Method and Means for Increasing and Reducing the Draught or Immersion of Ships and Removing Water therefrom.
Year: 1896

page_text: Method and Means for Increasing and Reducing the Draught or
Immersion of Ships and Removing Water therefrom.
I, JOHN FREDERICK CREASE, C.B., of Sion, Stourbridge, in the County of
Worcester, Major General in Her Majesty's Army (retired), do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
According to this invention in order to increase the draught or immersion of
a ship, water is admitted into a suitable chamber or chambers and in order to
reduce the draught or immersion of the ship water is forced out by means of air or
under pressure which entering the said chamber or chambers displaces the
water. I construct or provide a ship with one or more fluid tight compartments.
into which by opening a suitable valve or valves water can be admitted from outside
the vessel and with a reservoir or reservoirs in which air or gas can be stored
under pressure in readiness for use and between which and the water compartment
or compartments I provide suitable communication with controlling valve or valves
by opening which air or gas under pressure can be admitted to the water
compartment or compartments so as to force out the water thus lightening the ship.
My invention can be advantageously applied in the construction of war ships in
suchwise that the draught or immersion of a ship can on going into action be
increased for protective purposes by admitting water to the water compartment or
compartments and that when it is required to lighten the ship this can be readily
done by admitting compressed air or gas from the reservoir or reservoirs to the
water compartment or compartments. Vessels of various types may be constructed
as above set forth. For fighting purposes one form of vessel resembles a cigar
ship with armoured super-structure and with fore and aft keel with rudders. By
admission of water the draught of such a vessel may be increased to such an extent
that the external water will serve to protect the main portion of the hull during
action, after which she can be readily lightened by admission of compressed air
or gas to the water compartment or compartments so as to displace water there-
from as aforesaid. A vessel constructed with compartments in connection according
to my invention with a reservoir or reservoirs of compressed air or gas may by
establishing communication between such reservoir or reservoirs and the com-
partment or compartments into which water is leaking be by the displacing action
of the compressed air or gas prevented from sinking.
Water from the water compartment or compartments can be discharged through
the water inlet valves or through separate non return valves; but the construction
and arrangement of the connections and controlling means employed in carrying
out my invention may obviously be varied. In some cases it may be found con-
venient to displace water from the water compartiment or compartments by forcing
air or gas therein directly by means of suitable pumping or forcing apparatus.
Dated this 13th day of March 1896.

page_text: Method and Means for Increasing and Reducing the Draught or
Immersion of Ships and Removing Water therefrom.
I, JOHN FREDERICK CREASE, C.B., of Sion, Stourbridge, in the County of
Worcester, Major General in Her Majesty's Army (retired), 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 :-
According to this invention in order to increase the draught or immersion of
a ship, water is admitted into a suitable chamber or chambers, and in order to
reduce the draught or immersion of the ship, water is forced out by means of air
or gas under pressure, which, entering the said chamber or chambers, displaces the
water. I construct or provide a ship with one or more fluid tight compartments,
into which, by opening a suitable valve or valves, water can be admitted from
outside the vessel, and with a reservoir or reservoirs in which air or gas can be
stored under pressure, in readiness for use, and between which and the water
compartment or compartments I provide suitable communication, with controlling
valve or valves, by opening which air or gas under pressure can be admitted to the
water compartment or compartments, so as to force out the water, thus lightening
the ship.
My invention can be advantageously applied in the construction of war ships, in
suchwise that the draught or immersion of a ship can, on going into action, be
increased for protective purposes, by admitting water to the water compartment
or compartments, and that when it is required to lighten the ship this can be
readily done by admitting compressed air or gas from the reservoir or reservoirs
to the water compartment or compartments. Vessels of various types may be
constructed as above set forth.
Water from the water compartment or compartments can be discharged through
water inlet valves or through separate non-return valves; but the construction and
arrangement of the connections and controlling means employed in carrying out
my invention may obviously be varied. In some cases it may be found convenient
to displace water from the water compartment or compartments by forcing air or
gas therein directly by means of suitable pumping or forcing apparatus.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings shows a transverse section of a vessel
embodying my invention, and Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a modification.
The vessel is provided in its lower part with a number of separate compartments 1
and 2, and with air reservoirs 3 which are shown as being at the respective sides
of the lower part of the vessel. 4 and 5 are central compartments one on each
side of the keel plate; each constitutes a kind of trunk, which has an opening or
openings controlled by a valve or valves through which water from without the
ship can enter the trunk, and through which water can be expelled from the trunk.
The trunk 4 is in communication by any suitably arranged openings or passages
provided with controlling valves with each of the compartments 1 to and from
which it is required to be able to admit and remove water. The trunk 5 is in
communication by any suitably arranged openings or passages provided with
controlling valves with each of the compartments 2 to and from which it is
required to be able to admit and remove water. The arrangement is such that
when the valve is open which controls the communication between any of the
compartments 1 or 2 and the trunk 4 or 5 respectively, water can be caused to
pass from the trunk to such compartment or vice versa. An air pump or pumps is
or are provided by which the air reservoirs 3 can be charged with compressed air.
Each compartment 1 and 2 is connected at its upper part by a suitably arranged

page_text: pipe or pipes provided with a controlling valve to one or other of the air reservoirs 3..
Each compartment 1 and 2 may also be providel at its upper part with one or
more air exit valves and it may be with suitable indicating' means for readily
showing the height of the water in the compartments.
The compressed air controlling valves may be connected together in any suitable
way so that they can be opened or closed together or in any required order from.
any convenient place. The air exit valves may be similarly connected together for
a like purpose.
With the arrangement described it will be readily seen that upon opening the
air exit valves so as to permit air to escape from the upper parts of the com-
partments 1 and 2 and also opening the valves controlling communication between
such compartments and the trunks 4 and 5, so as to allow water to enter the
compartments 1 and 2 water may be admitted and the draught of the vessel
be thereby increased to an extent depending upon the weight of water so
admitted and limited only by the capacity of the compartments 1 and 2, and that
afterwards the vessel can be readily and quickly lightened by closing the air exit
valves and opening the water exit valves and admitting compressed air from the
air reservoirs to the water compartments which have to be emptied so as to displace-
water therefrom as aforesaid.
As will be obvious the number and arrangement of the water compartments and
air reservoirs can be variously modified from those shown in the drawings, which
are merely given by way of example. The air pump need only be a comparatively
small one which acting for a suitable and comparatively long time will compress
air to the desired pressure in the air reservoir or reservoirs. The air so com-
pressed can however be allowed to pass rapidly into the water compartment or
compartments in order to raise the vessel very quickly when so desired.
In the modification illustrated in Fig. 2, each of the trunks 4 and 5 in addition
to being in direct communication (through an inlet valve or valves provided at its.
lower part) with the body of water on which the vessel floats, is also provided with
a water discharge pipe 6 (or there may be more than one) whose lower end opens.
into the corresponding trunk whilst the outer end discharges outside the ship's hull
at any convenient distance above load water line.
A vessel constructed with a compartment or compartments in connection.
according to my invention with a reservoir or reservoirs of compressed air or gas
may, by establishing communication between such reservoir or reservoirs and the
compartment or compartments into which water is leaking, be speedily freed from
such water by the displacing action of the compressed air or gas, and so prevented
from sinking.
My invention may advantageously be applied in vessels used as floating docks
for the purpose of increasing or reducing the draught or immersion thereof to suit
requirement. In this case the air or gas under pressure may be supplied to a
compartment or compartments of the vessel from a reservoir or reservoirs, located
therein, or on a pontoon alongside thereof, or on a wharf or jetty alongside or near
which the floating dock is brought.
By the use of an air or gas reservoir or reservoirs as described, an air pump of
small power and comparatively small cost can, by being kept running for the
necessary time, be used to slowly compress a sufficient quantity of air or gas to the
desired pressure in readiness for immediate use for forcing water from a war-ship,
floating dock or other type of ship or vessel in a short time, in such quantities as
would otherwise necessitate the use of water pumping engines of enormous power
if the water had to be pumped from the water chamber or chambers.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A ship or vessel adapted to be for protective or other purposes lowered in the
water or increased in draught or raised so as to reduce its draught according to

page_text: requirement in the manner set forth the increase of immersion being effected by
admitting water into a suitable chamber or chambers in the ship or vessel and the
reduction of draught or immersion of the ship or vessel being effected by forcing
out water from such chamber or chambers by means of air or gas under pressure
which is admitted to the said chamber or chambers in such a way as to displace
the water therefrom, substantially as described.
2. Constructing a ship or vessel with one or more fluid tight compartments,
with means whereby water can be admitted from outside the ship or vessel, and
with a reservoir or reservoirs in which air or gas can be stored under pressure in
readiness for use and between which and the water compartment or compartments
there is provided suitable communication with controlling valve or valves, the
arrangement being such that by opening the valve or valves air or gas under
pressure can be admitted to the water compartment or compartments so as to
force out water therefrom and thus lighten the ship or vessel substantially as
described.
3. The method hereinabove described and of which two examples are illustrated
of removing water from a ship or vessel by means of air or gas under pressure as
set forth.
4. My improvements in ships or vessels substantially as described and shown for
increasing and reducing the draught or immersion thereof.
J. FRED. CREASE.
W. Lloyd Wise,
46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, W.C., Patent Agent for the Applicant.