Improved Means for Preventing the Sinking of Ships and Vessels in Distress.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Nov., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 3rd June, 1897-Accepted, 20th Nov., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Preventing the Sinking of Ships and Vessels
in Distress.
I REGINALD HADDAN of the Firm of Herbert Haddan & Co. Patent Agents of
18 Buckingham Street Strand London W.C. Patent Agent do hereby declare the
nature of this invention (a communication to me from abroad by the Société
"L'Insubmersible" Directeur Gérant Mr Bruel, of 68 Rue de la Chausseé d'Antin
Paris in the Republic of France) to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide means by which ships and vessels that
have sprung a leak or been damaged in such a way as to endanger their sinking may
be sustained so as to avoid this result.
At all suitable places in the vessel where they may be placed without interfering
with the use of the vessel there are arranged collapsible balloons or chambers of any
form and made of impermeable and resistent fabric each with one or more safety
valves to prevent too great a pressure of inflation, and divided if desired into
compartments.
These chambers are retained by easily rupturable fastenings in a collapsed state
and are connected by pipes with reservoirs of compressed air or gas for instance
carbonic acid gas or with pumps by means of which they may be readily and quickly
inflated and expanded whenever emergency occurs.
Dated this with doxe of Nouembar 1906
Improved Means for Preventing the Sinking of Ships and Vessels
in Distress.
I, REGINALD HADDAN, of the Firm of Herbert Haddan & Co., Patent Agents, of 18,
Buckingham Street, Strand, W.C. London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention (a communication to me from abroad by the Société
"L'Insubmersible" Directeur Gérant Mr Bruel, of gbis Rue Albouy Paris in the
Republic of France) and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained, in and by the following statement :-
The object of this invention is to provide means by which ships and vessels that
have sprung a leak or been damaged in such a way as to endanger their sinking may
be sustained so as to avoid this result.
At all suitable places in the vessel where they may be placed without interfering
with the use of the vessel there are arranged collapsible balloons, bellows, or chambers of

page_text: any form and made of impermeable and resistant fabric each with one or more safety
valves, to prevent too great a pressure of inflation, and divided if desired into
compartments.
These chambers are retained by easily rupturable or expansible fastenings in a
collapsed state and are connected by pipes with reservoirs of compressed air or gas
for instance carbonic acid gas or with pumps by means of which they may be readily
and quickly inflated and expanded whenever einergency occurs.
In the annexed drawing
Fig. 1 is a detail, showing two open bellows filled with gas or air.
Fig. 2 shows a section of a vessel with these apparatus provided and folded under
the decks.
Fig. 3 shows a section of a vessel in distress, these apparatus being expanded.
This system consists of receivers placed under the deck, in the free spaces and
capable to expanding at the time of danger under the pressure of compressed air
or gas, and to form thus floats, preventing a vessel from sinking.
B is a receiver of caoutchouc, impermeable cloth, or any other analogous material,
in the form of an accordion or of any other form allowing of folding or compressing it
for holding as little space as possible, when it is not in use.
It is kept foldel or compressed together, by means of elastic strings E¹ capable of
extension under the pressure of the gas or of the air which swells the receivers or by
means of non elastic strings, F of a resistance calculated in order that they may break
as soon as the receivers begin to swell.
D are the tubes which put the receivers B into communication with air-pumps, or
with a reservoir of compressed air or of liquid carbonic acid installed at a convenient
place in the vessel. In the latter case one uses an expander for avoiding too strong
pressure.
C are safety valves provided on the receivers B for the purpose of allowing the gas
or the air to escape, if the pressure in the said receivers becomes stronger than the
walls of the receiver B can withstand.
When the ship is not in danger, the receivers B are folded or compressed under the
decks, as shown for example in Fig. 2. When the water enters through a leak which
endangers the security of the vessel, the captain, by means of a tap placed on the
bridge, or elsewhere, may send the compressed air or the gas into the conducts D,
whence it passes into the receivers B which it expands as shown in Figs. 2 and 3,
forming thus a series of floats which prevent the vessel from sinking.
There is indicated here one construction of the invention, but it is well understood
that the construction can be varied without departing from the scope of this invention.
The apparatus may be made to operate automatically by causing the receiver for
the air or gas to be expanded by the rising water acting upon float taps.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
Receivers B placed under the decks of the vessels and in empty spaces thereof;
the said receivers capable of being folded or compressed, in order to occupy as little
space as possible at ordinary times and being put by means of conducts D into com-
munication with one or more pumps or reservoirs for compressed air or gas, in such a
manner that by the opening of the taps, valves, etc., the compressed air or gas swells
the receivers B, which form as many floats intended for securing the insubmergibility
of the vessel.