IMPROVE- MENTS IN GUNS AND EXPLOSIVE PROJECTILES THEREFOR, CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR DESTROYING SHIPS
Year: 1885

page_text: I, HIRAM STEVENS MAXIM, of 57P Hatton Garden, in the County of Middlesex,
Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN GUNS AND EXPLOSIVE PROJECTILES THEREFOR, CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR
DESTROYING SHIPS" to be as follows:-
"
My invention relates to guns and to explosive projectiles therefor, chiefly
designed to be used in place of the torpedoes heretofore employed in naval
warfare.
Torpedoes have been heretofore constructed to be propelled under the water or
upon the surface thereof; but such torpedoes, in order to ensure their coming
into proximity to, or in contact with, the ship or other structure against which
they are directed, must be provided with means for steering them, and, in the
case of those propelled under water, with means for accurately regulating their
submersion.
By my invention I provide for throwing from a gun an explosive projectile.
which is in effect a torpedo, or in other words I provide for firing a torpedo from a
gun. This projectile or torpedo when discharged from the gun will either move
along the surface of the water towards the ship to be destroyed, or will be
projected with a more or less elevated trajectory through the air so that in
descending it will either strike the ship against which it is directed, or will fall
into the water before it reaches the said ship. And my torpedo or projectile is so
constructed that, in the latter case, as soon as it enters the water, it will bo
impelled to rise to, and move along, the surface thereof, and then strike the ship.
In carrying my said invention into practice, I construct a gun the bore or barrel
of which is preferably rifled, and I provide a breech-piece having a chamber or
cavity of smaller diameter than the bore of the gun and of sufficient length to
contain the cartridge or charge. This breech-piece is connected with, and secured
to, the gun in the usual or any suitable manner so that it can be unscrewed and
turned upon a hinge, or otherwise removed, to permit the insertion of the projectile
into the gun and then turned back and tightened to close the breech.
The cartridges or charges which I prefer to employ in my torpedo-gun are
formed in the manner described in the specification accompanying my application
for Letters Patent dated 14th January A.D. 1885 N° 552, that is to say, they are
composed of blocks or pieces of gun-powder of various grades or qualities so
arranged that the block which is first ignited will burn alowly, the next block
more rapidly, and so on. The explosion will, therefore be progressive, and the
initial pressure due to the explosion, although it will be sufficient to move forward
the projectile in the barrel, will not be liable to cause the ignition of the dynamite
or other explosive material contained in the projectile. In order to more effectually

page_text: obviate or prevent liability to explosion of the projectile by the force of the
explosion of the charge in the gun, I usually place a sabot of felt or other soft
material between the projectile and the cartridge or charge, and I make the end of
the projectile of similar material, as hereinafter described.
I sometimes employ interchangeable hollow breech-pieces having charge-chambers
of different diameter, and length, so that a cartridge or charge of any desired size
can be used, and the force to be exerted upon the projectile can thus be regulated,
according to the distance between the attacking position or station and the ship to
be destroyed.
To accelerate or re-inforce the discharge, I sometimes provide the gun with
hollow trunnions which are so constructed and arranged that they can be filled or
loaded with powder after the projectile has been inserted in the barrel. When the
charge in the breech is fired and the projectile thereby moved forward beyond the
trunnions, the powder in the latter will be exposed to, and ignited by, the flame or
heat caused by the explosion of the breech charge and will add its effect to that of
the latter.
My torpedo or projectile is made with a cylindrical central portion of wrought
iron or other suitable material and is usually provided with a conical portion at
each end or at one end only, consisting of felt or similar material covered with thin
sheet metal. The said cylindrical portion is preferably provided with brass or
other metal ribs or projections to fit the grooves in the gun bore or barrel, when
the latter is rifled.
The said torpedo or projectile is provided with a series of longitudinal partitions
which divide it into compartments. In each of these compartments is placed one
or more cartridges or packages of dynamite or other explosive material. The
interstices between these cartridges are filled with felt or similar material so that
the said cartridges will be held firmly in place. By these means accidental injury
to the cartridges by their impact against each other is prevented.
The said torpedo or projectile is moreover made with a tube extending through
its centre from end to end. In this tube is placed the detonator or fulminating
charge, which is preferably attached to one end of a short rod. This rod is so fitted
in the said tube that one of its ends projects from the end of the tube, whilst its
other end, which carries the detonator, lies within the felt or other material in one
of the conical ends of the torpedo or projectile. At, or near, the centre of the
torpedo or projectile, I fix, in the said tube, a pointed rod or the like, against
which the detonator will be driven to explode the torpedo, when the latter strikes
a ship or other object.
The detonator may, if desired, be fixed in the tube so that it will be struck by
the short rod, when the torpedo comes in contact with a ship or other object, but
I prefer to arrange it as above described so that, if the detonator should be
accidentally exploded, it will merely injure the conical end of the torpedo, but will
not cause the explosion of the torpedo.
I sometimes make the torpedo or projectile of a specific gravity slightly less than
that of water and provide it, at its forward end, with an air-chamber or other
suitable means which will impart to it a tendency to rise more rapidly at its
forward end than at its rear end when submerged, so that, when it falls into the
water, it will rise to the surface thereof, and continue its course along the said
surface.
. Although I have hereinbefore described the application of my torpedo and gun
to the destruction of ships, it is obvious that they may be used for other purposes
either on land or at sea.

page_text: Chiefly Designed for Destroying Ships.
I, HIRAM STEVENS MAXIM, of 57º Hatton Garden, in the County of Middlesex,
Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my 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 guns and explosive projectiles therefor, chiefly designed
to replace the torpedoes heretofore used in naval warfare.
Torpedoes have been constructed to be propelled, in some instances, under the
water, and, in other instances, upon the surface thereof, but such torpedoes, in order
to ensure their coming into proximity to, or in contact with, the ship or other
structure against which they are directed, must be provided with means for
steering them, and, in the case of those propelled under water, with means for
accurately regulating their submersion.
By my invention I provide for throwing from a gun an explosive projectile
which is in effect a torpedo. This projectile or torpedo, when discharged from the
gun, will either move along the surface of the water to the ship to be destroyed, or
will be projected with a more or less elevated trajectory through the air, so that, in
descending, it will either strike the ship against which it is directed, or will fall
into the water before it reaches the ship. And my torpedo or projectile is so
constructed that, in the latter case, as soon as it enters the water, it will be impelled
to rise to, and move along, the surface thereof and then strike the ship.
In the accompanying drawings, I have shewn how my said invention may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice.
Figure 1 is a plan of a gun constructed according to my invention.
Figure 2 is an elevation of the left hand side of the said gun.
Figure 3 is a rear end elevation thereof.
Figure 4 is a plan, and
Figure 5 a rear end elevation of the gun detached from its mounting,
Figure 6 is a rear end elevation of the said gun, the breech-piece being removed.
Figure 7 is a longitudinal section on the line x, x, Figure 4.
Figure 8 is a plan, and
Figure 9 a longitudinal central section of one form or modification of my
projectile or torpedo.
Figure 10 is a transverse section on the line x1, x¹, Figure 9.
Figure 11 is an end elevation of the said projectile.
The last four figures are drawn to an enlarged scale.
Figure 12 is a longitudinal central section, drawn to a still further enlarged scale,
shewing a shell or case hereinafter described for containing a charge of gunpowder

page_text: breech-piece, which is fitted to rotate in a ring or collar d¹ formed on a lever or
arm & hinged or pivotted at d to lugs formed on the breech-end of the barrel.
The breech-piece c is hollow or tubular, its chamber or cavity c¹ being of smaller
diameter than the bore of the gun and of sufficient length to contain the cartridge
or charge. The said breech-piece is formed with an intermittent or segmental screw
which fits into screw-threads in the breech-end of the barrel so that the breech can
be readily opened and closed in a well known manner.
To facilitate the opening and closing of the breech, I provide a levere which is
pivotted at e¹ to the breech-piece c. This lever has a short arm e' which, when the
breech is closed and the lever e in the position shewn by full lines in Figure 7,
engages with a notch d³ in the ring or collar d¹, so that the breech-piece is firmly
locked in its closed position. By raising the said lever to the position shewn by
dotted lines in Figure 7, the said breech-piece is unlocked, and the lever then affords
an efficient purchase for unscrewing and screwing up the breech-piece and turning.
the same on its hinge or pivot. A firing pin or striker f is fitted in an aperture or
cavity in the rear end of the breech-piece, and is provided with a spring fl which
surrounds it within the said cavity. A hammer g is pivotted at g¹ to the breech-
piece, and is designed to be operated by means of a lanyard in the usual manner.
The gun is provided with the ordinary or any suitable means for training and
pointing the same.
My projectile or torpedo is preferably made as shewn in Figures 8 to 11 of the
drawings, that is to say, it has a casing h of sheet metal or other suitable material,
the central portion h¹ of which is cylindrical, and the portions h2, h3 of which are
conical. The central cylindrical portion is provided with exterior spiral ribs or
projections of brass or other metal, which fit the grooves or rifling of the bore or
barrel. The said central portion is provided with longitudinal partitions k, which
divide it into compartments. In each of these compartments are placed tubular
cartridges or packages of dynamite or other explosive material. The interstices
between these tubes or packages are filled with felt or similar material to hold the
Baid cartridges firmly in place. By employing tubular cartridges or packages of
the explosive material and placing the same in compartments as above described,
I provide in a very efficient manner for ensuring the rotation of the said material
with the outer casing or shell, and thus avoiding accidental explosion of the
projectile by friction or impact, during the rotation of the same when discharged
from a gun.
The conical ends h², h³ are filled with asbestos, felt or similar material, as at i,
Figure 9, which serves to prevent longitudinal displacement of the said cartridges ;
the said material, at the rear end of the projectile, also serves as a cushion to
prevent, or assist in preventing, the explosion of the projectile by that of the charge
in the gun.
from end to end.
My projectile or torpedo has, moreover, a tube m extending through its centre
In this tube is placed a detonator or fulminating charge as at n,
Figure 9, which is provided with a cap or priming n². The tube m is, if necessary,
perforated as at m', around the detonator, to more effectually ensure the proper
action of the latter. At, or near, the rear end of the projectile, I insert in the
tube ma pointed rod or striker o. This striker is held in a metal socket p, which
is screwed into the end of the tube m, and is provided with a hexagonal head p¹ to
facilitate its insertion in, and removal from, the said tube. The striker is secured
in the socket p a short distance from the rear end thereof by means of a rivet p² of
soft metal, so that, when the projectile is discharged from a gun, the said rivet will,
by reason of the inertia of the striker, be sheared or cut, thus releasing the said
striker. When the projectile strikes the ship or other structure, the said striker
will, by reason of the impetus imparted to it in the flight of the projectile, be
forcibly thrown against the cap n¹ of the detonator n and will thus cause the
explosion of the projectile.
I sometimes attach the detonator to a rod which is fitted in the central tube
Bo that it projects from the forward end thereof, whilst the detonator is within the

page_text: space surrounded by the asbestos or other material in the conical portion of the
projectile. By this arrangement, I avoid liability to explosion of the projectile, by
the accidental explosion of the detonator, as the latter, if exploded accidentally,
will merely injure the conical end of the projectile but will not cause the explosion
of the same.
A pointed rod is, in this case, fixed in the tube m at, or near, the
centre thereof. When the projectile strikes a ship or other object, the detonator is
driven against this pointed rod and thus exploded.
In some instances, I make the projectile or torpedo of a specific gravity slightly
less than that of water, and provide it, at its forward end, with an air-chamber or
other suitable means which will impart to it a tendency to rise more rapidly at its
forward end than at its rear end, when submerged. When a projectile thus con-
structed is fired from a gun and falls into the water, it will rise to, and continue
its course along, the surface thereof.
The charges which I prefer to employ in my torpedo-gun are made up of blocks
or sections composed of different grades or qualities of gunpowder, so that one
block will burn more rapidly than another, as described in the specification of
former Letters Patent granted to me January 14th, A.D. 1885, N° 552. These
blocks are so arranged in the charge that the block at the forward end thereof is
of the slowest burning powder and that at the rear end thereof is of the quickest
burning powder. The charge is, moreover, enclosed in a shell or case like a blank
cartridge, and is provided with means for igniting the powder at, or near, its
forward end. The explosion of such a cartridge or charge will be progressive, and
the initial pressure due to the explosion, although it will be sufficient to move
forward the projectile in the barrel, will not be liable to cause the explosion of the
said projectile. In order to more effectually obviate or avoid liability to explosion
of the projectile in the discharge of the gun, I usually place a sabot of felt or other
soft material between the projectile and the cartridge or charge contained in the
chamber c¹. Or I leave an air-space between the front end of the charge and the
projectile as at a³ in Figure 7, in which figure the projectile is shewn by dotted
lines. Moreover by making the charge-chamber c' smaller in diameter than the
bore, as above described, I provide, in some measure, for diminishing the initial
pressure on the projectile.
One of the said cartridges or charges is shewn in Figure 7. In Figure 12,
I have illustrated the manner in which I provide for the ignition of the said
cartridge or charge at its forward end. q is the cartridge shell or case, that is to
say, the shell or case for containing the charge of gunpowder to be used in the
gun. This shell or case is formed or provided with a socket r at its rear end, into
which socket is screwed a tube 8. A cap or priming t is inserted in the forward
end of this tube, and a rod or striker u is fitted to slide to and fro in the said
tube. This striker is held out of contact with the priming by a spiral spring v
surrounding the said striker within the socket r, which spring presses the striker
against a ring or ferrule w screwed into the rear end of the said socket. The
hammer g of the gun acts through the medium of the firing pin f upon the
striker u and drives the same against the priming t thus igniting the powder at
the forward end of the cartridge. The powder then burns backward, the rapidity
of its combustion increasing, until the rearmost block is consumed.
I sometimes employ interchangeable hollow breech-pieces having charge-
chambers differing in diameter and length, so that cartridges or charges of
different sizes can be used, and the force to be exerted upon the projectile can
be regulated, according to the distance between the attacking position or station
and the ship to be destroyed.
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 :-
First. The combination of a hollow or chambered and hinged breech-piece with
batantialler
and for the purnoge set forth.

page_text: t
Second. The improved gun constructed substantially as described with reference
to Figures 1 to 7 of the drawings for the purpose specified.
Third. The employment, in combination with the barrel of a gun, of inter-
changeable breech-pieces having charge-chambers of different sizes, for the purpose
specified.
J.
Fourth. An explosive projectile or torpedo designed to be fired from a rifled
gun and provided with means for ensuring the rotation of the explosive material
with the outer casing or shell when discharged from the gun, as, and for the
purpose, specified.
Fifth. The improved explosive projectile or topedo constructed substantially as
described with reference to Figures 8 to 11 of the drawings for the purpose
specified.
Sixth. The modification of my projectile or torpedo wherein the detonator is
arranged within the space surrounded by the asbestos or similar material, substan-
tially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
HIRAM STEVENS MAXIM.