IMPROVEMENTS IN CLEANSING SHIPS' BOTTOMS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Frederick McKillop, of Belvedere, in the
County of Kent, Captain in the Royal Navy, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CLEANSING SHIPS' BOTTOMS."
Sealed the 9th February 1864, and dated the 24th August 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Frederick McKillop
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th August 1863..
I, HENRY FREDERICK MCKILLOP, of Belvedere, in the County of Kent,
Captain in the Royal Navy, do bereby declare the nature of the Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CLEANSING SHIPS' BOTTOMS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the cleansing a ship's bottom without the
the necessity of the ship being docked. For this purpose I apply unslaked
lime to the bottom of the vessel, by preference using hydraulic lime. The
lime, when held against the weeds, barnacles, or other shell fish adhering to
the ship's bottom will, during the process of slaking, detach them from the
ship's bottom. This I accomplish in the following manner:-Over a sheet of
canvas, or other suitable material, I spread a layer of tar or other material to
which lime can be caused to adhere, and I spread over this the lime in a state
of dry powder. The canvas has a number of cords attached to it, so that by
passing some of the cords under the vessel the canvas may be drawn under the
water to any part of the ship's bottom. To the back of the canvas hollow

page_text: flexible tubes are connected, and when the canvas has been drawn to any
desired part of the ship's bottom the tubes are inflated with air by a pipe
which passes up to the deck of the vessel; this will cause the canvas to press
closely to the bottom of the vessel, and will also keep the canvas in the position
desired. When a fresh portion of the ship's bottom is to be acted on the
sheet is raised out of the water and a fresh coating of lime is applied to it.
By proceeding in this way the whole of the ship's bottom may be. thoroughly
cleansed, When the tubes attached to the canvas are not inflated the canvas
and tubes can be folded up and stowed away in a suitable case.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Frederick M'Killop in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 24th February 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
-FREDERICK MCKILLOP, of Belvedere, in the County of Kent, Captain in the
Royal Navy, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Henry Frederick McKillop, Her special licence that I, the said
Henry Frederick McKillop, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Henry Frederick M Killop, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN CLEANSING SHIPS' BOTTOMS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry Frederick McKillop, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer
tain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to
be performed, and cause the 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 Frederick McKillop, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to

page_text: be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in cleansing ships' bottoms.
For this purpose I employ an apparatus consisting of a sheet of canvas or
other material having flexible tubes attached to it on three sides; these tubes
are connected by a pipe with an air pump which is conveniently placed on the
deck of the vessel. The apparatus is provided with cords or ropes, by means
of which it can be passed under a ship's bottom and hauled to any part thereof
where it may be required; then by inflating the flexible tubes they are
rendered buoyant, and they then press against and fit closely to the side of
the ship.
In employing the apparatus in cleaning ships'.bottoms I coat the sheet of
canvas or other material with tar or similar adhesive substance, and I powder
over this unslacked hydraulic lime; the sheet is then passed, by means of its
cords or ropes, under the ship and to the portion of the bottom thereof which
requires cleaning; the tubes are then inflated and the sheet is brought against
the surface to be cleaned, from which the lime quickly detaches the weeds,
barnacles, or other shell fish which may be adhering thereto.
Another method of cleaning a ship's bottom by means of this apparatus is
to pass, in the first place, under the ship's bottom a flexible ladder having
attached to each round or step a curved bar or arch, and when the ladder is in
its place under the ship's bottom each curved bar or arched piece stands out
from the surface perpendicularly, or nearly so, thereto; then, when the appa-
ratus is applied to the portion of the ship's bottom where the ladder has
already been placed, the centre portion of the sheet of canvas or material is
prevented, by the curved bars or arched pieces of the ladder, from coming in
close contact with the side of the ship, but the tubes at the bottom and two
sides of the sheet still fit tightly to it when inflated, thus a space is enclosed
from which the water may be pumped, a hose from the ship's pumps being let
down into the enclosed space. The portion of the ship's bottom enclosed in
this manner is then cleaned by throwing down lime on to it, and the cleaning
may be completed by a man descending the ladder into the enclosed space,
the curved bars or arched pieces of the ladder keeping the centre portion of
the sheet of canvas or material sufficient distance from the ship's side to allow.
bim to move freely. In cleaning a ship I usually employ a double apparatus,
so as to operate at the same time on both sides of the ship.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
annexed.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a plan of a double apparatus such as I employ; it consists of
two sheets or surfaces a, a, by preference of strong canvas rendered water-
proof by a waterproof paint, or it may be by other means; b, b, are flexible
tubes, they are conveniently made of leather, in the same manner as leather
hose is constructed; or they may be made of Macintosh fabric; they are
about one foot or eighteen inches in diameter, according to the size and weight
of the apparatus; c is a flexible pipe (there is one to each sheet), it descends
to and is connected with the bottom tube b, and its other end is coupled with
an air pump ou deck; d, d, are straps connecting the sheet on one side of the
ship's bottom with that on the other; e, e, are cords or ropes for holding the
upper edges of the sheets a in position on each side of the ship; f,f, are ropes
leading away to the stem and stern of the ship; they are conveniently led in
by the hose pipes; they are used to move the apparatus fore and aft under the
bottom of the vessel. In cleaning the bottom of the ship the back or surface
of the sheet opposite to that to which the tubes b are affixed is covered with
tar, or, better, another surface of canvas is applied over this surface of the
sheet to receive the tar. Over the tar unslacked hydraulic lime is powdered
until no more will adhere, and the sheet is then applied to the ship's bottom,
as already described; it is kept in place for, say, two hours, in which time it
will be found to have destroyed the weeds, barnacles, and other shell fish.
Usually, to the bottom straps d, d, which pass under the keel, I attach coir
brushes, and similar brushes I also apply up each side of the sheet, this enables
me to brush the ship's bottom, which I do by employing only a small quantity
of air in the tubes, so that the sheet presses on the ship's bottom with only a
moderate pressure, and then, by the ropes f,f, I draw it to and fro along the
bottom, and by this means I am able to detach from the bottom weeds or
matters which do not adhere to it very strongly; 6', 6', are cocks or valves to
allow the escape of air from the tubes b, they are opened when it is desired
to remove the apparatus from the ship's bottom and fold it up for packing.
Figure 2 shows the manner in which I employ the apparatus in conjunction
with a flexible ladder with curved bars or arched pieces, and Figures 3 show
the details of the said ladder.
a, a, are the curved bars or arched pieces; b, b, are side links connecting
them together; and c, c, are pins or axes connecting the other parts, and also
serving as the rounds or treads of the ladder; d, d, are ropes for passing the
ladder to its place against the ship's bottom; .and e, e, are straps, adjustable in
length, which are connected up so as to support the curved bars or arched

page_text: pieces a and cause them to project from the ship's side. When the apparatus
is applied to the ship's side over the ladder the air tubes are placed next the
ship's side.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Frederick McKillop, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty Twenty-third day of February, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
H. F. MOKILLOP. (L.S.)