IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS OF WAR AND FLOATING BATTERIES, PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO LAND FORTIFICATIONS. PROVISIONAL SP
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Caudwell, of Oatlands House, Shillingford,
in the County of Oxford, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS OF WAR AND FLOATING BATTERIES,
PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO LAND FORTIFICATIONS.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Caudwell at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th April 1865.
I, HENRY CAUDWELL, of Oatlands House, Shillingford, in the County
of Oxford, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS OF WAR AND FLOATING
BATTERIES, PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO LAND FORTI-
FICATIONS," to be as follows:-
This Invention of improvements in the construction of vessels of war, and
land and floating batteries, relates to the construction of the broadsides of vessels
of war and in land or floating batteries in such a manner as to deflect all
projectiles that strike them, and cause such projectiles to pass through or into
passages provided for the purpose, so that they may pass over, under, or:
through such passages without penetrating to the interior of the vessel or,

page_text: fortification. By means of the peculiar construction of broadside bereafter
described greater strength in vessels of war is insured, so that they are enabled
to resist the effects of side waves.
The Invention also relates to means whereby the destructive effects of
galvanic action upon armour-plated vessels may be prevented.
Other improvements relate to the application to certain parts of such
vessels of the attractive force of magnetic electricity, also to improved means
of steering such vessels.
In carrying out the first part of my Invention the hull of the vessel is con-
structed of wood to within six feet of the water line. The upper portion of
the broadside of the vessel is made of iron or steel, and the gun deck is sup-
ported by a suitable number of vertical ribs or bulkheads. Between these
ribs or bulkheads are formed funnel-shaped passages through the vessel, with
inclined or curved sides, or with inclined and vertical sides (which in iron
vessels are to bo carried down to the keel), communication between the gun,
middle and lower decks, is maintained by means of batchways formed
between or within the partitions or bulkheads. The ribs and partitions are
supported or backed by wood framing, or by wood framing enclosing sand,
clay, or other carthy or mineral substance. The upper or gun deck is pro-
vided with inclined bulwarks, and has a projecting lip running round the
vessel. At suitable distances wrought-iron corrugations are formed to enclose
the guns. These vertical or inclined corrugations extend over the vessel from
side to side, and have armour-plate bulkheads or sides. The projecting iron
lip and the curved head of the ribs or partitions may be insulated and
rendered. magnetic by means of an electro-magnetic machine of the ordinary or
any other suitable construction. Between the lower edge of the iron armour
and the copper sheathing of the hull a band of elastic non-conducting sub-
stance is attached to the side of the vessel, such as Ghislin's algæite, or any
compound of india-rubber or gutta percha.
My improvements in steering consist in carrying one or more paddle wheels
within the vessel, and at right angles thereto, situate by preference near the
stern. These wheels are below the water line and enclosed within a case,
except their lower floats, which dip into a passage formed at right angles to
the length of the vessel, and open at both sides. These paddle wheels are to
be rotated in the direction desired by means of an engine in the ordinary
manner.
In applying the present improvements to my corrugated land fortifications
it is only necessary to place the corrugations at suitable distances from each
other in order that the projectiles may be deflected into passages formed to

page_text: carry them over, under, or through such fortifications without damaging or
striking anything that is within the fortification.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Caudwell in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
20th October 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
CAUDWELL, of Oatlands House, Shillingford, in the County of Oxford,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Henry Caudwell, Her special licence that I, the said Henry Caud-
well, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Henry Caudwell, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "I-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS OP WAR AND FLOATING BATTERIES,
PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO LAND FORTIFICATIONS,"
upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry Caudwell, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument 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 tho
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 Caudwell, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention of improvements in the construction of vessels of war, land
and floating batteries, relates to the construction of the broadsides of vessels of
war, and in land or floating batteries, in such a manner as to deflect all pro-
jectiles that strike them, and cause such projectiles to pass through or

page_text: into passages provided for the purpose, so that they may pass over, under, or
through such passages without penetrating to the interior or habitable part of
the vessel or fortification. By means of the peculiar construction of broad-
side hereafter described greater strength in vessels of war is insured, so that
they will be enabled to resist the effects of side waves.
The Invention also relates to means whereby the destructive effects of
galvanic action upon armour-plated vessels may be prevented.
Other improvements relate to the application to certain parts of such vessels
of the attractive force of magnetic electricity, also to improved means of
steering such vessels.
In carrying out the first part of my Invention the hull of the vessel is con-
structed of wood to within six feet of the water line, as shewn in the accom-
panying Drawings, in which Fig. 1, Sheet I., is a longitudinal elevation, and
Fig. 2, a transverse vertical section of a vessel constructed according to my
Invention. The upper portion a, a, of the broadside of the vessel is made of
iron or steel, as shewn in the Drawing, and the gun deck b is supported by a
suitable number of vertical ribs or bulkheads c, c, c, Fig. 1. Between these
ribs or bulkheads are formed funnel-shaped passages & through the vessel,
with inclined or curved sides, or with inclined and vertical sides.
In iron vessels these ribs or bulkheads are to be carried down to the keel.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation, and Fig. 4, a transverse vertical section of a
modification of Figures 1 and 2. In Figures 3 and 4 the passages d, d,
through the vessel are made with vertical sides and inclined top and bottom.
Figures 5, 6, and 7 are other modifications, in which the form of the vessel
is somewhat different from those in the other Figures. A communication
between the gun, middle, and lower decks is maintained by means of hatch-
ways formed between or within the partitions or bulkheads, as shewn at c,
Fig. 8, which is a sectional plan view of Fig. 5. The ribs and partitions c, c,
are supported or backed by wood framing f, Figs. 2, 4, 5, and 8, or by
wood framing enclosing sand, clay, or other earthy or mineral substance, as
shewn in Fig. 9, which is a sectional plan view of part of a vessel drawn on
an enlarged scale. The upper or gun deck is provided with inclined bul-
warks g, and has a projecting lip running round the vessel. At suitable
distances wrought-iron corrugations are formed to enclose the guns. These
vertical or inclined corrugations, one of which is shewn detached in section at
Fig. 10, extend over the vessel from side to side, and have armour-plated
bulkheads or sides 2, ¹. The projecting iron lip h and the curved head of
the ribs or partitions c may be insulated by the interposition between the ribs
and the armour-plated sides of the parsages d of some insulating or non-

page_text: conducting substance, such as algaite, india-rubber, or gutta percha, as:
indicated by the red lines in the enlarged view Fig. 9. These parts may be
rendered magnetic by means of an electro-magnetic machine of the ordinary
or any other suitable construction placed within the vessel. Between the.
lower edge of the iron armour and the copper sheathing j of the bull a band
of clastic non-conducting substance is attached to the side of the vessel,.
such as Ghislin's algæite before mentioned, or any compound of india-rubber
and gutta percha. In order to prevent the water from entering the passages
and washing in and out while the vessel is moving, and thus interfering
with its speed, the entrance to these passages may be either planked over as:
shewn at Figures 5 and 7, or covered in with a thin plate perforated at its
lower part, as shewn at Figures 4 and 6, so that although the water may
obtain access to the passages, the external water will be prevented from
washing in and out in heavy masses.
My improvements in steering consist in carrying one or more paddle
wheels within the vessel, and at right angles thereto, situate by preference.
near the stem, as shewn at Figures 1 and 11. These wheels / are below the water
line, and are enclosed within a case, except their lower floats, which dip into
a passage formed at right angles to the length of the vessel, and open at both
sides, as seen best in the sectional view, Fig. 11. These paddle wheels / are
to be rotated in the direction desired by means of an engine in the ordinary
manner. The vessel is to be propelled by means of a screw m, Fig. 3, and
paddle wheels n, n, driven by a combined engine. It will be seen on referring
to Fig. 3, that the paddle wheels n, n, are placed on each side of the keel,
and are enclosed in cases to prevent the entrance of water into the vessel, the
paddle wheels being altogether below the water line.
In applying the present Invention to my corrugated land fortifications it is
only necessary to place the corrugations at suitable distances from each other
in order that the projectiles may be deflected into passages formed to carry
them over, under, or through such fortifications without damaging or striking
anything that is within the fortification. This application of the Invention is
shewn in front elevation at Fig. 12 and in section at Fig. 13.
Having now described my Invention of "Improvements in the Con-
struction of Ships of War and Floating Batteries, Part of which Improvements
are applicable to Land Fortifications," and having explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to mo by
Letters Patent as aforesaid,
First, constructing the broadsides of vessels of war and land or floating
batteries with funnel-shaped passages through them in the manner herein set

page_text: forth, so as to deflect all projectiles that strike such vessels or batteries, and
cause such projectiles to pass into or through such funnel-shaped passages, so
that they may pass over, under, or through the vessel without penetrating to
the interior or habitable part of the vessel or fortification.
Second, I claim the mode herein shewn and described of steering vessels
by means of wheels placed within the vessel and below the water line.
Third, I claim the use of mineral or earthy substances as a backing for
the armour-plated partitions or bulkheads.
Lastly, I claim rendering certain parts of vessels and batteries magnetic,
and insulating such and other metallic parts in the manner herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Caudwell, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Nineteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
HY. CAUDWELL. (L.S.)