IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS OR OTHER FLOATING VESSELS."
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Simons, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Ship Builder, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS OR OTHER FLOATING VESSELS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Simons at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 2nd
January 1860.
I, WILLIAM SIMONS, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Ship Builder, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Iж-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS OR OTHER FLOATING VESSELS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention comprehends improvements in the construction of ships or
vessels for mercantile and for war purposes, and has for object increased
strength and protection.
A first improvement relates to the decks, and consists in combining diagonal
deck planking with a diagonal arrangement of the beams, whether these are of
timber or metal, the planking and beams being disposed in reverse diagonal
directions. It is preferred to combine this system of deck planking with the
system of arranging deck beams described in the Specification of Letters
Patent granted to me, bearing date the 9th July 1858, No. 1545. The deck

page_text: planks are fastened to the beams, and may also be fastened laterally to each
other.
A second improvement relates to the plating of metal ships, and consists in
forming it of two thicknesses or layers of plates arranged in reverse diagonal
directions; or a single thickness of diagonal plates may be combined with
frames arranged in the reverse diagonal direction.
A third improvement relates to wood-planked ships, and consists in inserting
strips of metal between the planks. These metal strips may be continuous, or
may consist of short pieces covering the butt joints, and they may be of various
sections. In some cases the metal strips may have projecting bevilled or
sharpened edges, to assist in destroying or warding off shot.
A fourth improvement relates to the metal casing of ships or floating
batteries or forts intended for war purposes, and consists in forming it so as
to present externally a series of angular grooves and ridges. The inside
surface of this casing may be flush, or it may be grooved, and the grooves
may or may not be filled up with wood or other material. The grooves may
be either horizontal, vertical, or inclined.
A fifth improvement relates to ships or other vessels intended for war
purposes, and consists in placing an inclined shield along and within the sides
of the vessel, in order to deflect shot passing through the vessel's side. This
shield may be inclined upwards or downwards, or both ways, from the vessel's
side, and it may be pierced for guns.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Simons in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
30th June 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
SIMONS, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Ship Builder,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Simons, Her special licence that I, the said William Simons, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Simons, my executors, administrators, and or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter

page_text: 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN SHIPS AND OTHER FLOATING VESSELS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Simons, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands 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 William Simons, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention comprehends improvements in the construction of ships
or floating vessels for mercantile and for war purposes, and has for object
increased strength and protection.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood and
carried into effect, I have hereunto appended two Sheets of explanatory
Diagrams, to which I shall refer in particularly describing my several
improvements, as follows:-
.A first improvement relates to the decks of ships, and consists in combining
diagonal deck planking with a diagonal arrangement of the beams, whether
these are of timber or metal, the planking and beams being disposed in reverse
diagonal directions. It is preferred to combine this system of deck planking
and beams with the system of arranging upper and lower deck beams
described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me, bearing date
the 9th July 1858, No. 1445. This improvement is shown in Figures 1
and 2, Sheet 1, of the accompanying Diagrams as applied to an iron ship;
it is, however, equally applicable to wooden ships:
Figure 1 is a plan of the upper deck, the diagonal deck planking A being
represented as partly broken away to show the beams B, arranged in the reverse
diagonal direction; Figure 2 is a plan of the lower deck, the planking A' being
similarly represented as partly broken away to show the beams B'. The upper
deck planking A is arranged in a diagonal direction, the reverse of that of the
lower deck planking A¹, and the upper and lower beams B, B¹, are also arranged
in reverse diagonal directions. I would recommend that these diagonally

page_text: planked decks be edge-bolted throughout, besides being fastened to the beams;
and the planking may with advantage be of hard wood. These diagonal decks
will not necessarily have any butts, a point of great weakness in all fore-and-aft
decks.
:
A second improvement relates to the plating of metal ships, and is also
applicable in the construction of their masts. The improvement consists,
according to one modification, in forming the plating of two thicknesses or
layers of plates, arranged in reverse diagonal directions, as is shown in
Figure 3, and upon an enlarged scale in Figure 4; in both Figures a portion
of the outer plating C is supposed to be removed, to show the inner plating D.'
The two layers of plates may be rivetted together in a variety of ways, the
rivets being either disposed soley at the butts, or being distributed accord-
ing to a regular general arrangement, whilst the plates are made of such
sizes and are arranged in such a way as that the butts of one layer are
covered by solid portions of the other layer. With this distribution of the
butts there are no weak points, such as cannot be avoided with the ordi-
nary vertical butts. With this improved construction of the shell of the vessel,
I consider neither keels nor vertical frames to be requisite as far as strength is
concerned, and for these I substitute internal longitudinal stringers, clamps,
and kelsons, which can be advantageously fitted and secured directly upon and
in close contact with the shell without the obstruction of vertical frames, and
may be through-rivetted to the shell at short distances. Figure 5 is a trans-
verse vertical section of the vessel, showing the longitudinal fastenings; on one
side, these are represented as consisting of box kelsons E, and on the other of
L-iron stringers F, as examples of the various forms that may be used.
According to another modification, a single thickness or layer of diagonally
disposed plates may be combined with frames arranged in the reverse diagonal
direction, as shown in Figure 6, and on an enlarged scale in Figure 7. In both
Figures the outer plates C are represented as partly removed, to show the
frames & beneath.
According to another modification of the same improvement, the duplex
diagonal formation of the hull is obtained by applying internally upon the
ordinary vertical or upon diagonal frames a series of plates, clamps, stringers,
or planks, fixed in the reverse diagonal directions, and constituting the "ceil-
ing." This ceiling may be either of metal or wood, and close seamed or more
or less open. Figures 8 and 9 (Sheet 2 of the Diagrams) show two modes of
arranging the ceiling plates H, being inside views or longitudinal vertical sec²-
tions. The dotted lines indicate the arrangement on the other side of the
vessel, where the reverse diagonal disposition is adopted. The frames I are

page_text: vertical, and lie between the ceiling plates H and the outer plates C. The
plates or stringers H, composing the diagonal ceiling, may be of various sec-
tions. In some cases vessels constructed with my improved duplex diagonal
plating may be fitted with a ceiling of wood, arranged vertically either along
with or without the ordinary angle-iron framing. Figure 10 (Sheet 1 of the
accompanying Diagrams) is a longitudinal vertical section or internal view,
showing a portion of a ship's side with the vertical ceiling K and diagonal
plating C. The longitudinal iron kelsons, clamps, or stringers may be fastened
upon the interior surface of the vertically disposed ceiling. The ceiling may
be either close seamed and caulked, or more or less open. In a similar way
an external sheathing of wood disposed vertically may be applied to the
diagonal plating, and this wood sheathing may be coppered below the water line.
Figures 11 and 12 (Sheet 1 of the Diagrams) show two modes of applying
the diagonal system of plating in the construction of iron masts. In Figure 11
a single layer of plates is used, these being close seamed and rivetted together.
In Figure 12, two sets of harrow plates or bars, which may be of various sec-
tions, are shown, crossing each other diagonally, spaces being left between
them. In both arrangements internal diagonal transverse or solid stretchers
or supports may be added to give increased strength.
A third improvement relates to wood-planked ships, and consists in inserting
strips or plates of metal between the planks. These metal strips or plates may
be continuous, or may consist of short pieces covering the butt joints, and they
may be of various sections. Figure 13 (Sheet 1 of the Diagrams) shows the
mode of applying my improved strengthening strips or plates to the butts in
wood-planked ships, this Figure being a side elevation. The plates L'are
placed above and below the butt joint M, and bolts are passed through them
and through the adjacent planks N, as indicated by dotted lines. This improve-
ment and its various modifications are applicable to the deck planking as well
as to the side planking of ships.
In vessels for war purposes, or otherwise, requiring great strength, such as
gun boats, sea rams, and floating forts or batteries, the plates are to be inserted
continuously between the planks, being of the entire breadth of the plank.
Figures 14, 15, and 16 (Sheet 2 of the Diagrams) are transverse vertical
sections, showing various modifications of these strengthening and protecting
plates. Figure 17 is a side elevation or face view. In some cases the outside
edges of the plates may be made angular and projecting, as shown in Figure 15
and in the lower part of Figure 17; in some cases also the back of the plate
may be formed with vertical bearing flanges, as shown in Figure 16. The
strengthening plates may extend from the gunwall to the load-water line; they

page_text: should be securely bolted vertically, as indicated in Figure 16, and in addition
to increased strength will give increased protection against shot or shell.
A fourth improvement relates to the metal casing of ships, or floating forts
or batteries intended for war purposes, and consists in forming it so as to pre-
sent externally a series of angular grooves and ridges, as shown in Figure 18,
(Sheet 2 of the Diagrams). The inside surface of this metal casing P may be
flush, as shown in the upper part of the Figure, or it may bo grooved, as
shown in the lower part of the Figure, and the inside grooves may or may not
be filled up with wood or other material. The grooves may be either horizontal,
vertical, or inclined.
A fifth improvement relates to ships or other vessels intended for war pur-
poses, and consists in placing an inclined shield along each gun deck and
within the sides of the vessel, in order to deflect shot passing through the
vessel's side. This shield may be inclined upwards or downwards, or both
ways from the vessel's side, and it may be pierced for guns. Figure 19 is a
transverse vertical section, showing the application of this improvement to a
wooden vessel. The inclined internal shields Q are each formed with a pro-
jecting angle running longitudinally across the centres of the gun ports. A
shield 9 with a single upward inclination is added below the lower gun
deck, to protect the remaining exposed part between that deck and the water.
The shields are securely bolted to the decks, deck beams, and to the vessel's
side. This system of applying metal shields internally has the important
advantage over the ordinary external application of protecting plates or shields,
that the force of a shot becomes partly spent in passing through the external
wooden side, and is in consequence more easily resisted by the metal
shields. In addition to this the inclined. disposition of the shields is advan-
tageous in causing shot to glance off instead of penetrating. Figure 20 is a
transverse vertical section, showing a modified application of the improvement.
In this caso the vessel is built principally of iron; it has an outer shell R, of
iron, from the keel up to within a short distance of the water. line. This iron
shell is thence continued upwards in the internal angular protecting shields Q,
which are in this case fixed upon the iron frames. S, these being shaped at
their upper parts to fit the angular shields Q. Above the water line and
extending a short distance below it the vessel has an external wooden side T,
constructed in the ordinary way, through which the shot must pass, their force
being therein partly spent before they reach the internal shields Q. The metal
forming the shields Q may be 14 to 8 inches .thick, or as thick and heavy as
the vessel can carry, regard being had to the particular object and construction
in each case.

page_text: Having thus described my said Invention, and the manner in which the
same is or may be used or carried into effect, I have to state that I do not
restrict myself to the precise details herein-before described or delineated; but
that what I claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part
recited Letters Patent is, the herein-before described improvements in the
construction of ships or floating vessels for mercantile and for war purposes.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Simons, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT, Patent Agent,
28, St. Enoch Square,
Glasgow.
W. SIMONS. (LS.)