IMPROVEMENTS IN SUBMARINE BOATS OR VESSELS
Year: 1884

page_text: We, ANDREW CAMPBELL, Gentleman, and JAMES ASH, Naval Architect, both of
36 Pembury Grove, Lower Clapton, in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare
the nature of the said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SUBMARINE BOATS OR
VESSELS" to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to boats or vessels so adapted and fitted that they may be
raised or lowered to any required depth, and be propelled in any required direction,
either upon or beneath the surface of the water, and more especially to the means
for sinking such boats or vessels to the required depth below the surface, and for
raising them to the surface, or to any required position below the same. For these
purposes we propose to employ any required number of displacement chambers
arranged and adapted so as to slide watertight, after the manner of a telescope,
outwards or inwards through stuffing boxes or other suitable jointings in the sides
or other parts of the boats or vessels. These displacement chambers may be of any
suitable shape but preferably cylindrical, and closed at their outer ends. They are
furnished with mechanical, hydraulic or other appliances whereby any one or more
of them can be thrust outwards from the inside of the boat or vessel so as to
increase the buoyancy thereof, giving it a tendency to rise in the water, or be
drawn inwards so as to decrease the buoyancy and give the boat or vessel a
tendency to sink. When the displacement chambers are placed at the sides of the
boat or vessel we prefer to arrange them one opposite the other at each side in
symmetrical positions, and to arrange the appliances for forcing them outwards or
drawing them inwards in such manner that when any one displacement chamber
on one side of the boat or vessel is moved inwards or outwards the corresponding
displacement chamber on the other side of the boat or vessel is moved inwards or
outwards also, and to the same extent; by this means the boat or vessel is kept
balanced laterally. It will be readily understood that by forcing out or drawing
in any particular displacement chamber or chambers, any particular "trim" can
be given to the boat or vessel, that is to say, the stem or the stern may
be raised or lowered at pleasure, so that when the propeller (which may be the
ordinary screw or any other suitable propeller) is set in motion, the boat or vessel
may be driven in an oblique direction upwards or downwards, or if the boat or
vessel is kept on an even keel the propeller will move her horizontally forward or
backward. The boat or vessel may be of any suitable shape such as that known as

page_text: the "cigar shape" properly ballasted to prevent its turning over, and it may be
provided with a turret, conning tower, or dome provided with glass bulls eyes for
electric lights or for look out. The motive power employed may be electricity,
compressed air, or other power suitable for use under water.
We also propose, in some cases, to form an egress and ingress opening in the boat
or vessel whereby a diver can leave the same and return thereto while the boat or
vessel is submerged. This we effect by means of a chamber furnished with an
inner and an outer water tight door somewhat like the arrangement used for the
introduction and withdrawal of workmen to and from the high pressure pneumatic
caissons now employed in the construction of the piers of bridges and other sub-
marine operations, but furnished with proper connections for the air pipes for the
supply of air to the diver while he is absent from the boat or vessel. The method
of operating with this device is as follows:-The outer door next the sea being
shut the inner one is opened and the diver passes from the interior of the boat or
vessel into the chamber and his helmet is connected by a suitable length of tube
with the air supply pipe which passes watertight through some part of the chamber
and is connected to the air pumps or other source of compressed air. The inner
watertight door is then closed, and water admitted from the outside so as to fill the
chamber containing the diver. The outer door is then opened and the diver can
pass out of the boat or vessel in order to fix a torpedo or perform any other
operation required. After which he re-enters the chamber, the outer door is
closed, and the water run out from the chamber into the bilge, or into another
receptacle from whence it may be pumped out into the sea. The inner door is
then opened and the diver returns into the interior of the boat or vessel.
DALL
JDbam 1001
"
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION,
"
We, ANDREW CAMPBELL, Gentleman, and JAMES ASH, Naval Architect, both of
36 Pembury Grove, Lower Clapton, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare
the nature of our said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN SUBMARINE BOATS OR
VESSELS and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had
to the accompanying sheet of Drawings and to the letters and figures marked
thereon:-
Our invention relates to boats or vessels so adapted and fitted that they may be
raised or lowered to any required depth, and be propelled in any required direction
either upon or beneath the surface of the water; and more especially to the means

page_text: for sinking such boats or vessels to the required depth below the surface, and for
raising them to the surface, or to any required position below the same.
In the Drawings hereto annexed Figure 1 is an elevation of a submarine boat or
vessel constructed in accordance with our invention, Figure 2 is a plan of the
same, and Figure 3 a transverse section on line X X of Figures 1 and 2.
In carrying our invention into effect, we employ any required number of
displacement chambers A, arranged and adapted so as to slide, water-tight after the
manner of a telescope, outwards or inwards through stuffing boxes or other
suitable jointings in the sides or other parts of the boats or vessels. These
displacement chambers A may be of any suitable shape but preferably cylindrical,
and closed at both ends. They are furnished with mechanical, hydraulic or other
appliances whereby any one or more of them can be thrust outwards from the
inside of the boat or vessel so as to increase the buoyancy thereof, giving it a
tendency to rise in the water; or be drawn inwards so as to decrease the buoyancy,
and give the boat or vessel a tendency to sink. When the displacement chambers
are placed at the sides of the boat or vessel, we prefer to arrange them one
oppositite the other at each side in symmetrical positions, as shown in Figures 2
and 3 of the Drawings, and to arrange the appliances for forcing them outwards, or
drawing them inwards, in such manner that when any one displacement chamber
on one side of the boat or vessel is moved inwards or outwards the corresponding
displacement chamber on the other side of the boat or vessel is moved inwards or
outwards also, and to the same extent; by this means the boat or vessel is kept
balanced laterally.
One means for forcing out and drawing in the displacement chambers is
illustrated in Figure 3, in which B represents a sbaft turning in a fixed bearing C,
this shaft has a right handed screw thread formed at one end and a left handed
screw thread formed at the other end. The screw threads on the shaft B take into
suitable screw threads formed in the inner ends of the displacement chambers A or
in nuts secured thereto. D is a spoke wheel secured on the shaft B and by which
the said shaft B may be turned in either direction. On turning the shaft B in one
direction by the spoke wheel D the displacement chambers A are forced outwards
by the action of the screws, and on turning the shaft B in the other direction the
displacement chambers A are drawn inwards by the screws. It is obvious that if
the displacement chambers A are too large to be operated by hand power applied
to a spoke wheel, the wheel D may be arranged as a toothed wheel or a worm
wheel and be operated by suitable toothed or worm gearing, and that the
mechanical or other appliances for operating the displacement chambers may be
varied in a great variety of ways to suit various circumstances.
It will be readily understood that by forcing out or drawing in any particular
displacement chamber or chambers any particular "trim" can be given to the boat
or vessel, that is to say, the stem or the stern may be raised or lowered at pleasure,
so that when the propeller (which may be the ordinary screw or screws, as shown
at F in Figures 1 and 2, or any other suitable propeller) is set in motion, the boat
or vessel may be driven in an oblique direction upwards or downwards, or if the
boat or vessel is kept on an even keel, the propeller will move her horizontally
forward or backward.
The boat or vessel may be of any suitable shape such as for example, that known
as the "cigar shape," illustrated in the Drawings, properly ballasted to prevent its
turning over; and it may be provided with a turret, conning tower, or dome G
provided with glass bulls-eyes H for electric lights or for look-out purposes. The
displacement chambers may be protected when thrust out, by guards E secured to
the boat or vessel over and around the openings through which the displacement
chambers pass, it being understood that the said guards are perforated or otherwise
open for the entry of water into them.
The motive power employed may be electricity, compressed air, or other power
suitable for use under water.

page_text: In some cases it may be desired to form an egress and ingress opening in the boat
or vessel whereby a diver can leave the same, and return thereto while the boat or
vessel is submerged. This we effect by means of a chamber furnished with an
inner and an outer watertight door, somewhat like the arrangement used for the
introduction and withdrawal of workmen to and from the high pressure pneumatic
caissons now employed in the construction of the piers of bridges, and in other
submarine operations, but furnished with proper connections for the air pipes for
the supply of air to the diver while he is absent from the boat or vessel. The
method of operating with this device is as follows:-The outer door next the sea
being shut, the inner one is opened, and the diver passes from the interior of the
boat or vessel into the chamber, and his helmet is connected, by a suitable length
of tube with the air supply pipe which passes water-tight through some part of the
chamber, and is connected to the air pumps or other source of compressed air. The
inner watertight door is then closed, and water admitted from the outside so as to
fill the chamber containing the diver. The outer door is then opened, and the
diver can pass out of the boat or vessel in order to fix a torpedo, or perform any
other operation required; after which he re-enters the chamber, the outer door is
closed, and the water run out from the chamber into the bilge, or into another
receptacle, from whence it may be pumped out into the sea. The inner door is
then opened and the diver returns into the interior of the boat or vessel.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that
we do not claim generally devices for raising or lowering submerged boats in the
water, as we are aware that devices for those purposes are already known; nor do
we claim the means described for enabling a diver to leave and re-enter a
submerged vessel, as we have reason to believe that such means have before been
proposed or used, but that what we claim is
In submarine boats or vessels the employment of displacement chambers, 30
arranged and adapted that they can be forced outwards or drawn inwards, by
manual, mechanical, hydraulic, or other appliances, through openings (furnished with
watertight joints) in the sides or other parts of the boats or vessels, whereby the
buoyancy of the said boats or vessels may be increased or decreased at pleasure,
for the purpose of raising or lowering the same in the water, substantially as
hereinbefore described, and illustrated in the Drawings hereto annexed,
Dated this 20th day of April 1000.
ANDREW CAMPBELL
JAMES ASH.
Per W. H. Beck, Agent,
115, Cannon Street, London.
ANDREW CAMPBELL
JAMES ASH.
Per W. H. Beck, Agent,
115, Cannon Street, London.