IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING THE SIDES OF SHIPS, BATTERIES, AND FORTIFICATIONS, AND IN APPLYING ARMOUR PLATES THERETO
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edwin Owen Hallett, of Weymouth, and Melcombe
Regis, in the County of Dorset, Cabinet Maker, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING THE SIDES OF SHIPS, BATTERIES, AND
FORTIFICATIONS, AND IN APPLYING ARMOUR PLATES THERETO."
Sealed the 24th November 1863, and dated the 11th June 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edwin Owen Hallett at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 11th
June 1863.
I, EDWIN OWEN HALLETT, of Weymouth, and Melcombe Regis, in the
County of Dorset, Cabinet Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING THE SIDES OF SHIPS, BATTERIES,
AND FORTIFICATIONS, AND IN APPLYING ARMOUR PLATES THERETO," to be as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in constructing the sides of
ships, batteries, and fortifications, and in applying armour plates. thereto. For
these purposes in constructing the main framing wrought iron is employed,
consisting of angle iron or T iron, either rolled or built up in parts rivetted
together. Over this framing a skin of iron plating is fixed, as has heretofore
been practised; outside of the skin teak or oak or suitable backing is applied,
together with stringers of iron at intervals bolted to the skin and angle irons,

page_text: through which backing and stringers upright bolts are passed, which are fixed
by screw nuts or otherwise. Each of the armour plates is bent by preference
into a portion of a circle, so that there will be ridges and furrows formed in the
structure. The wood or other suitable backing is formed into alternate ridges
and furrows corresponding with and so as to fit the outline or contour produced
at the backs of the bent armour plates. It is preferred that the armour plates
should be affixed in such manner that the butt joints formed where the ends of
the plates of one strake come together should come intermediate of or break
joint with the butt joints of the next strakes. The butt joints of the armour
plates which form the ridges are fixed together by rivets, passed in each case
through the two armour plates near their edges, where they come together
and form a ridge. The armour plates are fixed by means of through bolts
passed through them, also through the backing skin and ribs or framing,
where they are fixed by screw nuts.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edwin Owen Hallett in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
11th December 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWIN
OWEN HALLETT, of Weymouth, and Melcombe Regis, in the County of Dorset,
Cabinet Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Edwin Owen Hallett, Her especial licence that I, the said Edwin
Owen Hallett, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Edwin Owen Hallett, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS
IN CONSTRUCTING THE SIDES OF SHIPS, BATTERIES, AND FORTIFICATIONS, AND IN
APPLYING ARMOUR PLATES THERETO," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Edwin Owen Hallett, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particu-
larly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what

page_text: 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edwin Owen Hallett, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to 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 constructing the sides of
ships, batteries, and fortifications, and in applying armour plates thereto. For
these purposes in constructing the main framing wrought iron is employed,
consisting of angle or T iron, either roller or built up in parts rivetted together.
Over this framing a skin of iron plating is fixed, as has heretofore been
practised; outside of the skin teak or oak or suitable backing is applied,
together with stringers of iron at intervals bolted to the skin and angle irons,
through which backing and stringers upright bolts are passed, which are fixed
by screw nuts or otherwise. Each of the armour plates is bent by preference
into a portion of a circle, so that there will be ridges and furrows formed in the
structure. The wood or other suitable backing is formed into alternate ridges
and furrows corresponding with and so as to fit the outline or contour pro-
duced at the backs of the bent armour plates. It is preferred that the armour
plates should be fixed in such manner that the butt joints formed where the
ends of the plates of one strake come together should come intermediate of or
break joint with the butt joints of the next strakes. The armour plates at the
butt joints, which form the ridges, are fixed together by rivets passed in each
case through the two armour plates near their edges where they come together
and form a ridge. The armour plates are fixed by means of bolts passed
through them, also through the backing skin and ribs or framing, where they
are fixed by screw nuts.
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.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a vertical section of a portion of a ship's side constructed and
clothed with armour plating according to my Invention.
a, a, are the angle or T-iron ribs of the ship, and b, b, the skin of iron plating
fixed thereto; c, c, is the teak or other suitable backing; d, d, are the iron
stringers bolted at intervals to the skin and angle irons; e, e, are upright
bolts passing through the backing and stringers, and secured by screw nuts;

page_text: these bolts assist in carrying the weight of the armour plates, the use of them
is not, however, essential to the solidity. of the construction; f, f, are the
armour plates, they are each curved, so that when they are placed together
they form a ridge and furrow surface; the backing c, c, is made, as the
Drawing shows, to fit the back of the armour plates; 9, 9, are the through
bolts securing the armour plates; and h, h, are rivets. binding the armour
plates together along the horizontal joints. The vertical joints of the armour
plates are made simply by butting the plates together, and, as before mentioned,
the butts of one strake of armour plates are arranged to fall intermediate of
the butts of the next strakes. By curving the armour plates in the manner
described a projectile striking near the edge of the plate is caused to glance off
towards the middle, and there in the strongest part of the plate it expends
itself. At this part also it will be observed that the plate is supported by the
longitudinal stringer.
I would remark that the use of longitudinal metal stringers in the backing
between the skin and the armour plating gives great strength to the structure,
it forms an important feature of my Invention, and one which may be applied
advantageously when flat armour plates are used. i, i, are the deck beams,
some of them, say every third or fourth, protrude through the skin b, b, and
are shaped at the end to receive the stringer d. These parts are shown on a
larger scale in Figures 2 and 3; Figure 2 is a side view of the end of one of
the deck beams which protrude through the skin, and in the same figure there
is also shown the angle or T-iron ribs a, the skin b, and the stringer d, with
the bolt securing it to the stringer. Figure 3 is a section of the deck
beam and other parts taken at the line 1, 1, Figure 2.
fortifications may be similarly constructed.
Land batteries and
In witness whereof, I, the said Edwin Owen Hallett, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Ninth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
EDWIN OWEN HALLETT. (L.S.)