AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR CLEANING SHIPS' BOTTOMS AFLOAT
Year: 1885

page_text: I, JAMES CLARK of 6 Vicarage Street North Shields in the County of Northum-
berland, Master Mariner, do hereby declare the nature of said invention for "AN
IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR CLEANING SHIPS' BOTTOMS AFLOAT "to be as follows:-
r
"
This invention consists of a series of frames, preferably of wood, hinged together
so as to adapt themselves to the form of the ship and fitted with scrubbers or hard
brushes made of fine cane, bamboo, coir or other suitable material. To the opposite
corners, at each end, ropes or chains, leading to a block, are attached and on the
opposite sides are eye bolts" or "cleats to run upon wire rope guides stretched
from end to end of ship attached to chains passed around ship one close to bow the
other at stern. On each of these chains is a block which takes the " bight" of a
rope or chain leading from the straps of the blocks on ends of scrubber frame and
back round sheaves of said blocks from which the ropes or chains lead through
blocks, fixed at bow and stern respectively, preferably to one of the winches.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-The chains round ship at each
end with the scrubbers attached, one on each side of ship, one being close to keel
and the other at water line; each scrubber, commencing close up to the bow or stern,
is drawn by the tackle ropes along the entire length of the ship, between the chains
round ship, guided on the wire guide ropes and kept in contact with the ship by
the buoyancy of the water and thus a portion corresponding to the width of the
scrubbers is cleaned. The chains round ship at bow and stern are now "surged'
round so as to move the scrubbers on to a fresh portion, the scrubber at water line
being moved downward toward the keel, the extent of its width, and that at the
keel being moved upward toward the water line to the same extent till the whole
surface on both sides is cleaned.
"
Instead of brushes, scrapers may be fitted into the frames but hard brushes are
preferred as a scrubbing action, which will remove barnacles or other shell fish, as
well as grass and other vegetable growth, without injuring the paint or composition
coating, is what is desirable.

page_text: .
I JAMES CLARK of 6 Vicarage Street, North Shields in the County of North-
umberland, Master Mariner, 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 :-
"
"
This invention consists of a series of frames, preferably of wood, hinged together
so as to adapt themselves to the form of the ship and fitted with scrubbers or hard
brushes, made of fine cane, bamboo, coir steel or iron wire or other suitable
material. To the opposite corners, at each end, ropes or chains, leading to a block,
are attached and on the opposite sides are
eye bolts 01 "cleats" to run upon a
wire rope, guide or guides stretched from end to end of ship attached to chains.
passed around ship one close to bow the other at stern which latter may pass
through eye bolts to keep it close to form of ship and enable scrubbers to clean the
and under "Counter." On each of these chains is a block which takes the
"bight" of a rope or chain leading from the straps of the blocks on ends of scrubber
frame and back round sheaves of said blocks from which the ropes or chains lead
through blocks, fixed at bow and stern respectively, preferably to one of the
winches.
"
run
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The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-The chains round ship at each
end with the scrubbers attached, one on each side of ship, (when two are used) one
being close to keel and the other at water line, each scrubber commencing close up
to the bow or stern, is drawn by the tackle ropes along the entire length of the
ship, between the chains round ship, guided on the wire guide ropes and kept in
contact with the ship by the buoyancy of the water and thus a portion corre-
sponding to the width of the scrubbers is cleaned. The chains round ship at bow
and stern are now "surged" round so as to move the scrubbers on to a fresh
portion, the scrubber at water line being moved downward toward the keel, the
extent of its width, and that at the keel being moved upward toward the water line
to the same extent till the whole surface on both sides is cleaned.
Instead of brushes, scrapers may be fitted into the frames but hard brushes are
preferred as a scrubbing action, which will remove barnacles or other shell fish, as
well as grass and other vegetable growth, without injuring the paint or composition
coating is what is desirable.
On the accompanying sheet of drawings, I have illustrated the construction of
the apparatus, and the modes of applying it, but I do not restrict myself to the 3
application as convenient modes will suggest themselves according to special
circumstances without affecting its efficiency.
Figure 1 shews a face view of the scrubber raft with brushes attached and
Fgure 2 an end view of same. It is shewn composed of 3 wood frames A A A

page_text: joined by binges B B preferably of brass but leather may in some cases be used.
CCC are cleats or eye bolts to run on the wire rope or chain guides D D. EE
are the ropes or chains attached to corners of the scrubber raft and joining at the
strap at a block F at each end. G G are the brushes of which one or more may be
used on each frame their backs being bolted to the wood frames A A A and brushes
may be replaced by scrapers when desirable.
Figure 3 shews a side elevation of a screw steamer with the apparatus in opera-
tion. Figure 4 is a cross midship section of same and Figure 5-is a view looking
on stern to shew the mode of operation of scrubbers to clean the run and under the
counter. A A¹ shews two scrubbers one operating at water line the other near the
keel. His a rope or chain taken round ship under the keel as near the stem as
practicable and H³ is another rope or chain taken round ship under the keel close
up to the stern post and caused to follow the form of ship approximately by cleats
provided for the purpose or by a binding chain through screw aperture or other
device. To these ropes or chains H H the wire rope or chain guides D D are
secured and between them blocks J J¹ the sheaves of which take the "bights" of
the hauling ropes or chains K K¹ one end of which is attached to the strap of
block F on scrubber and the other ends, after returning from blocks J J¹ and
passing round sheaves of block F lead away to each end of ship through holes L L
in bulwarks at bow and stern (which may be fitted with sheaves) and may then be
taken to winches.
The operation of the scrubbers is easily understood. Commencing at one end
the scrubber is hauled along the whole length of vessel by the ropes or chains K
or K (the other hauling rope slacking off) and guided by the ropes or chains D D
while its buoyancy keeps the brushes in contact with the vessels side and a strip
equal to the width of scrubber having been cleaned the end ropes or chains H¹
are surged round to bring the scrubbers on to a fresh strip and the process is
repeated by hauling the scrubbers back to the other end of vessel and so continue
till the whole surface from water line to keel or vice versa is cleaned. The dotted
lines on Figure 3 shew an alternative plan of working the scrubber a which will
be found in many instances perfectly effective and simple. A single guide rope or
chain d extends from the rope or chain H¹ to a cleat at the stem or it may be
extended round the other side of the vessel and secured to the rope or chain H¹.
One of the hauling ropes attached to forward end of scrubber passes round or
through an eye bolt or block at e at stem and thence up to the hawse hole L' on
same side or round the stem to the opposite hawse hole and thence to winch barrel
on deck of vessel. The other hauling rope leading from after end of scrubber
passes through a block j¹ on rope or chain H₁ at stern and through a hole L in
bulwark to winch barrel on the deck of the vessel.
It will in some cases as when the ship is moving through the water under steam
or canvas, be found more effective to haul the scrubber in one direction only (say
from stem to stern) and in such cases the scrubber will be hauled back again over
the cleaned strip before being moved on to a fresh portion.
In some cases only one scrubber raft instead of two may be used applied first to
one side and then to the other and will in many cases be found sufficient.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
First. The construction of the floating scrubber raft in hinged sections fitted with
one or more brushes as may be required substantially as shewn and described.
Second. The method of applying and operating floating scrubber rafts in cleaning
ship's bottoms afloat by means of a guide rope or ropes (or chains) stretched from
end to end of ship secured to chains passing round ship at stem and stern (or at
either end) the scrubber working on guides along whole length of ship in either or

page_text: both directions and from water line to keel or vice versa by blocks and tackle
substantially as shewn and described.
Third. The combination of parts constituting the apparatus consisting of the
floating hinged raft fitted with brushes and guide shackles, the guide rope or ropes
the surging chain or chains and the blocks and tackle for hauling the raft in contact
with ship from end to end substantially as shewn and described.
BA
1
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.