IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-PROPELLING SUBMARINE BOATS
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOHN HOLMES Blakesley of 23 Fopstone Road, Earls Court in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-PROPELLING SUBMARINE BOATS" to be as follows:-
My boat is built with transverse sections somewhat similar to those of an
ordinary ship that is to say it has a keel at the bottom and a slightly arched deck
at the top. By this construction the centre of buoyancy is higher than with the
ordinary circular section and by properly arranging the weights and ballast great
stability is obtained both when the boat is floating on the surfaco and when it is
wholly submerged.
The boat is provided with an ordinary screw propeller and vertical rudder at tho
stern and in addition has on each side a horizontal rudder. The boat is slightly
lighter than water so that it tends to float with its deck just out of water and it is
submerged by being steered downwards by the horizontal rudders or if desired
water may be admitted to cause it to sink.
The horizontal rudders may be automatically controlled so as to keep the boat
on a level keel and at any desired depth below the surface. The first is done by
the movement of a piston in a cylinder whose ends are connected to tanks of
water in the bow and stern and the second by the movement of a piston in a
cylinder one end of which contains air whilst the outer water is admitted to the
other end.
The bow of the boat is pointed or it may be provided with a torpedo tubo.
On deck there is a conning tower, this is provided with telescopic or bellows like
sides so that it can be wholly withdrawn into the boat its top coming flush with
the deck. The top may be made to open so as to form a door. There is an
opening provided with doors in the bottom of the boat and above the opening
there is a tank closed at the top. This tank has doors at the top to allow a divor
to enter. When the top doors of the tank are shut and those at the bottom open
the tank forms a diving bell. The boat is provided with reservoirs of compressed
air to supply this diving bell and it may be the interior of the boat also but for
the latter I prefer to have reservoirs of oxygen to replace that consumed by the
crow and to remove the carbonic acid and moisture from the air by means of caustic
soda. The interior of the boat is lighted by incandescent electric lamps and
accumulators. There are windows in the bottom of the boat through which the
Prine G21

page_text: bottom of the sea can be illuminated and examined. The engines for propelling
the boat are of any ordinary type, they are supplied with. steam from a reservoir
or reservoirs of water at a high temperature and the exhaust steam is condensed
by means of caustic soda. The condenser containing the soda is placed within the
hot water reservoir so that the heat generated by the condensation may tend to
keep up the temperature of the water and so be utilised. I do not however
propose to make any claim under the present application to this condenser.
It will be observed that the boat when submerged is entirely self contained that
is it neither receives or expels anything and its weight therefore remains constant
which is a point of vital importance in submarine bonts and also no air bubbles
are given off whereby the position of the boat may be shown to an enemy.
The engines are however provided with air pumps for pumping into the com-
pressed air reservoirs and also with water pumps for expelling water from the
ballast tanks if at any time it is thought desirable to decrease the weight of
the boat.

page_text: I JOHN HOLMES BLAKESLEY of 23 Topstone Road, Earls Court in the County
of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SELF-PROPELLING SUBMARINE BOATS" and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
'
My boat is built with transverse sections somewhat similar to those of an
ordinary ship that is to say it has a keel at the bottom and a slightly arched deck
at the top. By this construction the centre of buoyancy is higher than with the
ordinary circular section and by properly arranging the weights and ballast great
stability is obtained both when the boat is floating on the surface and when it is
wholly submerged.
The boat is provided with an ordinary screw propeller and vertical rudder at the
stern and in addition it has on each side a horizontal rudder. The boat is slightly
lighter than water so that it tends to float with its deck just out of water and it is
submerged by being steered downwards by the horizontal rudders or if desired
water may be admitted to cause it to sink. The horizontal rudders may be
automatically controlled so as to keep the boat on a level keel and at any desired
depth below the surface. The first is done by the movement of a piston in a
cylinder whose ends are connected to tanks of water in the bow and stern and
the second by the movement of a piston in a cylinder one end of which contains
air whilst the outer water is admitted to the other end.
The bow of the boat is pointed or it may be provided with a torpedo tube.
On deck there is a conning tower, this is provided with telescopic or bellows like
sides so that it can be wholly withdrawn into the boat its top coming flush with
the deck. The top may be mado to open so as to form a door. Thero is an
opening provided with doors in the bottom of the boat and above the opening
there is a tank closed at the top. This tank has doors at the top to allow a diver
to enter. When the top doors of the tank are shut and those at the bottom open
the tank forms a diving bell. The boat is provided with reservoirs of compressed
air to supply this diving bell and it may be the interior of the boat also but for
the latter I prefer to have reservoirs of oxygen to replace that consumed by the
crew and to remove the carbonic acid and moisture from the air by means of
caustic soda. The interior of the boat is lighted by incandescent electric lamps
and accumulators. There are windows in the bottom of the boat through which
the bottom of the sea can be illuminated and examined. The engines for pro-
pelling the boat are of any ordinary type they are supplied with steam from a
reservoir or reservoirs of water at a high temperature and the exhaust steam
is condensed by means of caustic soda. The condenser containing the soda is
placed within the hot water reservoir so that the heat generated by the condensa-
tion may tend to keep up the temperature of the water and so be utilized. I do
not make any claim to this condenser.
It will be observed that the boat when submerged is entirely self contained that
is it neither receives or expels anything and its weight therefore remains constant
which is a point of vital importance in submarine boats and also no air bubbles
are given off whereby the position of the boat may be shown to an enemy.
The engines are however provided with air pumps for pumping into the com-
pressed air reservoirs and also with water pumps for expelling water from the
ballast tanks if at any time it is thought desirable to decrease the weight of
the boat,

page_text: In order that my said invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figures 1. 2 and 3 define the form of my subsurface boat as I prefer to construct
it. The contour lines in Figure 1 are. those of vertical sections. One of these is
the section on the axial line and the others on the longitudinal lines marked on
The contour lines
Figure 2 and on the vertical lines marked on Figure 3.
in Figure 2 are water lines or lines of horizontal section; those marked IV are
taken on the level of the axial line, those marked I II III V VI VII are taken
on the level of the longitudinal lines similarly marked in Figure
represented in Figure 3. The contour lines in Figure 3 are lines of vertical
transverso section, the sections are taken on the vertical lines in Figures 1 and 2.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal section and Figure 5 is a transverse vertical section
indicating the general arrangement of the internal fittings.
A is the boiler, it has the condenser within it.
and also
B is the position for the fore tank for diving, its dimensions may be varied and
it is not shewn complete at the forward end.
This tank forins an air lock, it has doors at the top for the entrance of the diver
and doors at the bottom by which the diver can leave the vessel. The diver is
provided with a diving dress and apparatus such as renders him independent
of the vessel for his supply of air. The fore tank B also serves to regulate the
trim or floating equilibrium of the vessel according as more or less water is allowed
to remain in it.
C is the after tank it is similarly used in regulating the trim or floating
equilibrium of the vessel.
D shows the position of a window with electric lamp illuminating the bottom
when required to aid in search or to light the diver to his work.
E is the place for the steersman.
F indicates the position of the air pumps by which air can be compressed into
a receiver to be utilised for various purposes in working the vessel.
G shows the position of the pumps which can be employed to pump water out of
the tanks or from the bilge into the sea to lighten the vessel.
His the place for the propelling engines.
M is space for compressed air vessels and reservoirs for automatic steering
apparatus electric accuniulators &°.
J. J. are conning towers which can be raised and lowered and which are provided
with windows by which when the vessel is at the surface those in the vessel can
look around. At the fore part of the vessel the position of a torpedo tube is
indicated.
Figures A show longitudinal section of the boiler and condenser, also a transverse
section of the same.
a is the outer shell of the boiler and b is a case contained within it with openings
to the exterior. This case serves as the condenser.
c. c. are tubes through the case b.
d. d. are pipes leading the steam to the engine.
e is the pipe by which the exhaust steam from the engines is brought to the
condenser, the portion of the pipe within the case b is perforated as shewn.
fis a float valve to prevent under any circumstances liquid from passing from
the condenser to the engines.
It is intended that the boiler should be charged before commencing the run with
water highly heated and under heavy pressure also that the case 6 should as
already stated be filled with a substance having a high affinity for water and
which in absorbing the vapour of water becomes highly heated.. Then when the
engines are at work a gradual transference of the water takes place from the space
within the boiler exterior to the condenser to the interior of the condenser without
anything being taken into or rejected from the system.

page_text: The pressure also within the boiler is maintained by the heat developed by the com-
bination of the vapour of water with the bydroscopic substance therein contained.
I generally employ however an auxiliary condenser of the ordinary sort con-
nected between the engines and the float valve f so that at pleasure the exhaust
steam may be diverted from the condenser b when requisite for the purpose of
regulating the temperature and pressure in the boiler. The steam pipes passing
through the condenser b the steam becomes dried and superheated.
Figure B shows the gear I employ in connection with the vertical steering
rudders (g. Figure 4) in order that these may be controlled either by a hand tiller
or by apparatus acting automatically to maintain a pre-arranged distance below
the surface or by apparatus acting automatically to maintain an even keel or to
keep the axis of the vessel approximately in an horizontal position.
h. h. are the rudder lines they pass around the pulleys i. i. and k. k. The axes
of the pulleys k. k. are fixed and between them is the automatic gear for preserving
an even keel it works the rudder lines between these pulleys as hereinafter
described. The pulleys i. i. are not fixed they are connected by links a with the
pulleys l. l. and an endless cord m passes around the pulleys L. L. and around other
pulleys n. n. and o. o. as indicated in the drawing. The axes of the pulleys n. n.
and o. o. are stationary and between the one pair the automatic gear controlling
the depth acts on the cord m and between the other pair the hand tiller similarly
operates. By this arrangement either method of control may be employed or all
simultaneously.
.
Figure C shews an arrangement which may be substituted for each pair of
pulleys i. l. and the link a.
Figure D shows the automatic apparatus for maintaining uniform depth. It
consists of a cylinder with a piston. The portion of the cylinder beneath the piston
communicates by a pipe with the exterior water. The portion of the cylinder over
the piston contains air and has an air vessel and pressure gauge connected with
it. The piston rod can at pleasure be made fast to the arm of a bell crank which
also is connected with a rod or directly to the cord m.
In setting the apparatus the vessel is brought to the depth it is desired to
maintain and then the piston is brought to a central position in the cylinder by
admitting compressed air to the cylinder. The rudder and all its goat are placed
in middle positions and the piston rod is attached to the bell crank lever. Then
whenever the standard depth is departed from this apparatus will steor the vessel
towards the standard depth.
Figure E shows the apparatus for automatically maintaining an even keol.
A piston in a cylinder can be used for this purpose but the equivalent arrangement
shown by the drawing is preferred. It consists of a double bellows like vessel,
the two ends are fixed but the central diaphragm is moveable and is connected by
rods as shown with the steering lines. On one side of the diaphragm a connection
is made by a pipe with a small open water reservoir in the forward part of the
vessel and on the other side of the diaphragm another pipe forms a connection
with a reservoir aft. These pipes are also connected for the purpose of adjustment
through a stop cock which is closed when the adjustment has been effected. The
water in the two reservoirs tends constantly towards the same level and in so
doing moves the diaphragmn and operates the rudder in a sense tending to correct
any deviation from the horizontal of the axial line of the vessel.
Figures F show an instrument I employ to keep in view an object towards
which it may be desired to direct the vessel. It consists of a small tube standing
upwards from the deck of the vessel.
When an observation is required the vessel rises sufficiently to cause this tube
to project out of the water. The tube has a window in the side and opposite the
window is a mirror hung upon pivots and is controlled by an arm. When the arm
is vertical the mirror is at an angle of 45 degrees and light striking the mirror
horizontally will be reflected vertically downwards through a lens below.

page_text: This lens is represented in the drawing, it throws an image on a screen below or
the image may be otherwise viewed.
The arm on the mirror is slotted and receives a pin on another shorter arm or
pendulum. The arrangement is such that when the pendulum takes a position
inclined to the axis of the tube in consequence of the vessel not being on an even
keel the inclination of the mirror to the side of the tube is altered by an amount
equal to half the angle through which the pendulum passes consequently horizontal
rays of light will in all positions be reflected in a direction approximately parallel
with the axis of the tube.
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.) A self propelling sub-surface boat of ship like form closed at the top
by a deck.
(2). A self propelling sub-surface boat slightly lighter than water and submerged
by being steered downwards by automatically controlled rudders.
(3). A self propelling sub-surface boat with bottom doors to allow a diver to
pass out and in.
(4). The automatic arrangements for steering the boat upwards and downwards
in accordance with variations in depth.
(5). The automatic arrangements for steering the boat upwards and downwards
in accordance with the variations in the inclination of the longitudinal axis of
the boat.
(G). The arrangement of gear which admits of the rudders being controlled in the
ways hercin set forth.
Dated this 23rd day of Decomber 1884.