IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LOWERING, RELEASING, AND RAISING SHIPS' BOATS, APPLICABLE IN PART TO OTHER USES
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Godfrey Giovanni Laurence, 'of Newport, in the County
of Fife, North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR LOWERING, RELEASING, AND RAISING SHIPS' BOATS, APPLICABLE IN PART
TO OTHER USES."
Sealed the 19th December 1876, and dated the 24th June 1876.
}
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Godfrey Giovanni Laurence
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th June 1876.
GODFREY GIOVANNI LAURENCE, of Newport, in the County of Fife, North
Britain. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LOWERING, RELEASING, AND
RAISING SHIPS' BOATS, APPLICABLE IN PART TO OTHER USES."
My Invention relates to the. "davits" employed in the raising and lowering of
ships' boats, and has for its object to facilitate such operations, and also to enable
boats to be readily stowed without disconnection from the davits.
According to my said Invention the said davits are hinged by their lower
ends to the side of the vessel and are straight, bent, or curved, as may be most
suitable in each case. I prefer to form the lower end of a tee-shape, the arms of
the tee head working in bearings fixed to the side of the vessel, lateral steadiness
being thereby promoted. Each davit is formed with a head in which is formed
and mounted the releasing apparatus. The said heads project on the inner sides,
so that the boat can swing between the two davite. Each head is formed with a
pair of jaws, one jaw being fixed and the other movable or jointed to the head.
The said jaws are formed to engage with a link which is attached to or connected
with one end of the boat, and are embraced by a shackle which is connected by
means of a spring hook, or of a detachable hook, or by other suitable means
with a rope of wire or other material which I will call the main rope, and which
passes over a sheave in the said head and is lead to a suitable winch or purchase
on deck.
The arrangement is such as that when there is a strain upon the said rope, due
to the weight of the boat and appliances, the jaws are kept closed and are per-
mitted to open and to release the said link when the said strain is removed. A.
second rope
is attached by one end to the upper or outer end of the davit. Both
ropes pass over sheaves mounted in or on a suitable framing. Chains may be used
[Price 6d1

page_text: in lieu of ropes if considered to be preferable. To lower the boat the ropes are
slackened out until the boat is sufficiently near to the water, the davits by turning
on their hinges swinging the boat well out and clear of the ship's side. The
"let go" or
second ropes are now hauled tight and secured, and the main ropes are
slackened off, whereby the jaws are permitted to open and the boat is released.
I propose to employ a wedge to prevent the jaws from opening except at the
required times, the said wedge falling out when the boat is being swung out and
lowered, but other appliances may be employed to effect the same purpose. When
raising the boat the hooks on the main ropes are secured to rings attached to the
boat, and the main ropes are hauled in until the aforesaid links can be replaced
within the jaws and the wedges be inserted. The hooks are then shifted from the
said rings to the aforesaid shackles, and the main ropes are hauled in so as to
bring home the davits which swing the boat aboard, and land it on the skid
beams or on any other suitable place of stowage. The boat may then be housed
or secured without disconnection from the davits.
If preferred instead of forming the davits with side projecting heads as afore-
said they may be formed to clear the boat by being curved backwards or inwards.
The ordinary steam or hand winches may be used to haul and let off the main
ropes, or special winches may be employed, or the ropes may be operated by hand
without the aid of winches.
The arrangement for releasing the boat may be employed for other purposes, as
for example, for releasing the load of cranes and derricks.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Godfrey Giovanni Laurence in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd December 1876.
GODFREY GIOVANNI LAURENCE, of Newport, in the County of Fife, North
Britain. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR LOWERING, RELEASING, AND RAISING
SHIPS' BOATS, APPLICABLE IN PART TO OTHER USES."
My Invention relates principally to the davits employed in the raising and
lowering of ships' boats, and has for its object to facilitate such operations, and also
to enable boats to be readily stowed without disconnection from the davits.
According to my said Invention the said davits are hinged by their lower ends
to the side of the vessel so as to swing outwards when the boat is lowered, and
arrangements are provided for releasing the boat when it has been lowered to a
determined extent or when it may be considered desirable to effect the release.
And in order that my Invention might be more readily described and be more
fully understood, I have prepared two Sheets of Drawings to accompany this Speci-
fication, and have marked such Drawings with letters of reference, corresponding
letters indicating the same parts in the various Figures.
The Figures on Sheet 2 are drawn to a scale of about three-eighths of an inch to
the foot, and illustrate the action of the apparatus.
The Figures on Sheet 2 are drawn about one-fourth of the full size, and repre-
sent detached portions of the apparatus.
It will be understood that the sizes and proportions of the various parts may be
varied to suit varying requirements, the scales of the Drawings being given by
way of example.
Referring now to the said Drawings, Fig. 1 represents a side view of the appa-
ratus as applied to a ship or vessel, a small portion of which is represented in
section; and Fig. 2 represents a plan view of the parts indicated in Fig. 1. In the
said Figures A is a portion of the upper deck of a vessel; B indicates a ship's boat;
and C, C, are the said improved davits.
The form and construction of each davit will be more clearly understood by
reference to Figs. 5 and 6, Fig. 5 being taken on the same plane as Fig. 1, and

page_text: Fig. 6 on a plane at right angles therewith. In both Figures, for obvious reasons,
the davit is represented as broken. The lower end of each davit is formed with a
foot which projects on each side, and is bored or otherwise prepared to receive a
pin a which passes through lugs b formed or fixed on a bracket piece c, which is
securely bolted to the side of the vessel.
The form of the.said bracket piece and the method of attachment to the vessel
may be varied to suit the circumstances of any particular case. The pin a mnay.be
fixed in the said lugs and be loose in the davit foot, or be fixed in the said foot
and be loose in the said lugs, or be loose in both foot and lugs, as preferred.
I consider that the best effect will be obtained by fixing the pin in the davit
foot and fitting it to turn in the lugs, or in lieu of the pin trunnions may be
formed on the foot and be fitted to turn in suitable bearings formed or fixed
on the said bracket piece, or fixed to the ship's side. The upper end of each
davit in a pair is bent sideways and inwards, the two davits being formed right
and left, that is to say, the upper ends of the two davits project towards each
other. A head d is formed on the upper end of each davit. Each head is formed
to receive a sheave e, and is also formed and fitted with a pair of jaws D. One
jaw fis fixed, being formed in one piece with the head, or being firmly fixed
thereto, and the other jaw g is hinged at h to the said head. A shackle i is
formed to slip over the two jaws, and is formed with an eye for attachment to a
fall k. The end of the said fall in the case of each davit is attached to a spring
hook which hooks into the said eye. The said hook is of the ordinary safety hook
form, but if not considered to be necessary an ordinary form of hook may be em-
ployed, or the said shackle may be otherwise connected with the end of the fall by
any suitable means.
When using in any part hereof the term fall I must be understood to mean any
appliance suitable for my purposes, such, for example, as a rope of wire, hemp, or
other suitable material, or a chain. The fall k passes over the sheave e, and also
over one of two sheaves which are mounted in the head of a standard E, which is
secured to a skid beam l. The said standard is represented by Figs. 3 and 4 in
Sheet 2, wherein m, m, are the two sheaves which are mounted in the head of the
standard. The form of this standard is not material, as the sheaves may be carried
by any suitable standard, bracket, or framing fixed to any suitable part of the
vessel. The fall is led from the said standard to a winch or to a suitable form of
apparatus for obtaining a purchase. The said winch is fixed in any suitable posi-
tion on deck, or is fixed to a post beam or part of the vessel, and if necessary or
advisable the said fall is led over or through other sheaves or blocks to the said
winch. The two falls k from both davits are led to the same winch or purchase, or
to winches or purchases connected together or arranged to act in unison, the inten-
tion being that both falls shall be let out or hauled home simultaneously and as
much as possible to an equal extent. One end of a second fall n is attached to
an eye formed on the davit at o, or is otherwise secured to or connected with the
upper part of the davit. This fall is led over the other of the two sheaves m and
is attached by the other or inner end to a ring bolt or to a fixed part of the vessel,
or is led through a dead eye or block, or is otherwise so arranged as that it can
be lengthened or shortened and can be secured or made fast to a fixed point or
the ends of the falls n from both davits may be connected. In the Drawings
the inner end of the fall n is represented as being tied to a ring bolt secured to
the skid beam. The jaws D are so suitably formed as that when closed a link p
can hang freely within the jaws and be retained therein so long as the movable
aw is closed against the fixed jaw. The said link is connected by means of a
short chain with an eye bolt attached to the end of the boat, or is otherwise
connected with the boat. As there is a corresponding arrangement in all respects
n connection with both davits the boat is suspended between the two davits as
ndicated in Fig. 2, the inward projection of the davit heads permitting the boats
o swing clear between the two davits when they are hauled inboard. In lieu
f the said inward projection the davits may be curved to pass below and behind

page_text: the boat when the boat is stowed. It will be seen that when so suspended the
weight of the boat is sustained by the hinged jaws, and that when these jaws
are permitted to open the boat will be released. To prevent the jaws from opening
when not required to open I employ a wedge r which is inserted into the shackle
above the fixed jaw, but I do not confine myself to this arrangement as a pin
or any other suitable appliance may be adopted in lieu of the wedge, and it is
possible to dispense with the use of such an appliance.
:-
When the boat is
The method of lowering the boat may be described in manner as follows:-
I will suppose the boat to have been unshipped from the skid beams and pushed
off so that the davits are kept from falling outwards by the falls k, k. The said
falls are now slackened off and the davits are thereby permitted to fall outwards,
the lower ends turning on their hinges and swinging the boat well out and clear
of the ship's side. As the upper ends of the davits move over, the loose wedges ?
fall out of or are drawn out of the shackles, but as the strain due to the load is
borne by the shackles the said shackles press the movable jaw towards the fixed
jaw and the jaws are therefore not at liberty to open. When the boat is nearly
low enough to be released the two sets of falls will be as indicated in the dotted
lines in Fig. 1, the falls n being so adjusted in length as that they will tighten
when the boat is low enough to be released. The lowering of the boat continuing
the falls n take the load whereby the falls k slacken, and the closing strain being
taken off the movable jaws they are no longer able to sustain the load and the
boat is released and drops into the water as indicated by the full lines in Fig. 1.
According to this method and supposing the falls n to have been adjusted at some
previous time it would be simply necessary to run out the falls / until the boat
became released by the tightening of the falls n, but this method may be varied,
as for example, both sets of falls may be run out and when the boat would be
lowered sufficiently the falls n may be hauled tight. The falls being then
slackened or let off the boat would immediately be released.
to be raised the davits are lowered until the links can be shipped within the
jaws which are kept closed until the falls & take the strain, and the said falls are
then hauled in so as to bring home the davits which swing the boat aboard and
land it on the skid beams. The said jaws may be kept closed during the hauling
in by inserting the wedge in the shackle, and it may be of advantage to employ
a pin or other contrivance to keep the said wedge from falling out whilst the boat
is being raised. Other methods of working the davits may be preferred to the
methods herein-before described, as for example, when raising the boat the safety
hooks may be hooked into rings attached to the boat, and the boat be raised by
hauling in the falls as before. In such a case I should prefer to ship the links p
into the jaws before landing the boat on the skid beams. This may be effected by
tightening the falls n so as to take the weight of the load and davits. The said
links may then be shipped, the wedges be inserted in the shackles, and the safety
hooks be hooked into the eyes on the shackles.
Various other modifications may
be made in the forms of the parts than those herein indicated so long as the main
feature of my Invention is retained, namely, the holding jaw or jaws kept closed
by the strain upon the fall employed to raise and lower the load, and which is or
are permitted to open so as to release the boat by transferring the said strain to
a second fall. This method of releasing a load may also be employed for other
purposes, as for example, for releasing the loads of cranes and derricks.
Having now fully set forth and indicated the nature of my said Invention and
means whereby the same may be carried into effect, I would have it to be under-
stood in conclusion that I claim-
First. The apparatus for raising, lowering, and releasing boats, formed, arranged,
and acting substantially as set forth and indicated.
Secondly. The method of and means for releasing boats and other loads substan-
tially as herein-before set forth and indicated.
And lastly. The employment for the purposes herein-before indicated of releasing
apparatus in which jaws or a movable jaw is or are kept closed by the strain upon

page_text: the fall or falls employed to raise and lower the load, and which is or are permitted
to open by transferring the said strain to a second fall or set of falls.
In witness whereof, I, the said Godfrey Giovanni Laurence, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
GODFREY GIOVANNI LAURENCE. (LS.)