IMPROVEMENTS IN LIFE BOATS
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Skelton at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 3rd August 1883.
GEORGE SKELTON of Millwall in the County of Middlesex, Naval Architect,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LIFE BOATS
"J
A life boat according to my invention is constructed of material (such as
galvanized steel of mild quality) that will not suffer from exposure to the wenther,
the lines adopted being varied to suit the different trades wherein the vessels that
carry the boats may be engaged.
At a suitable distance (say from three to four feet) from each end of the boat
I provido a bulkhead to render the ends of the boat air tight, and at each side of
the boat I provide within it reverse frames of curvilinear shape which I plate
over to form side air tight chambers bulging inward to a suitable extent, say to
about twelve inches from the outside frames at the widest part. These side
chambers are continued from the fore bulkhead to the after bulkhead and securely
attached to them the attachment being conveniently made by a steel angle frame.
The plates placed over the reverse frames may be of the same thickness as the
outer plating and connected to the outer plating by flanges on the edges of the
plates or by steel angle pieces.
By building the side chambers or air compartments as parts of the boat its
strength is materially increased and considerable additional buoyancy is secured.
The side chambers or compartments and the end ones are provided with man
holes having air tight covers, and screw plugs at bottom. Brackets of metal plate
are fitted at the bottoms of the side chambers or compartiments and connected to
the boat's frames when these frames are cut through to allow the lower flange of
the inner plating or the connecting angle bar to be rivetted to the outside plating.
Thwarts and benches are fitted as usual in ships boats being connected to plate
knees rivetted on to the inner sides of the air chambers or compartments

page_text: Round the gunwale I work double wales of suitable material such as teak or
American elm, one inside and one out, and these are bolted through and through
with clenched bolts. On the tops of these wales I work a covering board of teak,
American elm or other suitable material which is screwed down to the wales
The requisite rowlocks are fitted through the covering board and inner wale.
Slings are attached to the bulkheads for hoisting the boats or can be connected
to the keel in the case of large boats
A boat as described may be constructed to provide a surplus buoyancy in the
air chambers or compartments equal to about three times the entire weight of the
boat thus rendering it practically insubmergable, whilst the peculiar formation of
the air compartments renders the boat self righting.
The air tight compartments may be divided into any number of smaller
compartments by transverse bulkheads.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said George Skelton in the Patent Office on tho 1st February 1884.
GEORGE SKELTON of Millwall in the County of Middlesex, Naval Architect.
IMPROVEMENTS IN LIFE BOATS
A life boat according to my invention is constructed as hereinafter described of
steel (such as galvanized steel of mild quality) that will not suffer from exposure
to the weather, the lines adopted being varied to suit the different trades wherein
the vessels that carry the boats may be engaged.
The accompanying sheet of drawings illustrates a life boat embodying my
improvements:-Fig 1 being a side elevation, Fig 2 a plan; Fig 3 a midship
section; Fig 4 a section shewing my improved construction at the bottom of one
of the side air chambers, and Fig 5 a section illustrating the improved construction
at the gunwale.
At a suitable distance (say from four to five feet) from each end of the boat I
provide a bulk-head a. a¹ to render the ends of the boat air tight, and at each side
of the boat I provido within it reverse frames b of curvilinear shape which I plato
over to form side air-tight chambers c bulging inward to a suitable extent say to
about fourteen inches from the outside frames at the widest part. These side
chambers are continued from the fore-bulkhead a to the after bulkhead a¹ and
securely attached to them, the attachment being conveniently made by a steel
angle frame.
The plates d placed over the reverse frames 6 may be of the same thickness
as the outer plating e and connected to the outer plating by flanges ƒ on the
edges of the plates or by steel angle pieces.
By building the side chambers or air compartments o as parts of the boat its
strength is materially increased and considerable additional buoyancy is secured.
The side chambers or compartments c and the end ones g. 9 are provided with
man holes having air tight covers h and screw plugs at bottom. Brackets i of
metal plate are fitted at the bottoms of the side chambers or compartments and
connected to the boats frames whon the vertical flanges of these frames are cut
through to allow the lower flange of the inner plating or the connecting angle bar
to be rivetted to the outside plating.
Thwarts and benches are fitted as usual in ships boats, being connected to plate
knees rivetted on to the inner sides of the air chambers or compartments.
Round the gunwale I work double wales k. l. of suitable material such as teak
or American elm, one (2) inside and one (k) out, and these are bolted through and
through with clenched bolts m On the tops of these wales I work & covering
board n of teak, American elm or other suitable material which is screwed down
to the wales.
The requisite rowlocks are fitted through the covering board and inner wale.
Slings are attached to the bulk-heads for hoisting the boats or can be connected
to the keel in the case of large boats.
A boat as described may be constructed to provide a surplus buoyancy in the
air chambers or compartments equal to about three times the entire weight of the
boat thus rendering it practically insubmergable whilst the peculiar formation of
the air compartments renders the boat self righting.
The air-tight compartments at the sides are divided into three or more separate
compartments by transverse bulk-heads o each of these transverse bulkheads being
provided with a man-hole and air-tight cover. By the removal of these covers
every part of the air chambers is accessible from the inside,

page_text: When necessary the self-righting power of the boat may be further increased by
the addition of a solid bar of iron of sufficient weight secured to the tops of the
floors inside the boat for which provision is made by steel straps connected to the
reverse bars on the tops of the floors. The boat may also be made self-relieving
by the addition of a steel water-tight floor in the bottom fitted with tubes and
valves to allow any water that is shipped to pass through the bottom.
Having described the nature of my said invention and in what manner it is to
be performed I declare that what I consider to be novel and original and therefore
claim as secured to me under the Letters Patent first hereinabove in part
recited is :-
1. A life boat constructed with hull and air chambers of steel substantially as
hereinabove described with reference to the drawings.
2. In a metallic life boat the hereinabove described improved construction of
side air chambers with reverse frames of curvilinear shape, the said chambers
being connected to the fore and after bulkheads and to the boats frames and
outside plating as above explained with reference to the drawings
3 In a metallic life boat providing the gunwale with outer and inner wales k.
and a covering n as described and illustrated.
•
4. In a metallic life boat the improved construction above described whereby
every part of the outer shell and the insides of the air chambers are made
accessible without removing any part of the structure of the boat except the inan
hole covers.
__In_ witness whereof I the said George Skelton have hereunto set my hand and
seal this first day of February in the Year of Our Lord one thousand eight.
hundred and eighty-four.