IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR EXAMINING AND RAISING SUNKEN SHIPS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Josiah Latimer Clark and John Standfield, both of 6,
Westminster Chambers, Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR EXAMINING AND RAISING
SUNKEN SHIPS.”
Sealed the 3rd July 1877, and dated the 12th March 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Josiah Latimer Clark and
John Standfield at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th
March 1877.
JOSIAH LATIMER CLARK and JOHN STANDFIELD, both of 6, Westminster
Chambers, Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR EXAMINING AND RAISING SUNKEN SHIPS."
Our improvements consist firstly in the formation of a submarine dock for raising
sunken vessels, of such a form that it can be lowered down over a sunken vessel
and can seize it by means of a number of grapnels or claws, so that it can then be
raised again, bringing the ship with it.
The dock in section is of the form somewhat of the letter n (inverted). The
body of the dock is of sufficient breadth to reach completely across the vessel, and
the two sides of the dock project downwards as low as the bottom of the vessel.
The sides of the dock are bolted on to the body or ribs of the dock in such
manner that their width or distance asunder may be adjusted and varied so as to
suit the width of the vessel to be lifted.
The body of the dock carries on its back vertical tubes, which are of such length
that their tops stand well above water when the dock is completely submerged over
a vessel. We prefer these tubes to be four in number, placed one at or near the
extreme corners of the dock, and their office is to enable the dock to be lowered and
raised with facility, and to give both buoyancy and stability when the body of the
dock is submerged. The whole of the sides, body, and tubes are constructed of
hollow iron work, and apertures are prepared by which the water may be admitted
at pleasure for the purpose of sinking the dock; and when it is desired to raise it
again the water is forced out by compressed air, or pumped out. When the dock iş

page_text: lowered over a sunken vessel it is necessary to take hold of it; this is effected by a
series of nippers or grapnels attached to the dock, which are forced in under the
bilges by means of hydraulic presses or chains, or other well-known mechanical
ineans, and retained there by locking pawls, or we may employ pneumatic flexible
air bags as described in our Provisional Specification, No. 170 of 1877.
To enable the apparatus to grip a vessel when embedded in sand we form the
bottom edge of the sides of the dock in a wedge shape, with a thin edge, so as to
cut into the sand, and we provide a number of holes in the lower part so that water
may be violently ejected from them for the purpose of displacing the sand, and to
effect this more perfectly we reverse certain chambers in the dock in which we store
up compressed air, which being suddenly forced in upon the water drives it out
with great violence. Valves are placed, opening outwards, to prevent the sand
entering into those holes, and other valves opening inwards are placed higher up in
the sides to admit clean water for blowing out a second time.
We also use pipes supplied by pumps which are carried to the bottom with move-
able nozzles, so as to turn the stream in any direction.
The interior of the dock is separated into a number of water-tight compartments
and tubes for conveying air or water are led to them from the engines and pumps,
which are placed in the vertical tubes at the corners of the dock, or it may be in an
attendant steamer.
The vertical tubes are double, and are formed in separate annular rings, so that
each section can be removed and floated away independently, or lowered on to the
deck or body of the dock when it is desired to take long voyages, or, if preferred,
they may be hinged on to the dock.
The body of the dock is composed of a number of rectangular frames or girders
stretching transversely across and connecting the two sides together. They are
placed at convenient distances apart, so as to form openings through which the
masts and rigging of the vessel may protrude at various places. These transverse
frames are attached by bolts to the sides, so that their distances can be varied longi-
tudinally to suit the position of the masts, and the lateral width of the sides can be
varied at the same time.
Man-holes are provided in the framework and sides so as to allow access to all
parts, and thick windows or dead-eye lights are provided below, so that the vessel
can be sighted all over when in clear water, and the position of the dock adjusted.
Lights may be exhibited from these windows when required.
In raising very heavy vessels we temporarily add to the power of the dock by
employing inflated air bags attached to the outer portion of the sides of the dock, or
to the transverse ribs of the dock, so as to give extra buoyancy, and it is obvious
that inflated air bags may be used between decks in the manner already well
known. The dock may be provided with rudders, capstans, propellers, and the usual
appliances of sea-going vessels.
Our second improvement consists of a submarine diving bottle, or an apparatus
for inspecting wrecks or other objects beneath water. To effect this we form an
egg-shaped or tubular iron bottle of sufficient size to contain a man, and sufficiently
strong to resist the external pressure of the water at any depth to which it may be
submerged, and it is provided with glass windows. The bottom or top is capable
of being separated, to allow the entrance of the observer, and can be again screwed
on with a perfectly water-tight joint.. A tube projects from the top of the diving
bottle to the surface of the water, which may be either flexible or of iron pipes con-
nected by jointed water-tight sockets. Through this tube a second internal tube
passes down to supply the diver with air, and another tube for conversation; or he
may have the bellows inside and supply himself with air at will. Strong well-
protected glass windows or dead-eyes are provided at the level of the eye, and the
diver is provided with a lamp or electric light for throwing light upon any object
he desires to examine. The apparatus is made heavy enough to sink by its own
weight, and it is obvious that the diver can descend and make examinations in any
depth required without inconvenience.

page_text: Our third improvement relates to the means of cutting away the shrouds and
chains of sunken vessels. To effect this we employ a short mortar, with a piston
fitting into it like a hydraulic ram, which is forced out by the explosion of gun-
powder, or other suitable explosive compound, fired by electricity. The end of the
piston has a cutting edge, and the shrouds are supported behind by another cutting
edge attached to the body of the mortar. On firing the mortar the piston is thrust
forward and the shroud is severed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Josiah Latimer Clark and John Standfield in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 12th September 1877.
"
JOSIAH LATIMER CLARK and JOHN STANDFIELD, both of G, Westminster
Chambers, Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster. IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR EXAMINING AND RAISING SUNKEN SHIPS."
Our improvements consist firstly in the formation of submarine docks for raising
sunken ships, of such a form that they can be lowered down over the sunken
vessel and can seize or grasp it by a number of claws, so that it can then be raised
by pumping out the water, bringing the ship with it to the surface.
The dock in section is somewhat of the form of the letter U inverted, and is
shown in Figure 1; it consists of four portions which we term the body, the
vertical columns, the sides, and the claws or clutches. The body of the dock is of
sufficient breadth to reach completely across the vessel, and the two sides of the
dock project downwards as low as the bottom of the vessel. The body of the
dock is marked A, A, in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, and consists of a series of separate
transverse girders whose principal offico is to retain the body in its proper position.
The body of the dock carries on its back a certain number of vertical tubes, and
some of them are of such a length that their tops stand well above the water when
the dock is completely submerged over the vessel.
In Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, four such tubes marked C, C, C, C, are shown placed one
near each corner of the dock, and the office of these tubes is to enable the dock
to be lowered down upon the vessel to give buoyancy when the body of the
dock is submerged; the deck which connects the top of these columns is never
submerged, the columns are also connected at intervals by horizontal or other bars
or struts, as shown.
Figure 1 shows an end elevation of the dock with a vessel within it; A, A, repre-
sent what we term the body of the dock; B, B, the sides; and C, C, the vertical tubes.
Figure 3 shows a side clevation of the dock, and Figure 4 a plan of the same.
The body of the dock consists of a number of separate cross girders marked A, A, A,
Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, and they are formed of hollow wrought-iron girders of great
strength and size. The two end girders are marked A, A, and cach carry two of
the vertical tubes or columns C, C. The others carry shorter columns D, D, D, and
their office is to give stability to the dock when it is partially submerged and to
contain compressed air. There are also two or more similar columns marked E, E,
attached to the sides. These columns are all of hollow boiler plate, their number
may be of course varied at pleasure.
In addition to the large cross girders.forming the body of the dock there are a
certain number of smaller girders F, F, F. All these girders serve the purpose of
uniting the sides of the dock firmly together, and they are capable of being moved
from place to place, as will be hereafter described, so as to enable the width of the
dock to be varied.
The two sides of the dock are shown at B, B, B, they also consist of boiler
plate, and each in fact forms a long hollow girder about the same length as the
vessel to be lifted. They are seen in section in Figures 1 and 2, and in plan in

page_text: The sides have a V shaped section, as shown at B¹, Figure 1, or in some cases we
form the sides as rectangular hollow girders, as shown at B, B, and we attach
V shaped boxes at the bottom, as shown at H, H, Figures 1, 2 and 3.
The sides in every case are divided into a number of separate air-tight compart-
ments connected by pipes with the pumping apparatus, which is placed in the large
vertical columns C, C. These compartments may be of any convenient number.
The lower portion of H, H, Figure 1, which is of a triangular section, as shown in
both Figures 5 and 6, consists of a number of boxes open in front to contain the
clutches or claws G, which will be hereafter described, and the air bags which
work them. These air bags and the method of their working have been fully
described in our Patent No. 170, of 1877, and they will also be described further
on. Each of these boxes H, H, is so secured to the sides that in the event of
meeting with projecting rock, any one or more of them can be removed. The sharp
edge which is given to them at the bottom is for the purpose of enabling them to
descend easily into the sand or mud, and they are further assisted in their descent
by ejecting jets of water against the sand, either from independent pipes and pumps,
or by suddenly ejecting with great force a large volume of water from pipes which
lead to the bottom of them, as shown at K, Figure 6. These pipes lead down from
some of the chambers in the rectangular sides B, B, which chambers are first allowed
to become full of water by opening suitable valves, and when full compressed air is
suddenly turned into the chamber so as to press on the surface of the water and
cause it to escape through the pipes K with great violence, thereby stirring up
the sand and allowing the dock to descend. The compressed air for this purpose
is stored up in strong chambers in any convenient part of the dock as D, D,
and E, E.
The claws or clutches G, G, are hollow, and they also have at their extremities
similar pipes or orifices for the ejection of water, so as to enable them to cut their
way through the sand; the connection with the chambers in the sides being made
by flexible hose at the joints where the claws are suspended, these connections are
shown at L, Figures 5 and 6.
The claws or clutches, of which their are many pairs, all working independently,
are formed of strong hollow boiler plate, and are of the form shown at G, G,
Figures 1 and 2, their bottom ends are curved inwards so as to grip the bilges of
the vessel, and at the top they are securely hinged to the sides B, B. They may be
either framed together so as to form two or more claws on one hinge, or each claw
may be hinged separately. They lie back when out of use in the V shaped boxes
or recesses H, H, but when in use they are thrust forward so as to grip under the
bilges of the vessel; this is effected by the inflation of air bags which lie in the
recesses behind them, and by their expansion press them forward so as to clutch or
grip the vessel. These bags are shown at I, I, in Figures 1 and 2, and are composed
of india-rubber and canvas of great strength and thickness, and are further protected
from cutting or rupture by a strong envelope of rope netting, or it may be of chain
network at the parts most liable to be cut by rocks and stones. These bags are
connected with the compressed air reservoirs D and E by pipes, which are controlled
by suitable valves so that they can be opened and shut at will, and they are each
provided with a spring valve opening outwards so that whenever the pressure in the
bag exceeds a certain regulated amount the valves open spontaneously and allow the
excess of air to escape and to bubble up to the surface; if preferred water may
be used instead of air for inflating the bags, in which case these safety valves are
not required.
In order to relieve the bags from any excessive pressure we sometimes add a pawl
or pawis at the back of the claws; this pawl is hinged upon the claw and lies
against it when out of use, but when in use it falls down as soon as the claws open,
its distal end falling against the back of the V shaped recess, as shown at J, J,
Figure 1, where it is retained by notches, and when the claws are fully opened it
rests in a horizontal position, being suspended from the claw by a chain of suitable
length. When these pawls have fallen down, the claws cannot close back, their

page_text: strain being transferred to the sides, and in order to disengage them they are made
knuckle-jointed in the centre where the chain is attached, and by pulling this chain
they are readily bent upwards and removed; if preferred they inay be hinged both
to the claw and to the sides.
At B¹, Figure 1, the side of the dock is itself V shaped, the bottom portion not
being moveable, and it contains recesses for the bags and claws as before described;
the claws being of greater length than in the former cases. The whole of the bottom
edge may be provided with holes for clearing away the sand by the ejection of water.
The engines and air and water pumps are contained in the four large columns C, C,
and the compressed air is stored up in the smaller columns.
The operation of lifting a vessel is performed as follows:-The dock is first floated
over the sunken vessel, and then moored by four fore-and-aft moorings, and is then
adjusted to position, so that the masts and funnel will protrude through the openings
between the girders forming the body of the dock, water is then admitted into the
sides, and if necessary into the body of the dock, and the dock is allowed to settle
down gradually over the vessel. As soon as she rests on the sand or mud the water
jets are set to work, or sand pumps are, employed to clear away the sand, and if
necessary the water is ejected in large quantities by the compressed air. When she
has sunk well down to her position, a pair of claws near the centre is first closed in
to grip the vessel; to effect this it is necessary to clear away the sand in front by
ejecting water from the points of the nippers, or by the use of sand pumps, and the
bags aro inflated so as to thrust forward the claws; a second pair is now similarly
thrust forward, and so on till the whole are gripping the vessel. In order to raise
her, water is now pumped or forced out of the body and sides of the dock, until the
buoyancy thus given added to that of the air bags causes the dock to rise. She is
then floated into shallow water and allowed to rest on the ground, and the dock is
floated away; as soon as it commences to rise. the expansion of the air will drive
out the water from the chambers, and tend to make it rise more rapidly the nearer
it approaches the surface of the water; and to prevent this action from taking place
too rapidly and becoming prejudicial, the area of the columns C, C, is made very
large. As fast as the pressure of the air on the air bags is diminished by the rise
of the vessel in the water the surplus air escapes through the valves and the excessive
pressure is relieved.
As the vertical columns may be unnecessarily high for shallow water, we make
them or some part of them in sections each consisting of two concentric cylinders
with a space between them, so that they may float independently and be taken
off and towed away; by this means the height of the columns may be reduced.
Man-holes are provided so as to allow access to every part of the dock, and if
necessary thick windows or dead-eye lights are provided in the body or sides at
convenient distances with passages leading to them, so that the vessel can be sighted
in clear water and the position of the dock adjusted. Lights may be exhibited
from these windows while the operator looks from an adjoining window.
The sides and body of the dock are bolted together by bolts, the object being to
allow the sides to be adjusted to the particular width most suitable for lifting the
vessel which has to be raised, and the girders A, A, and F, F, can also be moved
along the sides into positions in which they will not foul the masts and funnels of
the vessel. When the bolts which pass through the girders enter the sides, the hole
is made water-tight by a cap inside, as shown in Figure 7, so that the water cannot
enter when the screw bolts are withdrawn.
Our second improvement consists of a submarine diving bottle, or an apparatus
for inspecting wrecks or other objects beneath water. To effect this we form an
egg-shaped or, tubular iron bottle of sufficient size to contain a man, and sufficiently
strong to resist the external pressure of the water at any depth in which it may be
submerged, and it is provided with glass windows; the bottom or top is capable of
being separated to allow the entrance of the observer, and can be again screwed on
with a perfectly water-tight joint. A tube projects from the top of the diving
bottle to the surface of the water which may be either flexible or of iron pipes

page_text: connected together by jointed water-tight sockets; through this tube a second
internal tube passes down to supply the diver with air, and another tube for con-
versation, or he may have the bellows inside and supply himself with air at will;
strong well protected glass windows or dead eyes are provided at the level of the
eyc, and the diver is provided with a lamp or electric light for throwing light upon
any object he desires to examine. The apparatus is made heavy enough to sink by
its own weight, and it is obvious that the diver can descend and make examinations
in any depth required without inconvenience.
Figure 8 shows the bottle, A being the body of the cylinder which is of heavy
iron; B, B, are the protected windows, one for the eye and the other for the lamp, and
there may be several of them round the diving bottle. The bottom plate C is secured
by bolts and nuts and forms a water-tight joint, or the connection may be made at
top if preferred; D shows a ball-and-socket joint, which is rendered further water-
tight by being surrounded with a collar of india-rubber bound above and below;
if preferred this tube may be wholly or partially of flexible rubber strengthened by
wire, the bottle being further supported by strong ropes or chains; the air pipe passes
through the interior of the main pipe as do also the electric wires for the lamp if
required. Provision would be made to allow of the man inside coming to the
surface in case of necessity; this being well understood needs no special description.
We claim the various improvements herein-before described in apparatus for
examining and raising sunken ships.
In witness whereof, I, the said Josiah Latimer Clark, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of September in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.