DETACHING GEAR FOR SHIPS' BOATS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Hudson, of Blyth, in the County of
Northumberland, Blacksmith for an Invention of DETACHING GEAR FOR
SHIPS' BOATS
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Hudson at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th July 1883.
ROBERT HUDSON of Blyth in the County of Northumberland Blacksmith
"DETACHING GEAR FOR SHIPS' BOATS
"
My invention relates to an improved arrangement of detaching gear by which
the following advantages are attained viz: instantaneous automatic action when
the boat is equally water borne; security against detaching one end without the
other, or against accidental detaching, by a double locking of the slip hooks and
further greater facility for attaching the boat to the tackle blocks which can be
done by one man in the boat.
At each end of the boat is a slip hook the hinge of which is an eye standing
just above the "thwart" and may form the top of a vertical stanchion. The point
of this hook when engaged is held down by a bridle or loop catch having its
fulcrum below the "thwart," on the stanchion, and a double lock is effected by the
tail end of the bridle or loop catch engaging with a projection on the hinged
portion of the hook so that should one lock action fail the other keeps the hook
closed. The catches are so attached as to their fulcra, that one is disengaged by a
pull downward the other by a thrust upward and each is connected by a vertical
rod to a hollow disc, formed of two round plates, having its axis carried preferably
by a bracket or stanchion close to the keel of boat. These discs are connected by
a rod or tube so as to make their action upon the catches simultaneous. At one or
both ends of the boat a spring is fitted so as to be constantly acting to disengage
the bridle catch and set the hook free, which tendency is counteracted by the
weight of the boat suspended in the tackles, but as soon as the boat is lowered,
so as to be equally water-borne, the springs disengage the catches, the hooks fly
open and free the boat from the tackle blocks at both ends simultaneously. Should
one end only be water-borne by unequal lowering by the rolling of the ship or by

page_text: a wave striking the boat, the book at that end cannot be opened, the weight of
the boat on the other end, acting through the rod connecting the two ends, holding
both hooks closed against the action of the springs. Instead of springs the
releasing action may be effected by weights on one side of the discs which may be
eccentric to their axes to increase the leverage or weights may be attached to other
convenient points but I prefer to use springs. When hanging in the tackles to
prevent accidental detaching a lock pin is inserted at one end. The operation of
attaching the boat to the tackles is easily effected by one man who, having made
one end fast goes to the other end and closes the hook without requiring another
man to keep.fast the hook first attached as is necessary with existing automatic
detaching gear.
'
The gear is perfectly protected from injury, being under the thwarts and boxed
in, the only projection above the thwarts being the hinged ends of the hooks and
a small portion of the bridle catches.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent and of
an Order of the Lord Chancellor filed by the said Robert Hudson in the
Patent Office on the 12th February 1884.
ROBERT HUDSON of Blyth in the County of Northumberland Blacksmith
DETACHING GEAR FOR SHIPS BOATS.
My invention relates to an improved arrangement of detaching gear by which
the following advantages are attained. namely: instantaneously automatic action
when the boat is equally water-borne ; Security against detaching one end without
the other, or against accidental detaching by a double locking of the Slip hooks
and further greater facility for attaching the boat to the tackle blocks which can
be done by one man in the boat. At each end of the boat is a slip hook the hinge
of which is an eye, standing just above the "thwart" and may form the top of a
vertical stanchion. The point of this hook when engaged is held down by a bridle
or loop catch having its fulcrum below the "thwart," on the stanchion, and a
double lock is effected by the tail end of the bridle or loop catch engaging with a
projection on the hinged portion of the hook so that should one lock action fail
the other keeps the look closed. The catches are preferably so attached, as to their
fulcrum, that one is disengaged by a pull downward the other by a thrust upward
and each is connected by a vertical rod to a hollow disc formed of 2 round plates
having its axis carried preferably by a bracket on stanchion close to the keel of
boat. These discs are connected by a rod or tube so as to make their action upon
the catches simultaneous. At one or both ends of the boat a spring, or weight
acting by gravity, is fitted so as to be constantly acting to disengage the bridle
catch and set the hook free, which tendency is counteracted by the weight of the
boat suspended in the tackles but, as soon as the boat is lowered so as to be equally
waterborne, the springs or weights disengage the catches the hooks fly open and
free the boat from the tackle blocks at both ends simultaneously. Should one end
only be waterborne by unequal lowering, by the rolling of the ship or by a wave
striking the boat, the hook at that end cannot be opened the weight of the boat on
the other end acting through the rod connecting the 2 ends holding both hooks
closed against the action of the springs or weights. When it is desired to effect
the releasing action by weights I propose to place them within the discs, which
work eccentrically on their axes, to increase the leverage or the weights may be
attached to any other convenient point so as to act by their momentum to release
the hooks when the descent of the boat is stopped by being equally waterborne.
When hanging in the tackles, to prevent accidental detaching, a lock pin may be
inserted at one end but the double lock action of hook renders this alinost needless.
The operation of attaching the boat to the tackles is easily effected by one man
who, having made fast one end, goes to the other end and closes the book without
requiring another man to keep fast the hook first attached (as is necessary with
existing automatic detaching gear) the double locking action of the hooks giving
additional security against slipping loose whenever properly attached. The gear
is perfectly protected from injury, being under the "thwarts" and boxed in, the
only projection above the " thwarts" being the hinged ends of the hooks and a
small portion of the bridle catches.

page_text: Figure 1.-Shews my double lock slip hooks attached to shackles of lower blocks
of lowering tackle with a boat suspended by the hooks which are closed and
locked.
Figure 2. Shews my double lock slip hooks detached from the shackles of lower
blocks by the automatic action of the detaching gear on the boat being equally
waterborne A and A¹ are the shackles of lower blocks of lowering tackle B. B¹ the
hinged parts of the double lock hooks working on pins C. C¹, in double eyes D. D¹,
formed on tops of stanchions E. E. F and F¹ are the lever straps or bridle
loops, binged on pins G. G', in the stanchions E. E¹ which pass through the keel
of boat. Each of the straps or bridle loops has a catch piece K. K¹ formed upon
it and each of the hinged parts. B. B₁ of the hooks, has a corresponding projecting
tooth L. L which, when the hooks are closed and the lever straps F. F¹ raised at
their upper or loop ends (so as to slip over the points of the hooks) engage with
each other forming, with the straps, a double lock to prevent the hooks opening by
accident while the boat is suspended by them.
From the tail ends of the lever
straps F. F, vertical rods M M' connect them with one arm of " bell-cranks'
(enclosed in discs) N. N¹ which are carried by the stanchions E. E¹ close to bottom
of boat. The other arms of these bell-cranks are connected by a rod or tube R
which runs from end to end of the boat near the keel and is securely boxed in.
Upon the vertical rod M a heavy weight 0 is fixed to act by gravity upon the
detaching gear or, as I propose in some cases, the acting weight may be enclosed
in or form part of one of the discs being placed eccentrically to the fulcrum of
the bell crank as indicated by the dotted lines. When springs are used they may
be applied to any convenient part of the gear as for instance (as indicated) to the
tail arm of lever strap F acting in tension to detach the hooks. The automatic
action is the same whether weights or springs are used the weight of the boat
tending to keep the hooks double locked and the weights or springs acting to set
them free, as soon as the weight of the boat is taken off by being equally water-
borne. Should one end of the boat only be waterborne the hooks will not detach,
the weight of the boat on the suspended end preventing that book and, through
the gear, the other hook from slipping.
Figures 3 and 4 illustrate the meaus by which the attaching may be effected by
one man in the boat who after attaching one end to the tackle block goes to the
other and attaches it. The disc N forming the bell-crank is shewn to a larger
scale for clearness. In Figure 3 the hook is closed (as shewn in Figure 1) The
end of fore and aft rod R is formed with a "gab," to take hold of the pin P, and
has a tail piece which, in this position is just clear of the stud S in disc, the rod R
now connecting the gear at both ends of boat. When the boat is released (as
shewn in Figure 2) the falling of the weight has brought the disc N into the
position shewn in Figure 4 in which the stud S has raised the "gab" end of
rod R clear of the pin P and so, breaking the connection between the ends of
the boat, either end of which can now be attached and remain so till the other
end is also attached the act of doing so making automatically the connection by
the "gab" engaging with the pin P and the action of the gear is again automatic
and simultaneous in detaching
Having now described my invention and illustrated the modes in which
I consider it may best be carried into practical application, I declare that what
I consider novel and claim as my invention are
First a tumbling or slip hook with a strap or bridle having a double lock action
constructed and operating substantially as shewn and described.
Second In conjunction with such slip hooks the application of weights acting
by gravity, or of springs, with suitable gear to detach the hooks automatically and
simultaneously substantially as shewn and described.
Third: The disengaging arrangement of the connecting rod between the ends of
boat by which the hook at either end may be attached and remain so until the
other book is attached, substantially as shewn and described.

page_text: :
Fourth The combination of parts forming the automatic detaching gear
consisting of the double locking hooks the releasing gear operated either by
springs or by falling weights and the connecting rod to cause the releasing action
to be simultaneous the whole constructed and operating substantially as shewn and
described
-
In witness whereof I the said Robert Hudson have hereunto set my hand and
seal this tenth day of January in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and eighty four
Witness:
T. J DANSON F. Inst P.A.
Consulting Engineer & Patent Agent
Newcastle on Tyne
ROBERT HUDSON (L.S.)