MEANS & APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE WORKING AND DISCHARGE OF ORDNANCE PLACED BELOW THE WATER LEVEL
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Page, of Middle Scotland Yard, Westminster,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "MEANS
& APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE WORKING AND DISCHARGE OF ORDNANCE
PLACED BELOW THE WATER LEVEL."
Sealed the 3rd December 1861, and dated the 15th June 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Page at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with bis Petition, on the
15th June 1861.
I, THOMAS PAGE, of Middle Scotland Yard, Westminster, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
of "MEANS & APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE WORKING AND DISCHARGE OF
ORDNANCE PLACED BELOW THE WATER LEVEL," to be as follows:-
In vessels of war and other floating batteries I place a gun or guns, each in
a chamber disposed below the water level, and into this chamber I force air at
a pressure greater than that due to the pressure of the depth of water at which
the gun is placed. The gun chamber or chambers are connected with a
_reservoir, in which a plentiful supply of condensed air is maintained. The
gun being loaded & trained in position by suitable apparatus, I open a port-in
the ship's side below the water level, and fire the gun through such port,
which is then immediately closed. The pressure of air in the chamber causes
a rush of air outwards, & prevents the ingress of water to any great extent

page_text: while firing. Batteries with the guns so disposed I propose to bring into
sufficient proximity to an enemy's ship & fire it; the projectile will therefore
strike & enter the ship below the water line & destroy it. Guns so situated
may be worked by the men in the ordinary way, they being also in the pressure
chamber
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Page in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th December 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
PAGE, of Middle Scotland Yard, Westminster, in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for IIerself, Ier heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Thomas Page, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas Page,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Thomas Page, 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 "MEANS AND APPARATUS
POR FACILITATING THE WORKING AND DISCHARGE OF ORDNANCE PLACED BELOW THE
WATER LEVEL," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas
Page, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describo 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 Thomas Page, do hereby declare
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 Sheet of Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
:-
In vessels of war or other floating batteries I place a gun or guns each in a

page_text: chamber disposed below the water level, and into this chamber I ferce air at
a pressure greater than that due to the pressure of the depth of water at which
the gun is placed. Each gun chamber is connected with a reservoir, in which
a plentiful supply of condensed air is maintained. The gun being loaded,
placed, and trained if position by suitable apparatus, I open a port in the
ship's side below the water level, & fire the gun through such port, which is
again immediately closed. The pressure of air in the chamber causes a rush
of air outwards, and prevents the ingress of water to any extent while firing.
Batteries with the guns so disposed I propose to bring the guns into sufficient
proximity to an enemy's ship and fire it below the water level; the projectile will
therefore pass through the water, strike, and enter the enemy's ship below the
water line and so contribute to its destruction. Guns so situated may be worked
by the men in the ordinary way, they being also in the gun pressure chamber.
Guns worked and discharged in compressed air chambers according to my
Invention would in most cases be fired point blank, and would not in any case
require to be elevated, but in very close quarters with an enemy might be
depressed with advantage. In practice, however, I think the gun might
always be maintained at a uniform level, and in which case the port or hole in
the ship's side may be made of a size to correspond somewhat in diameter to.
the muzzle of the gun. The gun having been loaded and brought into position,
the supply of compressed air is admitted to the gun chamber. The port is
opened and the gun discharged, watching the motion of the ship, and taking
care that the gun is in a horizontal position at the time of the discharge, or it
may have a slight depression from such motion if desired at such time. A
projectile so discharged will enter the water at right angles thereto, traverse
through it, and strike an object (say a vessel) below the water line. The
passage through the water will, of course, diminish the force of the projectile
very rapidly as compared with air; it is therefore desirable to bring the gun.
within the closest possible proximity to the object to be hit in order to produce
the greatest possible effects. By this means ships that are vulnerable below.
the water line may be very easily destroyed, the effect of shot there entering
1+1
gun
Fig. 1 of the annexed Drawings represents a portion of a ship's side A in
5 section, and adjoining it a close or air-tight chamber B, with the
enclosed;
Fig. 2 is a plan of said chamber & horizontal section of the ship's side. I
form the chamber of iron or other suitable material, the metal sides a and
other parts being supported by angle irons b, b, or other supports of a strength

page_text: commensurate to the pressure of air to be introduced. In the ship's side is fixed
a heavy casting of iron having a port or opening C of a diameter somewhat
larger than the bore, or it may be the muzzle of the gun; in this is fitted a
slide D, actuated by a hand lever I, as seen, or suitable machinery, so that the
port can be readily opened or closed by raising or lowering the slide D. This
slide is suitably fitted so as to exclude water when closed. In the chamber B,
I form a door E, which I hinge at the upper part, and provide tackle for
raising or lowering it as desired and as seen dotted. The gun may be with-
drawn from the chamber by the door, loaded and returned to position for firing.
Before firing the door E must be lowered and closed; if provided with suitable
india-rubber packing all escape of air may be prevented. One or more
gunners enter the chamber B at the time of firing, and either work the port
slide D from within or by signal from without. If the chamber B is small the
gun may be confined by a suitable breeching to prevent excessive recoil or
beyond a certain extent.
Instead of the gunners entering the chamber at the
time of firing, the gun may be placed in position, after which the gunners leave
and close the chamber, and then fire the gun by electricity or other suitable
means. Instead of chamber B being small, it may be of large dimensions and
the gun worked within it, but this may be objectionable on account of the
pressure of air required to be employed which may be made more available in
the smaller chambers. There may be one, two, three, or more such gun
chambers in each ship, for the purposes of which I employ suitable air pumps
worked by steam or other power, by which pumps I condense air to a suitable
pressure in a large reservoir, and maintain a sufficient supply therein for the
purposes of working the Invention, which pumps and reservoirs it will be
unnecessary further to explain; F represents the orifice of tube entering.
chamber B from such condensed air reservoir; this tube should be of an area
sufficient to supply air as rapidly as it can escape by the open port; it is
furnished wtth a suitable stop valve. The gun having been brought up to the
port with the muzzle entering it & fitting more or less closely, the chamber B
closed, and the air supply valve opened, all will be in readiness for firing. The
port slide D is now raised, disclosing the opening, when the air confined
immediately rushes out, forcing the water from the port, and preventing its
ingress; the gun is then immediately fired and the port slide again closed.
Instead of the gun muzzle being brought up against the chamfered edge of the
port hole, it may be made to enter the port a considerable distance, and fit
somewhat closely thereto. The air, instead of finding access to the port hole
around it, may be conducted by separate channels to a position between the
muzzle and the slide, such channels having valves that permit the outward

page_text: escape of the air for the purpose of blowing out and keeping out the water,
but which shut against any pressure of the explosion that might be exerted
against them to enter or return thereat.
Fig. 3 represents a section of a port hole constructed according to the latter
arrangement. C is the port hole as before; G is the muzzle of the gun,
fitting somewhat closely therein; II, II, are the air escape channels fitted
with valves K, which close by springs or otherwise, and prevent the passage of
air in a direction contrary to that of the arrows.
Fig. 4 represents a horizontal section of a port hole, to be used with an air-
pressure chamber, in which the muzzle of the gun G fits into an india-rubber
ring; this is supported against the pressure of the water by the air in the
chamber, the water at same time being kept out of the gun by a light
tompion wbile firing. Air channels might be adapted between the india-rubber
ring and the slide D, as in Fig. 3. If found practicable it may be of
advantage to project the muzzle of the gun through the port hole after opening
it, to avoid any injurious effects of the explosion in the close chamber B.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention, to be protected by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the use and application of a
chamber, and maintaining a pressure of air therein, for the purposes of firing
and discharging projectiles below the water level, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Page, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fourteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
W. G. E. SWINNOCK,
53, Chancery Lane.
THOS. PAGE. (L.S.)