Improvements in or relating to Boat Lowering and Disengaging Appliances.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Dec.,
1898
Complete Specification Left, 13th Sept., 1899-Accepted, 14th Oct., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Boat Lowering and Disengaging
Appliances.
I, GEORGE SPEIRS ALEXANDER RANKING, of Napier Mansions, Tunbridge Wells,
in the County of Kent, M.D., Lieutenant Colonel, Royal Army Medical Corps,
Indian Medical Service, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention to be as
follows:-
The object of my invention is to construct improved appliances whereby boats
may be safely lowered in a seaway, both ends of the boat being simultaneously
released, thus ensuring the safe descent of the boat into the water and obviating
all danger of entanglement of the falls, or of one end of the boat hitching up,
which are so frequently the causes of loss of life when lowering boats at sea.
According to my invention I provide in addition to the ordinary falls a pair
of (preferably steel) chains, the lower ends of which pass through or are otherwise
suitably attached to a guide collar, and are linked near the outer ends of a pair of
suitably constructed lever arms, which are pivoted together centrally at the
lower end of a ram or piston working vertically in the guide collar. The
central junction of these lever arms is thus or otherwise suitably weighted
in order to assist in keeping the arms in a horizontal position or at a suitable
angle not less than 90° with the axis of the ram, and is connected by tackle with
the aforesaid collar, and also with a chain having an anti friction roller fitted
to its lowest link engaging with a slip lever hook pivoted to a block suitably
attached to the boat approximately amidship. The outer ends of the arms engage
in the links of two chains attached respectively to the stem and stern of the
boat. The pivoted slip hook is fitted with a lanyard or lanyards by pulling which
the slip hook becomes disengaged from the chain overhead.
In using the disengaging apparatus, the boat with the above gear is lowered
from the central davit until it is near enough to the water to be let go.
The person in charge of the beat then pulls the lanyard smartly, thus dis
engaging the slip hook, whereby the outer ends of the arms are free to descend,
and disengaging the boat fore and aft simultaneously.
Dated 12th Docombor 1808
Improvements in or relating to Boat Lowering and Disengaging
Appliances.
I, GEORGE SPEIRS ALEXANDER RANKING, of Napier Mansions, Tunbridge Wells,
Kent, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and in what manner the
[Price 8d.l

page_text: same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
The object of my invention is to construct improved appliances in or relating to
boat lowering apparatus, whereby boats may be safely lowered in a seaway, both
ends of the boat being simultaneously released, thus ensuring the safe descent of
the boat into the water and obviating all danger of entanglement of the falls,
or of one end of the boat hitching up, which occurences frequently cause loss of
life when lowering boats at sea.
According to my invention I suspend the boat to the hoisting gear by means
of two horizontal levers pivoted together at their meeting ends, or to the ends of
a beam, the levers being attached to the falls. The boat is attached to the outer
ends of these levers by two detachable chains, one at each end, and by a third
chain fixed to the meeting ends of the levers or to the middle of the beam, and
detachably linked to the keelson of the boat. These three chains keep the levers
in alignment, when the boat is raised, but, when the central chain is released from
the boat the pivoted ends of the levers rise to an angle, and the ends of the levers
are thereby simultaneously released from the end chains, the boat being then free
of the lifting gear.
And in order that my said invention may be particularly described and ascer-
tained, reference is hereby made to the accompanying drawings, in which similar
letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation showing a boat suspended according to my
invention, and Fig. 2 is an elvation showing a modification of the same.
Fig. 3 is an elevation of a modification of the levers.
a is the boat. bb are the two horizontal levers pivoted together at c.
dd are
the ordinary falls linked to the levers bbat e e. f f are chains made fast to the
keelson at gg and to other parts of the boat and detachably linked to the levers bb
h is a chain made fast to the pivoted portions of the levers at c, and
detachably linked to the keelson of the boat at k. 7 is a lanyard, consisting of
a rope or chain, one end of which is attached to a bolt or trigger m or other
releasing device and the other end to the keelson at p. o is a cover to protect
the lanyard. Or the releasing device may be operated by a lever and suitable
connections.
at n n.
Referring to Fig. 3, the horizontal levers are shown formed in three parts.
bb are the two levers which are united to the central beam 6' by means of knuckle
or rule joints at c¹ c¹. ee are the eyes to which the lifts are attached.
The
When the boat is lowered to or near the water, the man in charge pulls the
lanyard and thereby withdraws the bolt m. This releases the chain h.
levers bb then become diagonal to each other, whereby the hooked ends n n are
withdrawn from the rings of the chains f f as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1.
The boat is then quite clear of all the lifting gear; is a chain or rope for
preventing the levers when diagonal turning over and for facilitating the operation
of connecting the levers to the boat.
Referring to Fig. 2 r is a collar to which the falls d d are linked or hooked.
ddare chains made fast to the collar rat ss, and to the levers b bat e e. t is a
ram or weight pivotally attached to the levers b b at c, and guided at its upper end
by passing through the collar r. By means of this ram or weight t, (in addition
to the chain ) the levers b b are kept in a horizontal position, or at a suitable angle
of not less than 90 degrees with the axis of the ram, thereby increasing the security
of the tackle when the boat is raised.
Other well known or ordinary tackle for securing the boat to the davits, when
raised, may be used in addition to that herein described.
The ends n of the levers 6 are sometimes provided with an extension n¹ to
prevent accidental disengagement should one end of the boat be temporarily
borne by a wave; also the eyes e è are sometimes made capable of being adjusted
along the levers b b so as to adjust the leverage as found desirable.

page_text: The upper ends of the chains f and the lower end of the chain 4 are provided
with a stirrup having an anti-friction roller to facilitate detachment.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. In an apparatus for lowering and disengaging boats, the use of two lever
arms connected by a knuckle joint, substantially as described.
2. In an apparatus for lowering and disengaging boats the use of two lever
arms connected by knuckle joints, to a central beam, substantially as described.
3. In an apparatus for lowering and disengaging boats having two lever arms
connected by a knuckle joint, the use of a chain (with stirrup having anti-friction
roller) depending from said knuckle joint, of a releasing device having suitable
means for operating same, and of chains or bridles attached at each end of boat
meeting in a ring having a chain with stirrup attached, substantially as described.
4. In the apparatus thirdly above claimed, the use of a ram or piston, the lower end
of which is attached to the knuckle joint, such ram or piston working vertically
in a guide collar, such guide collar having chains depending therefrom whose other
ends are attached to the levers and form their fulcra, the upper end of such guide
collar being connected with suitable gearing for hoisting and lowering the boat,
substantially as described with reference to Fig. 2 of the drawings.
5. In the apparatus thirdly above claimed the use of suitable tackles attached to
the lever arms at their respective fulcra, and to the davit heads or to a boom
pivoted to the davit heads, substantially as described with reference to Figure 1 of
the drawings.
Dated 12th September 1899.
GEORGE SPEIRS ALEXANDER RANKING,
By George Downing & Sons,
Chartered Patent Agents, S, Quality Court, London, W.C.