Improvements in Automatic Freeing Ports for the Bulwarks of Well-decked Vessels.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Feb., 1890-Accepted, 22nd Mar., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Freeing Ports for the Bulwarks of
Well-decked Vessels.
I JOSEPH WOOFFENDEN BUTTERWORTH of Norfolk House Claremont Road
Bishopston Bristol in the County of Gloucester Engineer, 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 present invention relates to what are nautically known as freeing ports,
relieving ports, or bulwark-doors such as are employed for the purpose of freeing a
well decked vessel of the wave of water which has passed over her bulwarks onto the
deck. Automatic freeing ports have hitherto either been constructed with shallow
doors swung one above another, or with ordinary single flat doors, and in either case
the said doors have been so hung that when in closed position they are in the same
vertical plane as the bulwarks, and they in consequence very often admit more water
onto the deck than would otherwise be retained, in fact it very often occurs with
automatic freeing ports constructed in the manner hitherto invented that the crew
on board are obliged to fasten down the doors or flaps so that they become of no use
as automatic freeing ports, so that hitherto automatic freeing-ports have not worked
satisfactorily; the object therefore of my present invention is to arrange the freeing
ports and the doors thereof so that the latter become more perfect in their action and
the freeing ports are more simply and economically constructed; to attain which I
arrange my improved port in the form of a flanged box which I secure to the inside
of the bulwarks, and by means of this box I am enabled to place the port very low
down near the deck so that the bulwarks are substantially strengthened thereby, in
fact the support of said box fully compensates for all that is cut away from the bulwarks
in order to form the port even where the bottom of port is arranged level with top
of deck.
The said flanged box is preferably made long and narrow and its inboard opening
is a little less in width than its outer opening so that if desired the flanged box may
be stamped pressed or otherwise shaped out of one solid plate of steel or wrought
iron.
The upper side of the port or flanged box is made deeper than the lower side
thereof and a beading or inner flange is arranged all round the inboard opening. The
freeing-port door may either be plain or corrugated, it is hung within the flanged box
upon a bolt or hinge which passes along the upper part thereof and bears on each
end of the said box, and where preferred the said bolt may have one or more extra
bearings in the form of a lug or lugs made with or fixed to the flanged box. The
freeing port door if desirable may be hinged horizontally in its middle. By means of
the upper side of the flanged box being made deeper than the lower, the door is caused
to hang at a suitable inclination and so bear against the beading or inner flange both
when the vessel or deck is in an upright position as well as when it rolls or has
a list.
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Where found necessary I place a bar horizontally across the outside opening of
the port high enough up to give the necessary area for the immediate escape of
water; or I arrange or fix over the inboard opening of said port suitable bars either
in a horizontal or vertical position in order to prevent gear or articles being washed
through such ports overboard; in every case the combined area of openings or ports
for the relief of water from the deck will be in accordance with the requirements of
the Freeboard Committee's Rules.
In order that my present invention may be more fully understood and so that it
may be readily carried into effect I hereunto attach drawings and will proceed to minore
particularly describe my invention by their aid.

page_text: Fig. 1 is a cross sectional elevation of my improved freeing-port fitted to the
bulwarks of a well decked vessel which is in a horizontal position, and Fig. 2 is a
similar sectional elevation but shows the said vessel with a list or in an oblique
position.
Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional elevation of my improved freeing-port showing
the door thereof arranged in a modified form and a bar fixed across the, outside
opening, and
Fig. 4 is a longitudinal elevation of same looking from the outside of the
bulwarks.
Fig. 5 is a cross sectional elevation of my improved port arranged with a
corrugated door and
Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of same taken on line x, x, of
fig. 5.
Fig. 7 is a cross sectional elevation of my improved freeing port fitted to the
bulwarks and arranged with bars across its inboard opening, and
Fig. 8 is a longitudinal elevation of same.
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Like letters of reference denote corresponding parts in each view.
Referring to figs. 1 and 2 I arrange my improved port in the form of a box A
having flanges a¹ by which means it is easily secured to the bulwarks B by bolts or
rivets a².
By means of the said box A the port b¹ may be situated low down near the deck D
so that it substantially strengthens the hulwarks B.
The box A is preferably made long and narrow as shown at figs. 4, 6 and 8 and its
inboard opening a³ is a little less than its outer opening a', so that where desirable.
the box A may be stamped or pressed out of one solid plate of steel or wrought
iron.
. The upper side a of the box A is made deeper than the lower side a and a beading
or inner flange a is arranged all round the inboard opening a³ as shown. The
freeing-port door C is hung within the box A upon a bolt E which bears in each
end a thereof, and the said bolt E may also when required receive an extra bearing
in the form of a lug a' fig. 6, or it will be obvious that more than one such lug a³ may
be fixed to or made with the box A. By means of the upper side a of the flanged
box A being made deeper than the lower side as, the door is caused to hang at a
suitable inclination and bear against the beading or inner flange a both when the
vessel or deck is in a horizontal position as well as when it rolls or has a reasonable
list. The angle at which said door is hung differs in each case according to the
beam of the vessel as will be well understood. It will be obvious that at any
ordinary angle caused by the roll or list of the vessel my improved freeing port will
present its full area for the automatic escape of the water from the deck.
Referring to figs. 3 and 4 the door is hinged at c'; this does not represent
two doors hung one above the other but only one door hinged in the middle as shown;
that is to say the central hinge does not bear in any lug or in the ends a³, but the
lower part of the.door C is merely hinged to the upper part thereof. This door () is
therefore hung upon the rod E in the manner before described. A bar F is arranged
across the outside opening of the port and secured in position shown so as to give the
necessary area for the immediate escape of the water when flowing from the deck of.
the vessel.
Referring to figs. 5 and 6. The door C is corrugated in order to give it more
strength and a lug a³ is fixed to or made with the top side a of box so as to give an
extra hearing to the bolt E.
Fig. 7 shows how the door opens and gives a clear freeing area for the outrush of
the water overboard, and Fig. 8 shows my improvements in placing vertical bars g
over the inboard port of the box A in order to prevent gear or other articles being.
washed away from the deck, and it will be obvious that the said bars g may be fixed
either in a horizontal or oblique position as well as vertically as shown.
My present improved freeing port is perfectly automatic and will not admit water
to the deck when the vessel is rolling or has a list as shown at fig. 2.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what 1
claim is :-
1. In automatic freeing-ports for the bulwarks of well decked vessels, the use of a
box A having its upper side a deeper than its lower side a and arranged with a
door hanging upon a hinge E at an inclination so as to prevent the door C swinging
or slamming at all reasonable lists of the vessel, and also to prevent water rushing
upon the deck through said box, but allowing a free area for the escape of water
from the deck substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
2. In combination with a box A a corrugated door C substantially as described
and shown at figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings annexed and used for the purpose
specified.
3. In combination with a freeing-port arranged and constructed in the manner
herein before specified, the use of one or more bars F arranged upon the outside of
the port substantially as described and shown at figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings hereto
attached.
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4. In combination with a freeing-port constructed in the manner herein before
described the use of vertical or other bars 9 fixed across the inboard opening of box A
substantially as described and for the purpose specified.
5.. In a freeing port constructed according to my present invention the use of a
central jointed door substantially as described and illustrated at tig. 3 of the drawings
attached.
Dated this 13th day of February 1890.
H. F. BOUGHTON, M.I.M.E.,
Barnsley and Sheffield, Agent.