An Improved Guard or Torpedo Fender for Ships of War.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Nov., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 1st Sept., 1893-Accepted, 1st Nov., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Guard or Torpedo Fender for Ships of War.
GEORGE HORATIO JONES Surgeon Dentist and Doctor of Dental Surgery
57 Great Russell Street Bloomsbury London do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
My invention consists of an improved folding guard or torpedo fender for ships
of war so that it can by hydraulic or steam power be lifted up or down either above
or constructed moveable at the sides of the vessel & sometimes moved clear of the
water line & this defence shall form a complete guard or fender against submarine
boats & torpedo attacks & shall moreover take up little room when not required to
be in action & otherwise shall not interfere with the way of the ship. 1 attain the
above object by one method in the employment of iron or steel trellis so constructed
as to fold up into a small compas & to open out to any required distance made of
sufficient strength to resist submarine boats & torpedo attacks this steel or iron
construction may be swivelled parallel to the sides of the ship & can be hoisted &
moved by chains or other suitable gear connected with the engine.
By means of an important part of my invention namely hydraulic rams or
cylinders acting on levers would give the required movement & at the same time
act as stays, these would move the folding guard or torpedo fender to or from the
ship & would also support the same in any required position at a distance of 20 feet
or more from the vessel & being equal in weight & regular in movement on both
sides of the ship would thus equipoise the weight & leverage. When greater
security is required & so as to prevent any submarine torpedo boat or torpedo,
skipping under the guard or fender I sometimes provide a complete outer casing
corresponding to the shape of the vessel divided in the centre & hinged or swivelled
on each side to the kelson with one or more moveable extension plates upon its upper
portion & which being acted upon by the hydraulic rams or cylinders moves the
torpedo guard or fender clear of the ship to the required distance & by a reverse
movement of the hydraulic cylinders the whole guard or fender is moved towards
the ship & the outer casing is then drawn close to the ship by means of lifting
gear or chains. By constructing the torpedo guard or fender in sections any
portion injured by attack could be soon replaced. These sections would overlap
one another by a fish scale like arrangement & thus present little if any resistance
to the way of the ship & a fan-like or other movement of such plates may be
employed to protect the stem & stern of the vessel so as to form a complete shell
or outer casing corresponding more or less to the shape of the ship.
It is obvious that without departing from the nature of my invention 1 can
modify the construction of it in any more convenient manner.
Dated this 1st day of November 1892.
GEORGE HORATIO JONES.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Guard or Torpedo Fender for Ships of War.
1, GEORGE HORATIO JONES, of 57 Great Russell Street, London, W.C.,
Surgeon Dentist and Doctor of Dental Surgery (U.S.A.), 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 :-
My invention relates to improved means for protecting ships against the attack
of torpedoes and submarine boats.

page_text: One object of my said invention is to provide improved means whereby the
torpedo guards or fenders of ships of war can be extended for defence more easily
and expeditiously than heretofore, and can be drawn in close to the skin of the
ship or reefed and stowed outside the ship when not required for defence.
Another object of my said invention is to provide for the protection not only of
the sides but also of the bottom of the ship against the attack of torpedoes or
the like.
The torpedo guards or fenders hitherto employed, consist of a kind of trellis or
netting which is usually made in suitable lengths and is formed of wire-rope
grommets connected by metal rings, the several lengths of trellis or netting being
joined together by suitable shackles. These nets are suspended by screw-shackles
from a ridge-rope, which is connected to the outer end of a series of swinging booms
whereby the guard or fender may be kept extended at the required distance from
the side of the ship. When the guard or fender is not required for defence, the
said nets are disconnected from each other and from the ridge-rope, and are then
folded or reefed and stowed on the deck of the ship. The operations of rigging
out the swinging booms, shackling the nets together and to the ridge-ropes, and
finally lowering and extending them, involve a considerable expenditure of time
and labor, and necessitate the use of guys, stays and tackles some of which are
above the line of fire of the guns, and are, therefore, liable to be injured or
destroyed by the shot from the guns. Moreover such fenders or nets afford no
protection to the bottom of the ship, as torpedoes or submarine boats can be made-
to pass under the said fenders or nets.
Now according to one part of my invention, I combine hydraulic or other fluid-
pressure cylinders and, if necessary, chains or wire-ropes or hawsers, or equivalent
devices, with the torpedo guard, fender or net in such a manner that the same can
be very readily lowered and pushed out from the ship into its operative position or
drawn in and raised or reefed, without the use of booms or tackle extending above
the line of fire of the guns.
According to another part of my said invention, I make a guard or fender of
metal plates, which I attach to the hull of the ship and arrange in combination
with operating devices, such as hydraulic or other fluid-pressure cylinders, with or
without chains or ropes connected with lifting-gear, or their equivalent, whereby
the said plates, when required for defence, can be moved outward from the hull of
the ship into their operative position, and, when not so required, can be drawn in
close to the hull in such a manner that they will not materially impede or interfere
with the way or progress of the ship through the water. Moreover, I sometimes
use torpedo-nets in conjunction with the said metal plates in such a manner as to
completely protect the sides and bottom of the ship.
In the accompanying drawings I have shown how my said invention may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a ship-of-war with my improvements.
applied thereto.
Figure 2 is a half-midship section thereof, showing different arrangements of my
improved apparatus hereinafter described.
•
Figure 3 is a similar view to Figure 1, showing the parts in a different
position.
Figure 4 is a half-midship section showing other arrangements of my improved
guard or fender.
Figure 5 is a side elevation, and
Figure 6 a plan of the after part of a ship-of-war, showing the means for protecting
the stern thereof.
Figure 7 is a side elevation, and
Figure 8 a plan of the forward part of a ship-of-war, showing the means for
protecting the bow thereof.
Figure 9 is an end view, drawn to an enlarged scale, illustrating details of
construction.

page_text: Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
In applying the first part of my said invention to the torpedo guards or nets
ordinarily used, the nets A, instead of being suspended from swinging booms as
heretofore, are supported, raised and lowered by means of steel wire ropes B and C,
and hydraulic or other fluid-pressure cylinders D, the main lifting ropes B being
attached to the top of the nets and the tricing lines C being attached to the lower
edge of the nets. These ropes may be passed over rollers or pulleys at the ends of
the rams or pistons D¹ of the fluid-pressure cylinders D, and are then passed
through suitable sheaves fitted either on the upper deck, or in the ship's side as
may be most convenient, and are operated in any suitable manner, automatically or
otherwise.
In order to extend the said nets, and push them out from the side of the ship,
they are first lowered by paying out the steel wire ropes B and C until the nets
hang vertically at the side of the ship; they are then moved out to the required
distance from the ship as shown at A in Figure 2, by the rams or pistons D³, the
main and tricing lines being simultaneously paid out if necessary.
The rams or pistons D₁ of the cylinders on either side of the ship may, if
desired, be coupled together by means of connecting-rods E, over which the main
and tricing lines are passed, and which keep the nets straight or taut throughout
their length, these rods being provided with suitable rollers if deemed necessary.
For moving the nets at the bow and stern of the ship into and out of their
defensive position, I provide hydraulic or other fluid-pressure cylinders F, Figures 5
to 8, the rams or pistons F¹ of which are projected along the middle line of the
ship. Each ram or piston F1 has attached to its end or head a ridge-rope F
connected to eye-bolts E' at the terminations of the connecting-rods E of the
athwart-ship pistons D', so that, when the said piston or ram F¹ is pushed out, the
said connecting-rods will be set taut and the cordon of nets completed.
When it is desired to retract and stow the nets, the main lifting lines B and the
tricing lines C are hauled in, and the torpedo-nets A are drawn to the side of
the ship by the rams D', they are then reefed, automatically or otherwise, by the
tricing lines C and stowed outside the ship above the level of the water, as
shown at A¹.
When it is desired to protect both the sides and the bottom of the vessel, I
provide a comparatively light collapsable shield or casing of steel plate or other
suitable material, so constructed and arranged as to form a complete protection
for the sides and bottom of the ship and corresponding to the shape thereof, which
casing is divided longitudinally in the centre and hinged or swivelled on each side
to the keel or otherwise suitably arranged so that it can be readily moved into and
out of its defensive position.
In the arrangement shown by the broken lines in Figure 4, metal plates G are
pivoted to the keel of the vessel in any convenient manner, for example, as shown
in Figure 9. These plates G are each provided with one or more movable extension
plates H, J, K, the said plates being connected by suitable hinge-joints at H', J, K.
The plates K are secured to the rams or pistons D' of the hydraulic or other fluid-
pressure cylinders D, whereby the plates K are moved away from the ship to the
required distance as shown by broken lines in Figure 4, or, by a reverse movement
of the said rams or pistons D¹, are moved close up to the side of the ship as indicated
by full lines in Figure 4. Chains or ropes L are connected to the extension plates
at the hinge-joints J', the said chains or ropes being also connected with suitable
lifting-gear worked by the engines of the ship, or separately by steam or other
power, so that the lower parts of the outer casing can thereby be lowered into
the position indicated by broken lines in Figure 4, or raised up close to the skin
of the ship as indicated by full lines in Figure 4. The plates G, H, J and K are
made about twenty feet in length so as to form sections of the entire torpedo guard
or fender; I thus provide for enabling any portion injured by attack to be readily
removed and replaced. The plates G may closely abut against each other or
slightly overlap one another, and thus present but little if any resistance to the

page_text: way of the ship; and the plates near the stem and stern of the vessel are connected
with the stem and stern by means of stays or tie-pieces, so that, when in their
operative position, they will be drawn through the water, with the ship in an
efficient manner.
To prevent the water from flowing through the space between the said plates and
the hull of the ship, when the said plates are in their inoperative position during
the progress of the ship through the water, I sometimes provide at the forward end,
and also, if desired, at the rear end of the guard or fender, suitable flanged pieces
or angle-irons and plates, the angle-irons being secured to the ship's side and the
plates being secured at one end to the said angle-irons and at the other end to
the ship's side in such a manner as to maintain the continuity of outline of the
vessel.
To facilitate the replacing of any of the plates when injured, I sometimes
construct and arrange the parts of my improved guard or fender as hereinafter
described, that is to say :-I connect the plates G with the keel of the ship by
means of hinge-pins M, made as shown in Figure 9, and fitting into sockets N
extending longitudinally along the keel and firmly secured thereto. The said
sockets N, throughout their length, are open as shown at N', and the hinge-pins M
are introduced into the said sockets in their proper position relatively to each other
and to the ship, and the plates afterwards secured to the said hinge-pins. The
plates G can then be turned about the axis of their hinge-pins M to lower them
into the position shown by broken lines in Figure 4, and to raise them again into
the position shown by full lines in Figure 4. Should, however, either of the said
plates G be injured so as to render it useless, it can be disconnected from the
corresponding plate H, or the corresponding plate K can be disconnected from the
ram or piston D', and then, by allowing the plate G to turn about the axis of its
hinge-pin M through a sufficient angle, as indicated on the right-hand side of
Figure 9, it may be allowed to become disengaged from the socket N, so that,
when released from the chain L, the plate G or the entire section of the guard or
fender will sink to the bottom of the water; and it can then be replaced by
inserting the hinge-pin M of a new plate or section into the socket N in the manner
indicated on the right-hand side of Figure 9, and then raising the said hinge-pin
and securing the plate or section thereto as above stated.
I also make the hinge-joints H', J', K¹ which connect the plates with each other,
in such a manner that, should either of the plates be injured so as to render it
useless, it can be readily disconnected and replaced by a new one. For instance, I
make the said joints with hinge-pins which can be readily withdrawn when
necessary, the said hinge-pins being secured in place by means of split-pins or other
suitable devices.
In some cases I provide vertical hydraulic or other fluid-pressure cylinders Pat
the bilge and middle line, having rams or pistons P¹, whereby this movable outer
bottom plating or shield may be pushed downward from the ship as shown by the
finely dotted lines in Figure 4, so as to maintain an approximately uniform distance
between the hull of the vessel and the shield at all parts thereof. These vertical
cylinders are preferably secured to the wing and middle line bulkheads; or, if
desired, the deck stanchions and hold-pillars may be converted into cylinders in
which the rams or pistons P1 may work without unduly interfering with the other
structural arrangements of the ship.
It will be seen that the plates G are bent outward near the joint H'. This
arrangement enables me to dispense with the ropes or chains L when the vertical
cylinders are employed, because, after the plates K have been drawn in close to the
side of the ship, the upward movement of the rams or pistons P¹ will not only raise
the plates G up to the bottom of the ship, but will also cause the plates J and H to
turn about their joints H³, K' until they occupy the position indicated by full lines
in Figure 4.
. I sometimes dispense with the plates H, J and K, and employ torpedo-nets A,
arranged as above described, in conjunction with the plates G as shown in Figure 2;

page_text: or I connect the lower edge of the nets, as at A', to the upper edge of the plates G
in such a manner as to form a continuous protecting guard or fender from the water-
line to the keel, on both sides of the vessel.
The plates G shown by broken lines in Figure 2 are pivoted to the keel and are
raised and lowered by means of the ropes or chains L which are attached to the
upper edge of the said plates.
When vertical cylinders P are used, as shown in Figure 3 and by the finely
dotted lines in Figure 2, for raising and lowering the plates G, I provide the said
plates with extension plates G' connected by hinge-joints at G* to the said plates G.
In this case, after the plates G have been raised by the rams or pistons P', the
extension plates G¹ are raised and lowered by the ropes or chains L. In Figures 1, 3, 5
and 7, the nets in their defensive position are shown by dotted lines.
When greater security is required in cases where the said guard is pivoted to the
keel, and to prevent any submarine torpedo-boat or torpedo passing or skipping
under the guard or fender, I sometimes make the plates G with hinge-joints at a
suitable distance from the keel so that, when the said plates are lowered, the
portions thereof next the keel will extend vertically downward therefrom; or [
make the plates G with downwardly projecting plates on their underside, hinged or
otherwise connected thereto.
By my said invention, the torpedo guard, net or trellis can be extended or
retracted in less time and with less labor than hitherto, and without liability to
injury of any of the parts by the firing of the guns.
It is obvious that, without departing from the nature of my invention, I can
somewhat modify the construction of my improved apparatus. For instance I can,
if desired, use movable arms or stays arranged midway between the rams or
pistons D', for the purpose of supporting the guard, fender or net when in its
defensive position, thus diminishing the number of cylinders and rams or pistons
required.
The whole apparatus is, if desired, so arranged that it can be operated or
controlled by the officer in charge, from the bridge or conning-tower, with the aid
of electric, pneumatic, hydraulic or other suitable apparatus.
I sometimes apply my improved apparatus to a ship in such a manner that all
the parts thereof are below the water-line, as shown for example in Figures 1, 2, 3
and 4, and the guard or fender and the rams or pistons are thus protected
against an enemy's fire. In other instances, I apply the said apparatus, as shown
in Figures 5 to 8, so that the rams or pistons D₁ are a short distance above the
water-line.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
First. The improved method of providing for the movement of a ship's torpedo-
guard, fender or net into and out of its operative position, without the use of
tackle extending above the line of fire of the guns, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
Second. The combination, with a ship or vessel, of a torpedo guard, fender or
net, and suitable mechanism for moving the same into and out of its operative
position, whieh mechanism is arranged entirely below the water-line and is thus
protected against an enemy's fire, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Third. The combination, with a ship or vessel, of a torpedo guard, fender or net,
and fluid-pressure cylinders provided with rams or pistons (with or without the
connecting rods for coupling together the said rams or pistons), substantially as,
and for the purposes, above specified.
Fourth. The combination, with a ship or vessel, of torpedo nets, fluid-pressure
cylinders, and ropes or chains, so arranged that the said nets, when drawn in
close to the hull, may be reefed and secured outside the same, substantially as
described.

page_text: Fifth. A protecting guard or fender for ships, consisting of metal plates arranged
in combination with fluid-pressure cylinders and chains or ropes, or equivalent
mechanism, whereby the said plates may be moved into and out of their operative
position as required, substantially as, and for the purposes, above specified.
Sixth. The combination, with the ship or vessel and the guard or fender
composed of metal plates, of vertical fluid-pressure cylinders for lowering and
raising the said guard or fender or portions of the same, substantially as, and for
the purpose, above specified.
Seventh. The employment of torpedo-nets in conjunction with a guard or fender
formed of metal plates, substantially as, and for the purposes, above specified.
Eighth. The metal plates connected with the keel by a hinge-joint comprising a
socket provided with a lateral opening for the introduction and disengagement of
the hinge-pin, substantially as, and for the purposes, above specified.
Ninth. The combination, with a ship or vessel, of the torpedo guard, fender or
net and the apparatus for moving the same into and out of its operative position,
constructed and arranged substantially as described with reference to either of the
forms or modifications shown in the accompanying drawings, for the purpose
specified.
Dated the 1st der of September 1002
GEORGE HORATIO JONES.
D. Young & Co.,
11 & 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.