IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS OR VESSELS FOR WAR AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1863

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Patrick St. George Græme at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th November 1863.
I, PATRICK ST. GEORGE GREME, of No. 9, Waterloo Place, Pall Mall,
in the County of Middlesex, Captain R.A., do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS OR VESSELS FOR WAR AND OTHER
PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists, in one part, in constructing the hull of a ship or
vessel of an elliptic or other similar flat transverse sectional form in such a
manner that the dimension of the width of the vessel will be considerably in
excess of that of its height. Both ends of the vessel terminate in points,
being formed of an approximating conical shape, and may in some cases be
arranged to act as rams.
In the central part of the vessel I form a chamber or enclosure for con-
taining the engine room, which chamber is sunk to a certain extent below the
bottom of the other part of the vessel, and the form of this projecting part of
the chamber is made to approximate that which offers the least resistance
when passing through the water. The engine room is by this arrangement
brought entirely below water line, and in cases where turrets or cupolas, either
fixed or revolving, are formed upon the vessel, the effect of the sunken chamber
will be to lower the centre of gravity of the vessel sufficiently to encrease the
stability of the same, and thereby to enable it to withstand the shock con-
sequent on the discharge of heavy ordnance in the turrets. The vessel is

page_text: propelled, by preference, by means of a rotary pump or pumps or similar
apparatus for propelling water placed in the before-mentioned sunken
chamber, which pump or pumps propels or propel the vessel in one direction
or another by drawing in water through one or more passages, and discharging
the same through one or more other passages, and these passages, the aper-
tures of which are in the sides of the projecting part of the sunken chamber,
are so arranged and connected to the pump or pumps by means of valves, that
the water may be drawn in through a passage on the larboard side, and dis-
charged through an opposite passage on the starboard side, or vice versa,
thereby effecting either the turning of the vessel in whatever direction may be
required, or a side motion of the same.
The vessel is, by preference, entirely closed in, and when intended for war
purposes is provided with one or more turrets or cupolas, either fixed or
revolving and is covered above water line and to a certain extent below the
same with armour plating, which, owing to the obliqueness of the surface of
the vessel and the consequent flat angle at which projectiles would strike the
same, need only be of a slight thickness at the top of the vessel, and may
gradually increase in thickness towards the sides of the same.
The steering of the vessel is effected by means of one or more rudders
placed in such positions as may be found most desirable for the proper
management of the vessel in water, and projecting below the bottom of the
vessel, by preference, to a rather less extent than the before-mentioned sunken
chamber. The lower pivots of the rudders are supported by means of a framing
attached to the bottom of the vessel, and the rudders are so formed that the
pivots upon which they turn are placed in a line that passes through the
centre of gravity of the rudder, or nearly so, so that the pressure of the water
upon them is always nearly in equilibrio in whatever position they are placed,
and they are consequently worked with great ease. This, together with the
position in which they can be placed out of the immediate action of the waves,
will greatly protect the pivots from being broken and the rudders from being
otherwise damaged.
If the vessel is provided with a central turret or cupola for war purposes,
I arrange the chimney from the engine room to pass through the centre of the
same, and there surround it by an outer casing covered with armour plating
that will both protect the chimney and serve as a traverse to protect the guns
and men in the turret.
At the top of the turret or turrets I propose to fix a series of wrought-iron
bars, either solid or hollow, or partially so, and so formed and arranged as in
a great measure to protect the men and guns in a war vessel from an enemy's

page_text: fire, as also to serve as a framing for a covering in unfavourable weather. I
also propose to construct "iron-clad borer boats" in contradistinction to iron-
clad gun boats on the principles above described, such being armed with a
powerful rotating steel borer projecting from one or both ends of the same,
such borer being, by preference, of an oval or spherical form, the surface of
which would be covered with a series of sharp points or teeth, or the borer
may be of a pyramidal or conical form, with sharp projecting edges running
from the apex to the base. These borees are for the purpose of boring holes
through the sides of vessels below the water line, the propeller of the boat
being kept in motion the while for the purpose of obtaining the necessary
pressure for doing so. Should the borer bits be found liable to break when
in the vessel, it is proposed to connect the same by means of a wire rope to
the borer shaft, so as to draw the broken piece out on the retreat of the borer
boat.