IMPROVEMENTS IN BUILDING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Ransford, of Huron Lodge, West Brompton,
in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BUILDING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS."
Sealed the 13th April 1863, and dated the 16th October 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Ransford at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 16th
October 1862.
I, HENRY RANSFORD, of Huron Lodge, West Brompton, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN BUILDING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in building ships and other
vessels. For these purposes, in building a ship or vessel the floor and bottom
of the ship or vessel is to be constructed wider, and so as to extend as far or
farther forward and laterally than the horizontal section taken at the water
Jine. It is preferred that the floor should extend beyond the 'stem or most
forward part of the bow at the water line. It should be stated that vessels
have before been built having their round bottoms wider than the horizontal
section at the water line, and the sides of such vessels have been constructed in
such manner as to fall over from the bilge upwards, but in constructing the
fore parts of such vessels the floors have not been carried forward to or beyond
the most forward parts of the bows at the water line or line of floatation of such
vessels; and the peculiarity of my Invention consists in carrying the floor of a

page_text: ship or vessel where the sides are made to fall in from the bottom upwards to
or inside of a perpendicular dropped from the forward part of the bow at the
water line. Ships and vessels thus constructed may have keels, or the use
of keels may, when desired, be dispensed with.
In applying rudders to ships and vessels, particularly to such as aro con-
structed as above explained, I prefer to have one rudder near the bow, but
under the bottom of the ship or vessel on a shaft or axis passed through the
bottom, provision being made for the rudder shaft or axis passing through a
trunk or tube rising above the water line as has before been proposed. The
rudder is to be affixed to its shaft or axis so as to extend forward and aft
thereof, and arrangements may be made for unshipping this rudder, and for
taking it inboard. In applying a rudder at the stern end of a ship or vessel,
in place of resorting to the ordinary method of hanging the rudder, I affix the
rudder to a shaft or axis which is arranged to turn in suitable bearings at the
top and bottom, and when necessary, in an intermediate bearing or bearings;
such mode, however of hanging a rudder is not new; but according to my
Invention an addition is made to the lower part of the rudder, which is made
fast to the shaft or axis at its lower end, and such addition extends forward
of the other part of the rudder, and below the bottom of the ship or vessel, or
of the keel thereof, so that whilst the ordinary rudder is fixed aft the stern,
the lower or additional part of the rudder extends considerably forward of the
other part of the rudder..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Ransford in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th April 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
RANSFORD, of Huron Lodge, West Brompton, in the County of Middlesex,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Henry Ransford, Her special licence that I, the said Henry Ransford,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry
Ransford, 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, tho
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BUILDING SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Henry Ransford, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment 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 Henry Ransford, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, that is to say:-:
This Invention has for its object improvements in the formation of ships,
boats, and other vessels, specially with reference to that part between the
extreme beam and the stem, known as the bows of a ship. For these pur-
poses, in building a ship or vessel, the actual floor and bottom of the ship or
vessel is to be constructed wider at the extreme beam, and so as to extend as
far or farther forward and laterally than the horizontal section taken at the
water line when loaded. It is preferred that the floor should extend as near
the stem or most forward part of the bow as practicable. It should be stated
that vessels have before been built having their round bottoms and bilge wider
at the point of extreme beam than the horizontal section at the water line,
and the sides of such vessels have been constructed in such manner as to fall
inwards from the bilge upwards, but in constructing the fore part of such
vessels the actual floors have not been carried forward beyond the commence-
ment of the bows or step of the foremast, and the peculiarity of: Invention
consists in carrying the floor of a ship or vessel, whether flat, or with more or
less dead rise, laterally beyond a perpendicular dropped from the outside of
the timbers at the water line, so that the ribs or side timbers slope upwards
and inwards from the floor timbers to the deep load water line, or beyond as
advisable. A ship may advantageously be constructed on this principle, even
one fourth or more wider at the floor or bottom than at the deep load water
line at the extreme beam, but whatever slope or angle is adopted at that point
it should be diminished towards the stem. It is preferred that the stem itself
should slope backwards or aft from where it is joined to the keel, to enable
the floor to be carried well forward. A square applied to any part of a ship's
side, so constructed, from the extreme beam to the stem, the side of the square
.
my

page_text: projecting from the vessel, would in no part be below a horizontal line. The
part of the ship from the extreme beam to the stern post has to be modified
accordingly, but it is preferred to carry the floor much further aft than is at
present adopted in sea-going vessels.
In applying rudders to very long ships and vessels as are now built, par-
ticularly to such as are constructed as above explained, I prefer to have one
rudder near the stem, but under the keel or bottom of the ship or vessel on
a shaft or axis passing through the bottom, provision being made for the
rudder shaft or axis passing through a trunk or tube rising inside the ship
above the water line as has before been proposed. The rudder is to be affixed
to its shaft or axis so as to extend forward and aft thereof. A similar one
can be used at the after part of a ship, and by this means both rudders in a
ship of war are out of all danger from shot, and can be worked separately or
together, or in conjunction with the ordinary rudder.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Ransford, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
HENRY KANSFORD. (LS.)