AN IMPROVEMENT IN ARMING WAR VESSELS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Page Woodbury, of the City of Boston, in
the County of Suffolk, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, one of
the United States of America, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT
IN ARMING WAR VESSELS."
Sealed the 4th July 1862, and dated the 31st March 1862.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Joseph Page Woodbury
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and.
Declaration, on the 31st March 1862, pursuant to the 9th Section of
the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
PAGE WOODBURY, of the City of Boston, in the County of Suffolk, in the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, one of the United States of America, send
greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN
ARMING WAR VESSELS," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me
and my executors, & administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent
for the same, and have made solemn declaration that I am the true and first
Inventor thereof, and that the same is not in use by any other person or persons
to the best of my knowledge and belief."
. NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Page Woodbury, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification under my hand and seal fully
describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner.

page_text: the same is to be performed in and by the following statement, that is to
say:
The subject matter of. my Invention relates to a method of arming war
vessels, both as regards their means of attack and defense, and is designed
among other things to enable a vessel to attack and overpower the iron-clad
war steamers, which are now being built by the naval powers of the world,
and at the same time enable them to be constructed and employed at a
reasonable cost.
The manner in which I propose to accomplish this object may be stated
in general terms to consist, first, in providing a hull of good model for speed
with a shallow draft of water, and of a capacity to carry coals and machinery
sufficient to excel in speed any vessel designed to be attacked. Second, in
providing means for sinking it to the deck by water ballast when going into
action, so as to expose the smallest possible part of the ship to an enemy's
fire, which part only would require to be plated with thick iron to protect it
from shot. Third, in making the deck convex or circular both longitudinally
and transversely, so that when the vessel is submerged to a fighting trim the
sides of the deck will be below water, and the surface exposed will be pre-
sented to an enemy's shot at a low angle, and also that the centre of the
deck will be sufficiently above water to enable the vessel to be worked in a
sea-way. Fourth, in forming in the middle of the deck a low oblong trunk
projecting upward a short distance from the deck and plated, so as to be secure
from shot, through the sides of which small holes are made for the purpose of
observation externally, and for the purpose of defending the deck: by, musketry
by ejecting hot water, or by any other means. These holes are flared upon
the inside to permit a wider range of observation and attack, after the manner
of a loophole for musketry in fortification. The top of the trunk is provided
with several large openings thoroughly secured by shot-proof gratings, through
one of which the smoke from the boiler emerges, and through the others the
hold is ventilated by fan blowers or otherwise. The steering wheel is also
placed within it, and from within it all the movements of the vessel are
directed. Fifth, for the purposes of attack the vessel is provided with, say,
three or more breech-loading cannon of large calibre, which are mounted one
at the bow, ranging fore and aft, and one on either side, ranging athwart ship,
the muzzles of which extend through the sides of the hull at a considerable
distance (say, ten feet, more or less) under water, and are provided with many
accessory devices, which will be hereafter fully described, to enable the guns
to be worked under such conditions. They are designed to carry a large
hollow oblong projectile or shell containing a great bursting charge, which is
1. (

page_text: to be thrown into the hull of the vessel to be attacked, and there exploded by
fuse.. The guns are made to work in stuffing boxes in the side of the hull,
and have a movement only in a longitudinal direction, and are not designed
to be aimed as they are intended to be used only when near the object to be
assailed. These several parts of the structure, some of which are new and
some old, with many subordinate devices arranged and adapted to work
together, as herein-after described, constitute my system of armament for
vessels.
As regards these several parts my Invention consists, first, in making the
deck of a convex or circular form both transversely and longitudinally, so that
while the middle thereof is elevated at considerable distance above the water,
the sides or part which joins the hull will be below the water when the vessel
is in fighting trim or submerged, so that the convex surface only will be
exposed to an enemy's fire, and in connection with that form making the
surface shot-proof by thick iron platings or otherwise; and the combination
of a deck thus constructed with a hull of the usual external form provided
with means for partially submerging the same to bring the deck to the
position above described, and to raise it again to a lighter draft when not
engaged with an enemy.
Second, in forming in the deck a shot-proof trunk elevated a short distance
above the same to contain the chimney, ventilating apparatus, and steering
wheel, and to furnish a means for external observation and defence to the
deck and for other purposes, as will be herein-after described.
Third, in the employment in combination with a vessel of ordinance pro-
jecting horizontally through the side thereof under water, for the purpose of
attacking an enemy's vessel in such parts as could not be attacked from above
the surface by discharging a projectile against it at such a depth as to be
below its defensive plating, and in such a position as to inevitably disable it
either by the hole made by the projectile through its side or by its subsequent
explosion.
Fourth, in combining with a gun thus employed under water a suitable gun
carriage to support the breech of the gun, a stuffing box, and socket or sleeve
in the side of the vessel to receive the muzzle of the gun, and an external
port or shutter which closes outside of the gun, or other devices equivalent
thereto for the purpose of enabling the gun to be drawn in and loaded, or
removed and run out to be fired.
Fifth, in displacing the water from the -bore of the gun-when it is loaded
by means of a hollow displacing case or its equivalent, which excludes the
water from that part of the bore not occupied by the charge, so as not to fire

page_text: against a column of water within the gun equal to the contents of the bore,
but to start the projectile and move it while within the gun in an atmosphere
of air or gas.
These different portions of my Invention embrace many subordinate details
of construction which will be more particularly explained in the description of
the structure of the Drawings herein referred to.
. Figure 1 represents a longitudinal vertical section of a vessel showing the
application of the armament thereto; Figure 2 represents the same, one half
in plan; and the other half in horizontal section below the deck at the centre
of the guns.
Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section through the trunk and through the
hull at the centre of one of the guns.
Figure 4 is a vertical longitudinal section of a part of the bow of the vessel;
shewing the application of the bow gun.
Figure 5 is a horizontal' section of a part of the hold amidship, showing one
of the side guns in plan.
:
Figure 6 also shows the bow gun in plan, with that part of the vessel in
horizontal section.
Figure 7 represents a vertical longitudinal section of the gun drawn to a
larger scale, showing the arrangement of the cartridge, projectile, displacing
case, and devices for loading and discharging at the breech.
Figure 8 is a back end elevation of the gun and carriage; Figure 9 is a
plan of the same with the stuffing box in section.
And, Figure 10 is an external elevation of the port or shutter.
The letters refer to the same parts in all the Figures.
A represents the hull of the vessel made of iron in the usual way, and of
the usual form of model below the water adapted to sail in shoal water, and to
be propelled by a screw with any desired form of engines and boilers, the
positions only of which are indicated in the Drawings, as my Invention does
not pertain to them. It is also designed to be fitted with water-tight bulk-
heads in appropriate places for safety and convenience, which are not
represented; B represents the deck. Its general form transversely to the
ship is that of a portion of a circle joined to the sides of the hull by a circle of
smaller radius, as is seen in Figure 3. This form is adopted for the purpose
of having it at the centre at considerable height above the water when the
sides are below the water, and also to present the exposed surface at a low
angle to an enemy's fire, and it is also a good form to prevent boarding by the
enemy; this deck is covered with iron plating, which also extends some distance
down the side of the hull of sufficient thickness to repel. any shot that can be

page_text: fired against it, which from the low angle of its surface may be made of much
less thickness than if it were exposed more nearly at a right angle to the line
of fire. The radius of curvature of the deck diminishes towards each end, and
forms into the bow and stern, so as to show a curved outline longitudinally as
is seen in Figure 1. This form of constructing the deck is important as enabling
the upper part of the ship to be made invulnerable by a minimum weight of
plating, which again enables an amount of efficiency in speed and capacity to
be obtained by a smaller ship than could be otherwise done; C is an oblong
trunk or observatory built in the middle of the deck, and projecting a short
distance above it of the form shewn in the Drawings, and plated also with
metal thick enough to withstand any shot that may be thrown against it. It
is provided with "peep holes" c through the sides, as shewn, through which
external objects may be observed, and the deck defended from boarding by
musketry or otherwise. The top of the trunk is provided with shot-proof
gratings D and E. Through the grating D the smoke from the chimney
emerges, and through the gratings E the ventilation of the hold is effected by
blowers arranged in any suitable manner. This trunk is built in with the deck
and forms a part of it, and by projecting above the deck, it enables an open
communication to be maintained from the hold to the external air when in a
sea-way, with the vessel submerged to a fighting trim, preventing the waves
that would come on deck from entering the interior. And in addition to this,
short chimneys or coamings may be placed around the gratings exterior to the
trunk, if found desirable; F, F, are fan blowers for ventilating the hold which
are provided with suitable pipes leading to the several compartments. It is
proposed to discharge the foul air into the space around the chimney, but it
may be arranged in any convenient manner; G, G, are tanks or compartments
for the water ballast to sink the vessel to fighting trim. They may be disposed
in any convenient manner, and provided with proper sea cocks for filling the
same, and pumps for emptying them worked by a steam engine. The
employment of blowers for ventilating vessels, and of water ballast, and the
sinking and raising of vessels by filling and emptying tanks or compartments
not being of my Invention, I do not deem it necessary to describe and represent
those parts in detail, but mention them as forming a part of the arrangement
in my system of armament which may be constructed in any way that will best
conform to the purposes of the vessel; H is the rudder stock; which passes
through a stuffing box h in the stern, as shown, and is worked by a tiller b,
and chains extending forward under deck to the steering wheel I within the
trunk in the usual manner; J, J, J; are the guns. They are made' to load at
the breech in any well devised manner that is found to be efficient. The form

page_text: "
shown is substantially that of the "Armstrong gun' so called, as a good
example. They are made very heavy, and from about the middle to the muzzle
they are made cylindrical, so as to slide back and forth in the stuffing boxes K
in the side of the hull. They are mounted at the breech upon the slides L,
which move longitudinally upon their beds M, in the manner of the modern
ships' gun carriages. They have only a longitudinal movement to run out the
gun_to_fire it, and to permit its recoil when discharged, or to be drawn in to
load it. To prevent too great an extent of recoil, the slides L are made to
bring up against a series of india-rubber springs or cushions N, which arrest a
further inward movement. The slides L are provided with trucks a, a, which
are worked upon an eccentric shaft in the usual way to facilitate the running
out of the guns, and may also be provided with frictional devices to increase
the resistance to recoil, as is done in gun. carriages now used. They are also
provided with a rack and pinion T, worked by a ratchet lever U to run out
the guns, or they may be worked by tackles instead. The stuffing box K,
which forms a socket for the gun; is securely fastened to the hull, either at the
bow or at the sides, as shewn in the Drawings; and is provided with a shutter
or port P, which is made to shut water-tight, and to open outward and upward,
and is worked by the jointed rods Q. The port of the bow gun is made
pointed externally to offer less resistance to the water when the vessel is
sailing; but those at the side are made to shut in flush with the outside. The
rods pass through passages and stuffing boxes on each side of the main
stuffing box, as is shown in Figure 9, so that the shutter P can be opened or
closed from within by moving the rods Qback and forth. When the gun is
drawn in and the shutter closed, it permits the breech of the gun to be opened
to load it, the water in the gun escaping into the bold.
The manner of loading the gun is shown more clearly in Figure 7, where
the gun and its contents are shown in section, d representing the charge of
powder. in a water-tight cartridge of copper or other suitable material, in the
rear end of which at e, and within it, is a fulminating primer, which is
exploded by a driver or needle g, inserted at the centre of the vent-piece f
by a blow upon the outer end h, or instead thereof the cartridge may be fired
in any other way. The outer end of the driver g is held by the bar i
upon
the breech screw V, which is constructed so as to be removed with the driver
when the gun is to be opened. R is the projectile; it is a cylindro-conical
shell of sufficient thickness to penetrate a ship's side where not defended by
thick plating, and has a cavity sufficient to contain a large quantity of gun-
powder. It is designed to be fired from the gun by a small charge, so as not
to send it out of an enemy's vessel at the opposite side, and to be itself fired

page_text: I
by a time fuse of a few seconds, which is placed within it, and is ignited by
the shock of the discharge. The remainder of the bore is filled with a water-
tight case S made of tin or other thin metal, whose purpose is to displace the
water from the bore of the gun, so that the discharge will not have to expel
a mass of water therefrom, the weight of which would have the effect of
adding so much to the weight of the projectile, and produce an increased
recoil of the gun. This case may be made to enclose the cartridge and
projectile, or occupy the space in front of them, as may be desired. The
case; projectile, and cartridge all fit the bore loosely, as there is no provision
for firing with accuracy, nor is any required, as they are designed to fire at
an object only when near. it; but. the guns may be rifled, or the projectiles
made with wings to give them rotation to ensure their motion endwise, if
desired. These guns
propose to arrange as shown, namely, one at the bow
in a line with the keel, and one at either side; or two or more could be placed
at the side, if desired. W is the windlass, placed below deck, with the cable
leading upward over a sheave X on deck to a hawse pipe. Y, as is shown.
The vessel may be fitted with hatches where required, closed by gratings or
hatch covers made shot-proof, and it may also be provided with masts, upon
which sails may be rigged to use in an emergency, if desired. The manner
of attack by such a vessel would be to chase the enemy at a light draft until
within reach of his guns. The vessel is then submerged, so as to expose only
the deck to his fire, which enables it to approach him with impunity. When
almost in contact with him, the gun that bears most directly upon him is
fired, and the projectile is thrown through his side far below the part usually
protected by plating, and left within the hold to explode at the proper time,
and destroy everything in its vicinity.
Having thus set forth the nature and principles of my said Invention, what
I claim as new is as follows:-
First, I claim the method of arming war vessels herein-before described,
that is, by the employment of a hull provided with such means of defence
against projectiles as will enable it to approach a hostile ship with safety, as
described, in combination with one or more guns projecting through the sides
thereof below the surface of the water, for the purpose of submarine attack,
substantially in the manner described.
Secondly, I claim making the deck of a convex or circular form, both
longitudinally and transversely, for the purposes described, and protecting the
same by thick metal plating, and also combining the deck thus constructed
with a hull provided with means for submerging the same to a fighting trim,
and to raise it again when not in action, substantially as described.

page_text: Thirdly, I claim forming, in combination with the deck, a shot-proof trunk
as described, provided with means for discharging the smoke for ventilating,
and with "peep holes" for observation and attack, substantially as described.
Fourthly, I claim the employment, in combination with a hull of any
description, of ordnance projecting through the side thereof below water,
in any suitable position for the purpose of attacking a hostile vessel, in
parts that cannot be assailed by guns above the water, substantially as
described.
:
Fifthly, I claim the combination of a gun, where employed under water, in
a vessel as described, with an appropriate gun carriage, a socket, and stuffing.
box in the side of the hull, and an external port or shutter, or other devices.
equivalent thereto, to enable the gun to be worked, substantially as herein.
before described.
Sixthly, I claim displacing the water from the bore of the gun between.
the charge and muzzle by means of a displacing case or its equivalent, sub-
stantially as described.
Seventhly, I claim the loading of the gun, when employed under water, by.
means of a water-tight cartridge, projectile, and displacing case in combination,
without otherwise excluding the water from the bore of the gun when loaded,
substantially as described.