are a series of flaps e, e, e, which are jointed at the
upper part to the frame c by joints f. f. The whole of this frame and flaps
being of iron or other suitable metal, the flaps e, e, by reason of their gravity
assume the position represented in these Figures, and remain so, unless
acted upon by the water, which position they retain while in the act of
propelling.
These propellers have a reciprocating motion imparted to them by the
engines through the crank shafts B and B', and their respective connecting

page_text: rods D, D, which communicate with their rods or shafts I, I. While the
propellers are acting to propel the vessel ahead, and moving from left to right,
as seen in the Drawing, the flaps e; e, are down, and present a solid surface
to act on the water, but when moving in the opposite direction these flaps e, e,
assume the position shewn dotted in Figures 6 and 8, therefore offering very
little obstruction in passing through the water in their motion from right to
left. To reduce this obstruction as much as possible, the frame C is made of
thin iron, and sharpened at the edges opposed to its passage through the
water. By this means a rapid reciprocating motion of the propellers is
obtained, which, while propelling, obtain a direct thrust against the water,
while they meet with little obstruction in performing the retrograde movement
in readiness to perform the succeeding thrust or act of propulsion.
In the Drawings I have represented four propellers as applied for propel-
ling the ship; two such propellers may, however, be adopted for the purpose,
which keep up a continuous action by constantly moving in opposite directions.
I believe, however, that a better result is to be obtained by the use of four
propellers, as shewn in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, which are so disposed and
arranged in connection with their driving shafts that they follow each other in
their motion in regular succession; that is to say, if the cranks F were all or
one shaft they would all be at right angles to each other, and dividing the
circle of their motion into four equal divisions.
It will be readily understood that the vessel is propelled by the recipro-
cating motion of a surface which alternately opens and shuts to permit in the
one direction the passage of the water, but in the other to be directly opposed
thereto, whereby to effect the act of propulsion.
In order to back astern, an additional propeller L, L, is fitted in the dead
wood, which I prefer should be actuated by a separate engine. This propeller
consists of two blades or leaves g, g, which are jointed to a centre piece h
sliding in grooves formed in the upper and lower parts of the opening in the
dead wood, seen in Figure 2, and also in the detailed horizontal section,
Figure 5. The centre piece h is fixed to a rod i, which is a continuation of
the piston rod of a steam cylinder M, to which steam is turned on when it is
desired to back the vessel astern. The steam cylinder M. has its piston rod
passing out at both ends, and by means of a cross slot p gives motion to a
crank and shaft r, by which the motion of the piston is regulated and its
valves actuated.
When at rest, the backing propeller is arrested in the position represented
in Fig. 2, in which the leaves of the propeller are retained in a collapsed
position by the horns s, s, fixed to the rudder post. In this position the

page_text: blades or leaves 9, 9, are almost within the dead wood, and offer no obstruction
to the forward motion of the vessel.
Immediately steam is turned on to the cylinder M, the motion imparted to
the propeller L draws the blades g, g, from within the horns s, s, which imme-
diately open and take hold of the water as in the position shown dotted in
Fig. 5. The chains t, t, limit the opening of the blades g, g, and remove all
strain from their hinges. Thus this propeller opens and offers obstruction to
the water when passing from right to left, and so propels the vessel astern,
and in the opposite direction to that of propellers H, H, while in moving from
right to left it closes or collapses, and moves freely through the water. With
this backing propeller the speed astern would of course be slow compared
with steaming ahead. If it is desirable that equal power should be exerted in
moving astern as in moving ahead, that may be effected by propellers, such as
represented at Figs. 9, 10, and 11, which show a modification of propeller H,
before described.
This propeller is constructed precisely similar to that before mentioned
at H, but it is constructed with two sets of flaps e and e', the one set being
hinged on the opposite side from that of the other, so that while the one set e
remains in position for action by reason of their own gravity, the other set e
falls out of action, and, as represented in Figs. 9 and 11, in which position
they lie horizontal, having-only their edge opposed to the passago through the
water. The stays of the frame C may also be in the same plane as these
additional leaves or flaps e¹, so as to cleave the water, and whereby the extra
leaves e create no increased obstruction.
The propeller, as viewed in Fig. 9, is fixed to the reciprocating rod I, and
acts precisely as the propeller represented at Figures 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, and 8, the
flaps e moving on their hinges f, f, and being alternately opened and shut
propel the vessel, as before explained. During this time the leaves or flaps e¹
lie quite passive in the horizontal position seen in Figs. 9 and 11. Supposing
it is desired to back the vessel astern, the shaft or rod.I and the propeller are
turned half round in the bearings of I. The effect of this is that the joints f¹
are now at the upper part, from which the leaves e' are pendent by reason of
their own gravity, while the leaves e take the horizontal and passive position.
The reciprocating motion of the propeller being continued, the force will be
exerted to move the vessel astern by reason of the force taking effect only
during the forward motion of the propeller through the leaves c', the leaves e
at the time remaining passive.
To permit this turning of the rod I and propeller, a swivel P or other
suitable contrivance is formed in that rod, so as to permit of the one part

page_text: turning without the other. Suitable levers or other gear are provided, by
which the half round movement can be imparted, so that the motion of the
vessel can be reversed, if necessary, without stopping the engines. The rods I
pass through proper stuffing boxes R in the vessel's sides, and are otherwise
sustained by suitable guides and supports to permit and sustain them properly
during action. A stuffing box S is provided for the passage of the backing
propeller rod i.
The framework c¹ of propeller shewn in Fig. 9, 10, and 11 acts as stops
for the leaves or flaps e and e¹ in their various positions. The joints of flaps e
in Figs. 6, 7, and 8 should also be furnished with suitable stops to prevent
them rising too high, to ensure their proper action, and prevent injury to the
joints.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which the
saine may be performed, I desire it to be understood that I claim as my
Invention, and desire to be protected under the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent, the propelling of vessels by means of submerged propellers,
constructed and arranged and acting as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Stopporton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
JOHN STOPPORTON. (L.S.)