Improvements connected with Means and Apparatus for Recovering Sunken Vessels and the like.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Dec., 1889-Accepted, 4th Jan., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements connected with Means and Apparatus for Recovering
Sunken Vessels and the like.
I, GEORGE BARNETT, of 4 James Armitage Street, Cornhill, Southwick Sunder
land in the county of Durham, Landlord do hereby declare the nature of this inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly describe
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to improvements connected with means and apparatus for
recovering sunken vessels and the like and in order to carry my invention into effect
I employ flexible water-and-air-tight bags or vessels which when in their normal or
closed position occupy very little space but which are capable of great extension of
form when acted upon internally by air or gas under pressure. Thus when the flexible
bags are not distended they may be pushed into many places about a ship, whether
above or below water, where they can then he distended in the manner hereinafter
described, the effect being to raise or tend to raise the vessel within or in connection
with which such distension takes place. I will now describe my invention with
reference to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation and Fig. 2
an end elevation of a sunken vessel and wreck ship and apparatus employed in the
raising thereof Figs. 3, 4, and 5 being respectively a plan longitudinal section and
cross section of collision repairing apparatus more particularly hereinafter again
referred to, and throughout this description like letters designate like parts in the
specification and in the drawings. Referring to the latter a is the sunken vessel
to be raised a¹ is the wreck ship employed in the raising thereof a² is a steam
boiler supplying steam to steam cylinder a³ driving an air compressing cylinder a*
which delivers its air to receiver a³ for distribution. All these parts or their
equivalent in this application are to be arranged with respect to one another in
any suitable and workmanlike manner, and to raise the sunken ship I employ the
watertight bags a which may be made of strong canvas treated with caoutchouc
or other suitable material to ensure water and air tightness. Divers are employed
to place and fix the non-distended bags if desirable inside the compartments
of the sunken ship when the compressed air from receiver a or if desired direct
from air cylinder a is allowed to flow down the flexible pipes indicated by a
which are suitably connected to the receiver and to the bags and thus the
previously collapsed air bags are distended or inflated to any required extent.
Where it is not desirable to place the bags inside the sunken ship or vessel [
secure them to the outsides of the ship by rope lashings a³, as representing the
air bags in this position. Both in Figs. 1 and 2 the bags are shown in various
stages of distension or inflation their lifting power being proportionate to the
extent of their inflation.
The vessel being floated in the manner described, I then, where such is possible,
bring into operation the temporary collision plant shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5.
This consists of preferably semi-spherical or semi-ovoidal frames or plates of plate
iron 2 the shapes of which I manufacture according to any of the known pro-
cesses employed in this class of work and provide on the margins of such
pieces, flanges 3 and towards the centre of such pieces holes for the entry of the
bolts 4 arranged with gibs or cranks 5 at one end and screw threads and nuts 6 at
the other end.
As vessels are usually sunk by collision causing holes, cracks and bulges
frequently at or near the water line, such as H shown dotted in Fig. 3 and ful
in Figs. 4 and 5, the apparatus above described is utilised by lowering the
temporary repairing piece 2 down over the ship's side M and fitting it over the
open hole or rent H. The gibs of the bolts 4 are then thrust within the vesse

page_text: and hooked onto any convenient and secure point of attachment when the nuts 6
are tightly screwed up, so as to squeeze the india rubber packing 7 between the
semi-ovoidal piece 2 and the ship's side and thus render the joint watertight.
The hole or holes, if there be more than one, being thus one and all securely
covered over and rendered watertight the raised vessel can be brought to port and
docked for more permanent repairs.
The face joints of the repairing piece 2 may by preference be made with a
very slight curvature, as indicated in section in Fig. 4, as in cases where they
are taken out for use without knowledge of the locality of the hole to be repaired,
such curvature will be most likely to fit the curvature of the ship's side, but
where it is possible to ascertain beforehand the nature of the damage, the curva-
ture of the repairing pieces 2 can be made to accurately fit their intended position
on the ship's side.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In raising sunken vessels and the like flexible water-and-air-proof bags in
combination with conduit pipes and air or gas compressing apparatus arranged
and operating substantially as herein described and illustrated.
2. For temporarily repairing holes or fissures in ships' hull plates, semi-spherical
or semi-ovoidal repairing pieces 2 in combination with bolts 4 the whole being
arranged and secured over the holes or fissures so as to form a watertight joint
thereround substantially as and for the purposes herein described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 29th day of November 1889.
A. CRAWHALL CHAPMAN,
2, St. Nicholas' Buildings, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Patent Agent for Applicant.