IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Edward Symonds, of No. 10, Adam Street,
Adelphi, in the County of Middlesex, Captain in the Royal Navy, for the
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS AND OTHER
VESSELS."
Sealed the 18th September 1866, and dated the 22nd March 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Edward Symonds
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd March 1866.
I, THOMAS EDWARD SYMONDS, of No. 10, Adam Street, Adelphi, in the
County of Middlesex, Captain in the Royal Navy, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS
AND OTHER VESSELS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the construction of ships
and other vessels. For these purposes in constructing a ship or vessel in
order to obtain a more advantageous training and working of broadside guns,
the ports or openings for such guns are recessed into the sides of the ship or
vessel, and the two sides of each recessed port are inclined to each other,
and such is the case in regard to the bottom and top of each recessed port.
The sides and the bottom and top of each recessed port are armour-plated
and constructed as strongly as the other or contiguous parts of the sides of
the ship or vessel, the frames or ribs being formed accordingly, and when

page_text: desired a slit or narrow passage is made through the top or on either or
both sides of the port for the purpose of sighting, and the size of the actual
opening through which the gun is pointed may be as small as possible.
By thus recessing the port holes of broadside guns the guns are necessarily
brought more inboard, and consequently the weights are carried in positions
more suited to carrying and fighting heavy guns. At the same time guns so
situated can by reason of the recessing of the ports be trained over or com-
mand a far greater range or arc than they could were a ship or vessel
constructed with ordinary port holes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Edward Symonds in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 22nd September 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
EDWARD SYMONDS, of No. 10, Adam Street, Adelphi, in the County of Middle-
sex, Captain in the Royal Navy, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Thomas Edward Symonds, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas
Edward Symonds, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Thomas Edward Symonds, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, tho said Thomas Edward Symonds, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their bands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Edward Symonds, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same

page_text: is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-.
This Invention has for its object improvements in the construction of ships
and other vessels. For these purposes in constructing a ship or vessel in
order to obtain a more advantageous training and working of broadside guns
the ports or openings for such guns are recessed into the sides of tho ship
or vessel, and the two sides of each recessed. port are inclined to each other,
and such is the case in regard to the bottom and top of each recessed port.
The sides and the bottom and top of each recessed port are armour plated
and constructed as strongly as the other or contiguous parts of the sides of
the ship or vessel, the frames or ribs being formed accordingly, and, where
desired a slit or narrow passage is made through the top or on either or both
sides of the port for the purpose of sighting, and the size of the actual opening
through which the gun is pointed may be as small as possible. By thus
recessing the port holes of broadside guns the guns are necessarily brought
more inboard, and consequently the weights are carried in positions more
suited to carrying and fighting heavy guns. At the same time guns so
situated can by reason of the recessing of the ports be trained over or
command a far greater range or are than they could were a ship or vessel
constructed with ordinary port holes.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention I will proceed more fully
to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows part of a side elevation of a ship or vessel, and Figure 2 a
plan in section of part of the side of a ship or vessel formed with a port hole
and a narrow slit or sight opening above it according to my Invention;
Figure 8 shows part of a side elevation, and Figure 4 a plan in section of
part of the side of a ship or vessel with an ordinary port hole e, but having a
I would state that these
narrow slit or sight hole c, c, above the same.
narrow slits or sight boles c, c, may be at the sides of port holes, but I prefer
them to be above the port holes, as shown in the Drawings. Figure 5 shows
an elevation, Figure 6 a plan in section, and Figure 7 a side elevation of
shutters on vertical axes or hinges for closing the port holes constructed
according to my Invention; Figure 8 is a side elevation, Figure 9 a plan,
and Figure 10 a side elevation of shutters on horizontal axes for closing port
holes constructed according to my Invention.
The port holes a, a, it will be seen are recessed inwards, by which the
guns
are brought more inboard, and are consequently in positions more suited

page_text: to carry and fight heavy guns. The inclined sides of the port holes are to
be armour plated and constructed as strongly as may be. The removing of
the weight of the guns inward by recessing and forming the sides of the port
holes, as shown, increases the arc of training of the guns as compared with the
present construction of port holes for broadside guns and at the same time a
greater angle of depression and elevation of the guns is obtained than in ships
or vessels constructed with turrets. The embrasures constructed according to
my Invention may be conveniently and advantageously closed by shutters b, b,
either moving on vertical or horizontal axes or hinges, as shown in the
Drawings, by which the embrasures or recess will be closed, and so as to
present a fair or entire side to the sea and also mask the guns.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Edward Symonds, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.