IMPROVEMENTS IN BUILDING SHIPS OF WAR
Year: 1866

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Scott Russell at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 23rd February
.1866.
I, JOHN SCOTT RUSSELL, of Westminster Chambers, Victoria Street, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BUILDING SHIPS OF WAR," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in building ships of war.
In order that the upper deck, and its supports may offer as little obstruction
as may be to the working of the guns on the gun deck, the upper deck in
place of being supported by the sides of the ship is on beams supported by
pillars or supports situated intermediate of the length of the transverse deck
beams, thus leaving the sides of the ship open above the gun deck. For this
purpose the ribs or main frames of the ship do not at the sides of the ship
rise above the gun deck, but when desired folding. or moveable sides are
employed to enclose the gun deck when the ship is not cleared for action.
These folding or moveable sides may be constructed in various ways, but it is
preferred that they should be formed in sections, and framed and put together
so as to fold out of the way and leave the space above the gun deck and below
the upper deck open in all directions. The arrangements for placing and
working the guns on the gun deck may be varied, and so may the con-
structions intended to protect the guns and men from the fire of an enemy ;
it is, however, preferred that the gun deck should be fitted with cupolas or

page_text: turrets. The vertical supports or pillars for supporting the transverse beams
of the upper deck centrally or intermediate of their length may with advantage
in some cases spring from or be continuations of transverse and longitudinal
bulkheads or frames forming part of the main frame of the ship; but it is
desirable in all cases that the pillars or supports should derive as much
strength and support as possible from the framing of the ship below the gun
deck; and I prefer for this purpose that the gun deck should be an iron
deck, or iron covered partially
When the guns on the
or wholly with wood.
gun deck are arranged to be protected by turrets or cupolas the distances
between the pillars or supports for the upper deck will necessarily be con-
siderable, whilst the neutral spaces or spaces which do not come within the
It
line of fire of any of the guns on the gun deck may not be extensive.
therefore becomes important that in constructing the supports of the upper
deck beams that they should not depend only on a line of supports arranged
transversely across the gun deck at each of the neutral spaces, but that such
supports for the upper deck should extend as much as may be in directions
longitudinally of the ship, and to employ longitudinal beams as well as
transverse beams for constructing and carrying the upper deck, thus occupy-
ing the whole or considerable part of each neutral space in constructing
the supports. For which purposes in constructing a support for the upper
deck at a neutral space on the gun deck, such support may be formed of
great strength by constructing a hollow upright shaft or column composed of
trussed or other. framing of iron or steel plated over or otherwise, and by
bracketting out or extending such framing in order to receive and support the
longitudinal and transverse beams on which the upper deck is constructed;
when thus making the supports for the upper deck hollow they may be
advantageously employed as shafts or ways between the upper deck and the
lower parts of the ship, and, be constructed accordingly. It is not, however,
essential that the neutral spaces on the gun deck should each be occupied by
a single support or hollow column, as a series of framed or other upright
supports may be otherwise formed longitudinally as well as transversely of the
ship so as to obtain the requisite support for the longitudinal and transverse
beams on which the upper deck is constructed. The upper deck is principally
for working the ship, but it should be constructed with bulwarks and other
fittings, as is the case with the upper decks of other war ships.