IMPROVE- MENTS IN SHIPS' DAVITS FOR SHIPPING AND UNSHIPPING AND LOWERING
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Davis, of Cranbourne Street, Leicester
Square, in the County of Middlesex, for thic Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SHIPS' DAVITS FOR SHIPPING AND UNSHIPPING AND LOWERING AND
Sealed the 8th July 1873, and dated the 15th January 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Davis at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 15th January 1873.
I, GEORGE DAVIS, of Cranbourne Street, Leicester Square, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS' DAVITS FOR SHIPPING AND UNSHIPPING AND
LOWERING AND RAISING BOATS OR ANCHORS AND OTHER ANALOGOUS PURPOSES," to
be as follows:-
My improved davit is composed essentially of a standard upon which
pivots a lever, from the upper part of which will be suspended the boat
or other object to be brought inboard or carried outboard.
To carry a ship's boat in such a manner that it may be shipped or
unshipped, that is to say, brought inboard or put outboard, and be

page_text: raised and lowered with great facility, I propose to connect two davits
of the above construction by a horizontal bar extending from the top of
one pivoting lever to the top of the other, and also by a similar bar at
the bottom end of said lever, or I simply suspend the boat in a horizontal
position by the head to one davit and by the stern to the other.
When it is desired to unship or put the boat outside the ship, it is
only necessary to lift the lower end of the pivoting lever of each davit
(separately or by means of a lower connecting bar, or by hauling lines or
tackle), and by the pivoting of the levers on their fulcrum the upper
end of each is brought outside the ship carrying the boat with it; the
levers meeting a stop at a certain point in order that they may not
pivot too far and bring the boat against the side of the ship.
To ship the boat or bring it inboard, it is only necessary to bring
down the lower end of levers, and the upper part coming back to its
original position inboard brings the boat with it.
To lower the boat from the davits into the water and for raising it
again, I propose to pass lines or hauling tackle through blocks carried at
head and foot of davit levers, or at their side or on the bars, one end of
the lines being connected to a block with disengaging hook at head and
stern of boat, and the other end of lines being secured in any convenient
position.
Hauling lines may also be fitted so as to suspend the boat from the
centre as well as at each end.
The boat will be lowered or raised by tightening or slackening the
hauling lines when the pivoting levers of the davits have carried the
boat to the outside of the ship, and the same lines might be used for
pivoting or raising and lowering the davit levers themselves.
It will be evident that anchors or any other objects may be shipped
and unshipped by means of one or more of these davits used in
combination or separately, and that any ordinary boat lowering
apparatus may be used therewith.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Davis in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 14th July 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
DAVIS, of Cranbourne Street, Leicester Square, in the County of Middle-
sex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
O thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said George Davis, Her special licence
that I, the said George Davis, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said George Davis, 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 SHIPS DAVITS FOR SHIPPING AND UNSHIPPING AND LOWERING AND RAISING
BOATS OR ANCHORS AND OTHER ANALOGOUS PURPOSES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said George Davis, 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 George Davis, 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 accompanying Sheet
of Drawing and to the figures and letters of reference placed thereon.:-
My improved davit is composed essentially of a standard upon which
pivots a lever from the upper part of which will be suspended the boat
or other object to be brought inboard or carried outboard, and I prefer
to fix the standard to the deck, but it might be placed upon the bulwark,

page_text: When it is desired to unship or put the boat outside the ship, it is
only necessary to lift the lower end of the pivoting lever B of each davit,
either each separately but simultaneously, or by means of the lower
connecting bar or boom D, or by the hauling lines O and tackle
blocks G, F, and by the pivoting of the levers on their fulcrums the
upper end of each is brought outside the ship, carrying the boat with it,
as shown in red at Fig. 1, in which position the levers meet the stop or
latch N, in order that they may not pivot too far and bring the boat
against the side of the ship, or any other arrangement may be used for
this purpose.
The boat being in this position it is lowered into the water by pulling
on the line L, and thereby releasing the slip hooks K, K.
To ship the boat or bring it inboard, it is only necessary to bring
down the lower end of levers B by lowering the boom D, or hauling on
the tackle O, and the upper part coming back to its original position
inboard brings the boat with it.
Figure 3 is a modification of the above by means of which the boat
or other weight may be lowered from the mast or rigging. It will be
seen that the pivoting levers B, B, are here reversed or hung "outboard "
in lieu of "inboard" and that the lower arms of levers are shortened,
moreover the rope o is arranged so as to pass through a ring s attached
to both ends of the boat by means of cords T, T. Upon the rope o being
drawn or pulled the lower boom D is raised, which causes the lever B to
fall over, as shown in red or dotted lines, the boat being steadied at the
same time by means of the rings and cords T, T.
This will be found the most suitable arrangement for yachts and
small vessels, as the boat may be swung outside the rigging, and the
operation of raising and lowering be performed in a more limited space
than by the first arrangement.
-
It will be evident that anchors or any other objects may be shipped
by means of one or more of these davits used in combination or
separately, and that any ordinary boat lowering apparatus may be used
therewith, for example, hauling lines might be fitted so as to suspend
the boat from the centro as well as at each end, and the same lines.
might be used for pivoting the davit levers themselves.
I make my davits of iron or any other suitable metal or material, and
set the lever B on the standard A in any suitable bearing.

page_text: Having now described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is or may be performed, I desire it to
be understood that I do not limit myself to the use of any particular
arrangement of tackle or other mechanical means of operating my
improved davits nor to the use of any particular boat lowering apparatus
in conjunction therewith, or to the precise forms of pivoting lever and
standard illustrated on the accompanying Drawing, and that I claim as
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, the
use of levers forming davits arranged and operated substantially as and
for the purposes herein-before set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Davis, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.