Improvements in Armored Vessels, also Applicable to Forts and Floating Batteries.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 15th July, 1890-Accepted, 23rd Aug., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Armored Vessels, also Applicable to Forts and
Floating Batteries.
I, GEORGE MEACOм, of Chelsea, in the County of Suffolk and State of Massa-
chusetts, one of the United States of America, Sea Captain, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:--
This invention relates to improvements in armored vessels, and it has for its object
to make the vessel unsinkable; to increase the strength of the hull so as to render
the vessel invulnerable against the heaviest modern guns now in use or under con-
struction; to prevent oxidation of the exterior of the vessel by the employment of
an outer movable shell arranged outside of the armor; to prevent the space between
such outer shell and the armor from being filled with water in case it should be
penetrated by a shot or by running on rocks, which I accomplish by filling said space
with a series of air-tight metal boxes, by which damage to the outer shell is confinl
to the locality that is injured without diminishing the buoyancy of the remaining
part of the vessel; and to construct the armor with a hard metallic middle portion,
preferably made of hardened steel, arranged between outer and inner linings, composed
of strongly compressed cotton or other fibre, for the purpose of arresting the
penetrating force of projectiles in the most effectual manner, as will hereinafter be
more fully shown and described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,
where
Fig. 1 represents a transverse vertical section of my improved armored vessel.
Fig. 2 represents a partial horizontal section on the line X-X shown in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 represents a perspective view of a portion of the hull and improved armor.
Fig. 4 represents a perspective view of one of the hollow tanks or boxes that are
arranged in the space inside of the outer wooden shell of the vessel; and
Fig. 5 represents a detail perspective view of the improved armor.
Similar letters refer to similar parts wherever they occur on the different parts of
the drawings.
The invention is applicable to vessels already finished, although it is preferable to
construct them originally according to my design.
I construct my improved vessel with three or more shells or hulls, one within the
other and all perfectly water tight, with intervening spaces between them adapted
to contain the air-tight metal tanks or boxes and the improved armor, as will herein-
after be more fully shown and described.
In building the vessel, I first lay a regular wooden or metal keel a (Fig. 1) to which
is secured as usual a number of wooden or metal ribs b, b; to the sides of said ribs
I secure by screw-bolts or rivets, angle iron ribs b₁, b, extending from the deck to
the keel, said angle iron ribs being shown in Fig. 2.
To said angle iron ribs 61, 61, is secured by bolts or rivets, the metal hull or shell d
preferably composed of steel plates of a proper thickness.
1 then secure to the top of the keel a, a steel keelson e, preferably made in the
form of a "T" or two angle irons riveted together, as shown in Fig. 1.
To the steel hull d I now secure a number of steel ribs f, f, extending from the
deck to the keelson and secured in such parts in any suitable manner, as shown in
Figs. 1 and 2, said ribs being secured water-tight to the steel hull d.
.
These ribs are preferably located opposite the outer wooden ribs b, b, and are
preferably secured by bolts or rivets to the angle irons b', 6', of said wooden ribs as
shown in Fig. 2.
The said steel ribs f, f, are made of a double tee section with flanges on the
inner and outer sides as shown in Fig. 2, and said ribs are preferably made wider at
the top than at the bottom as shown in Fig. 1.

page_text: The object of said steel ribs is to form a support for the deck beams and also to
form water-tight receptacles for my improved armor hereinafter to be described.
To the inside Hanges of the steel ribs f, I secure water-tight, a steel shell or hull g,
as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.
I now introduce and fasten throughout the ship, wooden or metal deck beams h, h, h,
which are arranged parallel with each other at short intervals and at right angles to
the keel as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, which beams serve as backing for my improved
armor and as a means for receiving the concussions and distributing concussions
when the vessel is struck by a shot.
After making the ship as above mentioned, I cover the outside of the ribs b, b,
with sheathing or planking i, which forms the outer water-tight shell or hull, that
serves to prevent oxidation of the inner shells, and in putting on said planking, I
fill the spaces bounded by said wooden planking, the metal shell d and the wooden
ribs b, b, with air-tight tanks or boxes c, preferably made of copper or other ductile
metal as shown in the drawings, the object of which is to retain the buoyancy of the
vessel in case a hole should be made in the outer shell from any cause, and thus
render the vessel absolutely unsinkable.
The vessel is now launched and the upper deck secured in place to the upper
deck beam H. The upper deck is preferably composed of steel plates H¹ secured
to the deck beam H and covered with the usual wooden deck planking H" as
shown in Fig. 1.
Through the upper deck H, H", I make above each space bounded by the metal
shells d, g, and metal ribs f, f, a hatch H³ for the introduction of my improved
armor into the spaces between said metal shells, which hatches are closed by
means of flush covers H, composed of wood and metal, after the armor has been
put in place.
The lower portion of the space between the metal shells & and 9, I fill with blocks
of strongly compressed cocoa-nut fibre 1, or equivalent material shown in Fig. 1,
which filling extends from the keelson e, to a place below the water line W where the
armor belt commences.
:
At the upper terminus of the compressed cocoa-nut fibre blocks 1, I secure to the
metal shells or bulls d, g, a metal partition m, that serves as a support for the improved
armor contained in the water compartment bounded by the steel shells d, g, and steel
ribs f,f, as shown in Fig. 1.
My improved armor consists of blocks n, n, made of chilled iron, or other suitable
metal, going from sten to stern of the vessel between the middle portions of the
shells d, g, the lowest blocks in the series resting on the metal partition m as shown
in Fig. 1.
The spaces between the outside of the chilled iron blocks, n, n, and shell d, are
filled with blocks o, o, made of strongly compressed cotton or kiar; and the spaces
between the inside of said chilled iron blocks and the shell g, are filled with blocks p, p,
made of strongly compressed cocoa nut fibre as shown in the drawings.
This my improved armor, although particularly designed for battle ships, may also
be used to advantage for forts and floating batteries, or in any other places where it is
desired to resist the destructive action of heavy guns or projectiles.
The improved armor should extend from the deck downward sufficiently to allow
the vessel to roll sideways to its greatest extent without letting the lower portion of
the armor rise above the water line.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is :.
1. An armored vessel consisting of an outer shell i and an interior metal shell d
secured to the ribs of said outer shell, combined with hollow, air-tight metallic tanks c
arranged in the spaces between such inner and outer shells, substantially as and for
the purpose set forth.
2. An armored vessel composed of an outer shell i, a metal shell & secured to the

page_text: former with a space between thein and air-tight metallic tanks c, c, arranged in such
space, combined with an inner metallic shell g, metal ribs f, f, secured water-tight
to said metal shells d, g, and the armor arranged between shells d, g, said armor
consisting of central chilled iron or other suitable metal blocks n, n, compressed cotton
blocks o, o, and compressed cocoa-nut fibre blocks p, p, substantially as and for the
purposes set forth.
3. The improved armor herein described consisting of compressed blocks of cotton,
compressed blocks of cocoa-nut fibro and chilled metal blocks, said blocks of iron
baing arranged between the blocks of cotton and the blocks of cocoa-nut fibre, sub-
stantially as and for the purpose set forth.
4. The improved armor as described, consisting of lower blocks of compressed cocoa
nut fibres and upper armor, consisting of chilled or other metal blocks n, n, compressed
cotton blocks o, o, and compressed cocoa-nut fibre blocks p, p, all arranged and con-
structed substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
5. The armored vessel as described, consisting of the outer shell i and ribs b, the
metal shell d secured to said ribs, the hollow, air-tight tanks c arranged between
said shells, the inner metal shell g and metal ribs f, f, secured to said metal
shells d, g, and the armor, consisting of a series of chilled metal or other suitable
metal blocks, compressed cotton blocks and compressed cocoa nut fibre blocks, all
arranged substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
6. The armored vessel as described, consisting of the outer shell i and two or more
metal shells d, g, combined with the hollow, air-tight metal tanks c, armor n, o, P,
composed of metal blocks arranged between blocks of compressed fibre, the metal
ribs ff, and deck beams h, h, h, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
7. In an armored vessel, the metal shells d, g, and metal ribs f, f, combined with
the armor blocks n, o, p, composed of metal blocks arranged between blocks of
compressed fibre, the hatches H³ in the upper deck, and flush covers H* for said
hatches, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
8. An armored vessel as described, consisting of two or more metal shells d, g, having
arranged between them an armor composed of metal blocks placed between blocks of
compressed fibre, combined with an outer shell i, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
9. An armored vessel, consisting of two or more metal shells d, g, and motal
ribs f, f, secured water tight to such metal shells and upper deck, and metal keelson
secured to such metal ribs, combined with the horizontal metal partition or armor
support m, lower filling and armor n, o, p, said armor composed of metal blocks
arranged between blocks of compressed fibre, substantially as and for the purpose set
forth.
Dated this 15th day of July 1890
HERBERT & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W., Agents for Applicant.
HERBERT & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W., Agents for Applicant.