Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 8th June, 1886.
Complete Left, 8th Mar., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 7th Apr., 1887.
ANNIBAL LÉGÉ Scientific instrument maker of 79 Turmill Street London E.C. do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to a torpedo provided with one or more directing blades or
wings and ballasted in such a way that the torpedo by the mode of the attachment of
the cord is always propelled in a proper floating position.
This torpedo can be constructed in any geometrical shape such as ellipsoidal, ovoidal
or cigar shape etc which are devised for reducing the resistance opposed to their
motion by the inertia of water or in any non geometrical shape whatever.
The torpedo is filled with an explosive substance, compound or mixture and
provided with a suitable exploding device.
When at rest, the torpedo lays at the bottom of the water at a convenient distance
from the shore, and it is connected with the shore, or river-bank or with a ship placed
near the shore, by means of a steel wire, a cord or a chain.
Should an enemy's ship attempt to make for or to too nearly approach the coast, a
harbour or a town, the torpedo ship would steer in such a manner as to place the
enemey's ship across the line joining the torpedo to the torpedo ship and between the
said torpedo and the said torpedo ship; or where the torpedo ship cannot be employed
any mode of propelling the cord or chain to which the torpedoes are attached can be
used such as a horse pulling in at a certain speed or any device of hauling in the rope
or chain.
It could then run away from the enemy's ship, or wind up the wire, rope or chain
to which the torpedo is attached or yet combine these two operations which would be
effected at speeds convenient for the purpose and experimentally or otherwise
determined.
The torpedo would thus be made to rise from the bottom of the water and the rope,
or chain or wire coming into contact with the keel of the enemy's ship the direction
of the pulling of the rope or chain would be altered from an upward into a downward
direction.
The resistance of the water then exerts itself on the wings or blades of the torpedo
and, combined with the modes of attachment and of ballasting of the said torpedo

page_text: causes the latter to rise at an angle, kite fashion, and strike the vessel's bottom in such
a manner as to explode the charge which it contains and thus destroy the enemy's
ship.
An automatic arrangement for the protection of harbours or of the mouths of rivers
or any part of coast or cape could be provided in the following manner:
A number of pulleys, say two or more could be concealed under ground or at the
bottom of the water, at the entrance of a harbour or at the mouth of a river and be
made to continually revolve. An endless chain or rope, running over these pulleys
would by means of chains or ropes attached to it carry two or more torpedoes of my
system and these torpedoes could be made to float at any required depth below the
surface of the water according to their speed of travelling and to strike the hull of
any vessel attempting to enter the harbour or river mouth.
In foggy weather or at night time the motion of the chain or rope may be made
automatic and arranged so that the torpedoes will travel to and fro in two opposite
directions without striking each other and traverse the stream or river continuously
preventing any craft from passing their line.
Each torpedo is attached by a rope or line or chain of a suitable length to the
depth of the water to the main rope or chain.
The torpedo is constructed in such a way that it cannot be caught by nets protecting
the ships from the attacks of torpedoes; its form and mode of attachment are such
that if it comes into contact with the net it will pass underneath it and strike the hull
of the ship.
If not required for action the torpedo will remain harmless at the bottom of the
water the device of exploding being constructed in such a way that it will only act
when the wire or rope is drawn at a certain speed.
T
1
201 T
1007
J. A. BERLY,
Agent.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Torpedoes.
ANNIBAL LEGE Engineer of 31 Kirby Street Hatten Garden London 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.
My Invention relates to a torpedo working by traction.
The body of the torpedo can be constructed in any geometrical shape such as
ellipsoidal ovoidal or cigar shape etc. which are devised for reducing the resistance
offered to their motion by the inertia of the water. Or it can, if desirable, be
constructed in any non geometrical shape whatever.
The body of the torpedo is provided with one or more directing blades or wings and
is ballasted in such a manner that by the mode of attachment of the cord the torpedo
is always propelled in a proper floating position.
The torpedo is filled with an explosive substance compound or mixture. Its total
weight, explosive included is such that when at rest it has just sufficient weight to
remain at the bottom of the water.
The head of the torpedo is provided with a percussing cap and the said cap is
protected by a nipple which renders it harmless when at rest.
The attaching cord is fixed to the protecting nipple of the percussion cap and
passes over a pulley fixed on the torpedo at a point where the tail of the torpedo will
be heavier than the head so as to bring forward the percussion cap.
In the accompanying drawing, in Fig. 1, T is the torpedo with its directing-shaped
blades the pulley over which passes the propelling cord c.
The torpedo being loaded and attached and also in the conditions of equilibrium
above described will, when the attaching cord is pulled, rise toward the surface like
a kite rises into the air. At that time the closing nipple is reversed and the percussion
cap is ready for action. When the traction is released, the nipple closes automatically,
rendering the torpedo harmless again.
In Fig. 2, M represents a man-of-war protected by a net N or torpedo-catcher.
The torpedo T has been hauled by the traction of the attaching cord e and the steam
launch or torpedo boat from which the traction is effected is running away from the
man-of-war. The torpedo will come into contact with the net in n, it will then deflect
the net and slide under it as shown in T¹ and strike the vessel in n³.
Fig. 3 illustrates two men-of-war engaged in a naval combat: M and M¹.
S is a
steam launch or torpedo boat belonging to the M side and going to attack M.
S holds a cord to which are attached the two torpedos T T laying at the bottom of the
sea or hanging from the cord.
The craft will get on the other side of M, in S¹, discharge its Whitehead's
torpedos W and Wat M', then run away from M. The corde will successively
occupy the positions c¹ c" and the torpedos T T, hauled from the bottom will rise
toward the surface of the water and consequently toward the vessel M¹. As soon
as the attaching ropes of the torpedos come into contact with the keel of the vessel M',

page_text: the striking of the hull becomes a certainty. Any torpedo failing to strike remains
intact and is ready for use on another occasion.
Figs. 4 and 5 are a plan and an elevation illustrating a circuit of torpedo patrolling
continually a given line so as to protect a pass or the entrance of a harbour. H is
a station where hydraulic or other power is generated; C is a main cord, cable or
chain to which the torpedos TTT... . . are attached by means of the cords cccc...
at suitable distances from each other. The cord is made to move forward and
backward at a certain speed and the torpedos T TT ..... are constantly patrolling the
line, floating at a striking level and constantly and effectively protecting, by day as by
night, the harbour or pass against the ennemy.
The cord may be hauled, at the critical moment, by any other means should there
be no hydraulic or steam power available PP P... are pulleys fixed at the bottom
and over which the main cord C is running.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is:
1º. The construction of a torpedo provided with directing wings or blades and
propelled by traction the action of the said torpedo being such than when disturbed
from its resting position by being hauled from a cord attached to it it will rise toward
the surface of the water in the same manner than a kite rising in the air, substantially
as herein before described and illustrated.
2º. The automatic arrangement of the percussion cap making the torpedo harmless
when at rest and offensive when in motion, substantially as hereinbefore described.
3º. The mode of attachment for bringing the torpedo into its proper equilibrium
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated.
4. The arrangement of one or more circuits of torpedos continually patrolling a
given line substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated.
1
Th
J. A. BERLY,
Agent.