Improvements in Directors for." Whitehead" Torpedoes and the like.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application. 14th Sept., 1893-Accepted. 11th Nov., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Directors for." Whitehead" Torpedoes and
the like.
I, WALTER GORDON WILSON of Dunardagh, Blackrock, in the County of
Dublin, Engineer, 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 :—
Heretofore the "directors" for Whitehead torpedoes and the like have been
constructed in such a manner as to afford facility for directing the torpedo in
accordance with the assumed course and speed of the enemy's vessel, while the
deflection due to the speed of one's own vessel (the attacking vessel) had on each
occasion to be calculated from a table constructed for each particular vessel. Now
my invention consists in constructing directors in such manner as to afford not only
the facility as heretofore for directing the torpedo in accordance with the assumed
course and speed of the enemy's vessel but also to afford facility for directing the
torpedo in accordance with the speed of the attacking vessel and that not by
resorting to calculation by the aid of a table, which involves occasional and serious
mistakes, but by means of mechanical appliances forming additions to the present
instrument. These additions consist essentially in an index bar or training bar
which is connected adjustably to the present index bar (which represents the course
direction of the torpedo while in the water) by means of a link or other equivalent
part provided with indications of the speed of the attacking vessel.
In the accompanying drawing,
Figure 1 is a plan view of a form of instrument constructed in accordance with
my invention,
Figure 2 is a section on the angular line a b,
Figure 3 a section on line a¹,
Figure a section on line cd,
Figure 5 a section on line e f
Figure a section on line g 1,
Figure 7 a section on line ij,
Figure 8 a section on line ki and
Figure 9 a section on line y y.
Figure 10 is outline plan view of a simplified form of instrument.
A, Figure 1 is my index bar or training bar, B the present index bar or course
director and Ca link which by a block T thereon and a pivot F1 Figure 2 connects
the two. The training bar A is mounted on the axis D of the graduated arc E
and by preference and as here shown arranged below the course director B. The
training bar A is by means of the clamping screw A' adapted to be clamped to any
point of the arc E. On the training bar A, and guided in a slot thereof, slides a
block or socket F which by the screw FI can be clamped to the bar A and whereto
the link C is pivoted by the bolt F1; the latter is provided with graduations
indicating the speed of the attacking vessel in knots. The link is also by the
bolt U pivoted to a block or socket U capable of sliding on the course director B
and of being clamped thereto by means of the screw B' in any required position as
ascertained by experiment for each particular vessel fitted with such an instrument.
The link C is continued beyond the course director B and its further end is by the
bolt V1 pivoted to a socket or block V which is capable of sliding on and being
clamped by a screw G' to any required part of what I call a controlling link G, the
other end of which link is jointed to a block or socket W capable of sliding on and
being clamped to a radius bar H having its fulcrum on the axis D of the arc E; its
outer end can be clamped, in any required position on a sinall fixed graduated
L

page_text: Instead of the present arrangement of the enemy-speed-indicating-bar Q I prefer
to fix upon the latter a wheel Khaving its centre or axis on the course director B
and capable of being clamped in any required position by means of a link L
pivoting on the same axis and provided with brake L' L and kept connected to
the base limb E' of the arc E by means of a parallelogram link M. The course
director Qmay as here shewn in Figure 9 be cast in one with the wheel K and its
pivot D. The enemy's-speed-bar Q is graduated in knots. The inner end of
the course director B is provided with a block N capable of sluding thereon and
having a block O pivoted thereto by the clamping screw B and capable of sliding
in the slot of the sighting bar P. The latter is provided with sights P and P
The sighting bar P is connected to the enemy's-speed-bar Q as at present by
sliding block and pivot Q'.
On the arc E are provided stops R which limit the travel of my training bar in
accordance with the possible angle of training of the torpedo tube. The end of
the course director B is provided with a guide S and a screw S₁ for attaching a
pointer thereto for measuring the angle between the training bar A and the course
director B when the instrument is being adjusted. This pointer would be set in
the direction of the radial line -a. The bent or set off form of the index
bar B allows the block T to be moved on the bar C in such manner that the angle
between the radial linee and the training bar A can be brought to zero. Tis
a screw for clamping the block T to the link C.
The mode of using this form of instrument is as follows: The various adjustable
limbs of the instrument are assumed first as found by experiment to have been
clamped into their proper position viz. the outer block U on the course director B,
the block on the controlling link G, the block W on the radius bar H and
the outer end of the said bar to the small arc I. It is also assumed that the
clamp N on the inner end of the course director B is set according to the speed of
the torpedo about to be discharged. The bar C for indicating the speed of the
attacking vessel is then adjusted by clamping the sliding block T on the link C by
means of the screw T at the point indicating the speed of the attacking vessel. I
then by means of the screw Q clamp the sliding block Y to the point on the bar Q
indicating the speed of the enemy's vessel, move the said box in the direction in
which the enemy's vessel is steering and brake the wheel K attached to that bar.
The training bar A is then moved on the graduated are E until the sights P¹ P
on the sight bar P bear properly upon the enemy's ship (making allowance for the
time taken for opening the standbye valve and training the tube), and the corre-
sponding reading on the arc E thus given by the training bar A gives at once the
required training of the torpedo tube.
If my instrument is specially constructed for each torpedo tube it may be greatly
simplified in construction that is to say the pin U₁ instead of passing through a
block U sliding on the bar B would pass through a lug formed on the side of the
bar, the pin V instead of being formed on the block V would pass through the
controlling link G, the lower end of which latter instead of being pivoted to a
block W sliding on the radius bar H would be pivoted to the base limb E' or a lug
formed thereon; the radius bar H and the are I would then also be dispensed with.
In Figure 10 is shewn the outline of such a construction.
By my invention I am able to ascertain by mechanical means with rapidity and
certainty the correct training of the torpedo tube without any mental calculation
which was heretofore required and which especially at critical moments involved
the possibility of mistakes. Also instead of so to say waiting for the enemy's vessel
to come in line with the sights I bring the sights and torpedo at once to bear
upon her.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. In directors for Whitehead torpedoes and the like the application and use of

page_text: a training bar which by means of a link or equivalent part provided with gradua-
tions for indicating the speed of the attacking vessel is connected to the present
course director so as to indicate by mechanical adjustinent of the parts the proper
training of the torpedo tube without making any calculation aided by a table.
2. The constructions of director described with reference to the drawings, that
is to say, the adaptions of the ordinary director to the purpose set forth.
Dated this 19th day of September 1893.
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.