Improved Means for Lowering, Releasing, Hoisting, and Securing Ships' Boats.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Lowering, Releasing, Hoisting, and Securing
Ships' Boats.
I, JAMES LEE, of 12 Compton Avenue, Brighton, in the County of Sussex,
Master Mariner, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object davit- and boat-releasing gear so constructed
and operated that a ship's boat may be more easily and readily lowered and released
than has heretofore usually been possible.
Each of the davits constructed according to my invention, of which two are
employed in each boat to be raised or lowered, I construct of a fixed arm projecting
upwards from the side of the vessel and having its upper end either straight, or
curved, as found most suitable. This arm is preferably constructed of U or H channel
iron and has hinged or pivoted to it at about midway between its upper and lower
ends, one end of a second shorter arm of a corresponding shape to the upper portion
of the longer arm into which it may fit when raised, and having a hook formed
on or attached to its free end.
In the lower portion of the fixed arm of each davit so constructed, a hand winch
is mounted having connected to the drum thereof one end of a flat wire pennant.
These pennants run over suitable rollers mounted on the grooves in the fixed arms,
and on the upper ends thereof, and passing between pairs of rollers on the free
ends of the movable arms are connected at their free end each to one of a pair of
drums mounted on a spindle running in suitable bearings in the boat to be raised
or lowered, the connection between the ends of said bands or cords and said drums
being effected by loops on the ends of the former, and pins projecting from the
latter, or in such other manner, that when the hands are completely unwound from
said drums, their ends will be released.
Suitable means are provided for revolving the spindle carrying the pair of drums
on the boat, whilst to govern its motion when unwinding, a ratchet wheel and
friction pulley are mounted thereon, and with these engage a pawl and friction
band, both operated by a single lever, so arranged that normally the ratchet wheel
and pawl only are in engagement, but by pulling said lever over slightly, these
may be thrown out of gear; the friction hand being brought into play by a still
further depression of said lever.
Where preferred said pawl and friction band may be operated by independent
levers.
In hoisting, the ends of the flat pennants are connected to the drum standard
in the boat or to pins on the frames carrying the bearings of the spindle thereof,
which also may form guides for said bands, and the boat then hoisted by means
of the hand winches mounted in the lower portions of the fixed arms, or otherwise
when found more convenient, and the hooks on the ends of the movable arms,
which arms have been previously fixed in their raised position by suitable means,
connected to loops on the frame carrying the bearings of the drum spindle in the
boat.
The outer end of the pennants or cords are then connected to the drums in the

page_text: boat; round these a suitable length of them is wound, and the loops on davit head
cast adrift, when the boat is ready for lowering and releasing when required.
To lower and release the boat, one man jumps into it and by working the lever
brakes in the boat, by means of which movement of the drums is governed, can lower
it quickly, or slowly, as required, whether the vessel is under weigh or stationary.
To secure the boat when hoisted to davit head, oblong or otherwise conveniently
shaped supports may be hinged to each of the movable arms, chocks on which engage
with the keel of the boat when said supports are raised into a horizontal position and
so supported by cords having their free ends connected to a weight arranged to hang
over the gunwale of the boat, or otherwise.
Dated this 14th day of March 1896.
CASTLE SMITH,
"Invention" Office, Mitre Court, Fleet Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Lowering, Releasing, Hoisting, and Securing
Ships' Boats.
I, JAMES LEE, of 12 Compton Avenue, Brighton, in the County of Sussex,
Master Mariner, 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:-
My invention has for its object davit- and boat-releasing gear so constructed and
operated that a ship's boat may be more easily and readily lowered and released than
has heretofore usually been possible.
Each of the davits constructed according to my invention, of which two are
employed for each boat to be raised or lowered, I construct of a fixed arm projecting
upwards from the side of the vessel and having its upper end either straight or curved
as found most suitable. This arm is preferably constructed of U or H channel iron
and has hinged or pivoted to it at about midway between its upper and lower ends, one
end of a second shorter arm of a corresponding shape to the upper portion of the
longer arm into which it may fit when raised, and having a hook formed on or
attached to its free end.
In the lower portion of the fixed arm of each davit so constructed, a hand winch is
mounted having connected to the drum thereof one end of a wire pennant. These
pennants run over suitable rollers mounted in the grooves in the fixed arms, and on
the upper end thereof, and passing between pairs of rollers on the free ends of the
movable arms, are connected at their free end each to one of a pair of drums mounted
on a spindle running in suitable bearings in the boat to be raised or lowered, the
connection between the ends of said bands or cords and said drums being effected by
loops on the ends of the former, and pins projecting from the latter, or in such other
manner that when the bands are completely unwound from said drums, their ends
will be released.
Suitable means are provided for revolving the spindle carrying the pair of drums
on the boat, whilst to govern its motion when unwinding, a ratchet wheel and
friction pulley are mounted thereon, and with these engage a pawl and friction band,
both operated by a single lever, so arranged that normally the ratchet wheel and pawl
only are in engagement, but by pulling said lever over slightly, these may be thrown
out of gear; the friction band being brought into play by a still further depression of
said lever. Where preferred said pawl and friction band may be operated by
independent levers.

page_text: In order that my invention may be better understood and carried into practical
effect I will describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a pair of davits with a boat supported therefrom;
Fig. 2 a side elevation of Fig. 1;
Figs. 3 and 4 a front and side elevation respectively of the boat fittings, and
Figs. 5, 6, and 7, details.
Fig. 5 is a plan view of the top of the frame r.
Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of the top of a davit as shown in Fig. 2.
Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of a winch shown also in Fig. 2 on a smaller scale,
mounted on lower end of the fixed arm a.
Each of the pair of davits used for each boat is constructed of a fixed upright a
having hinged thereto at or near its middle an arm of corresponding shape to that
of the upper portion of said fixed upright, into which it preferably fits when raised.
These fixed arms are fitted with a number of rollers c over which and a pair c¹ on the
ends of arms b (Fig. 6), run the wire pennants, cords, or the like d employed for
raising and lowering the boat e, and these have their inner ends connected to the
drums of winches either mounted on the lower parts of the fixed arms, as shown in
Figs. 1, 2, and 7, on deck, or at any suitable point.
In the interior of the boat e to be raised and lowered is mounted in suitable
bearings a shaft g having mounted and keyed or otherwise fixed thereon one at
each end, two drums to which the ends of the two pennants or cords d are
connected by a loop and pin, or such other coupling, that when said pennants are
completely unwound from said drums, the ends of the former will be released from
the latter.
The movement of said drums h is governed, as shown more clearly in Figs. 3
and 4, by a ratchet wheel mounted on the shaft g with which gears a pawl m
carried by a lever arm n and also by a friction brake the drum o of which is
mounted on said spindle g, whilst the band p thereof is operated by the lever arm n,
the whole being so arranged that when the lever arm is pulled back slightly the
pawl m will be freed out of engagement with the ratchet wheel and the drum
will be free to revolve, but upon pulling said arm back still further the band brake
will be applied.
In hoisting, the ends of the flat pennants or cords are connected to pins on the
frames in which the drums revolve and through openings s (Fig. 5) in the
top of which the pennants pass when connected to the drums, or to any other
suitable part, and the boat then hoisted by means of the hand winches f and
connected to the ends of the movable arms (which have been previously fixed in
their raised position by pins u or other suitable means), by loops on the frames r
and hooks in on the ends of said arms.
The outer ends of the pennants or cords are then connected to the drums in
the boat; round these a suitable length of them is wound, and the movable arms b
then released, when the boat is ready for lowering and releasing when required.
To lower and release the boat, one man jumps into it and by working the lever
arm n in the boat, can lower it quickly, or slowly, as required, whether the vessel
is under weigh or stationary, the boat being held outwards from the side of the
vessel by the arms b, as shown in dotted lines Fig. 2.
To secure the boat when hoisted to davit head, from swinging with the movement
of the ship, oblong or otherwise conveniently shaped supports may be binged to
each of the movable arms b, chocks on which engage with the keel of the boat
when said supports are raised into a horizontal position and so supported by cords y
having their free ends connected to a weight arranged to hang over the gunwale of
the boat, and which will be thrown out and so release the supports previous to
lowering the boat, or as an alternative, frames, such as shown in dotted lines Fig. 2,
may be secured to the upper ends of the fixed portions of the davits, these being
so shaped that when the boat is raised the opposite ends of said frames will engage
with the gunwales of the boat.

page_text: 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 :-
Apparatus for lowering and releasing and raising ships' boats constructed arranged
and operating substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
CASTLE SMITH,
"Invention" Office, Mitre Court, Fleet Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.