IMPROVEMENTS IN COATING OR SHEATHING IRON SHIPS, IRON FLOATING BATTERIES, GRAVING DOCKS, AND BUOYS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Askew, of No. 27, Charles Street, Hamp-
stead Road, in the County of Middlesex, Coppersmith, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN COATING OR SHEATHING IRON SHIPS, IRON FLOATING
BATTERIES, GRAVING DOCKS, AND BUOYS."
Scaled the 5th July 1864, and dated the 12th January 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Askew at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 12th
January 1864.
I, CHARLES ASKEW, of No. 27, Charles Street, Hampstead Road, in the
County of Middlesex, Coppersmith, do hereby declare the nature of the
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN COATING OR SHEATHING IRON SHIPS, IRON
FLOATING BATTERIES, GRAVING DOCKS, AND BUOYS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in coating or sheathing iron
ships, iron floating batteries, graving docks, and buoys. For this purpose I
clean the ship's side and put on a thick coating of tar or similar material;
over this I place thick and coarse paper saturated in oil, and tar again
over the paper. I attach wood of a suitable thickness to the ship's side with
metal screws, washers being placed under the heads of the screws. The screws
enter holes tapped in the ship's side, so as to firmly fix the wood, over the
wood tar is again applied, and over that thick coarse paper; the sheathing
metal is laid on over all, and nailed to the wood in the ordinary way as when
sheathing a wooden ship. All the edges of the wooden planking are bevilled,

page_text: and they are made to fit the one to the other accurately, and are made tight
with red and white lead or tar, and particular care is taken that the lapped
joints of the sheathing are made perfectly tight with red and white lead and
thick coarse paper between, so as to case the ship in a wood and sheathing
metal case, which prevents the possibality of the sea water getting to the iron,
and stops all galvanic action. At the extreme edges of the metal sheathing
at the keel and above the water line of a ship or elsewhere where the wooden
planking stops and the sheathing comes in contact with the skin of the ship,
the sheathing and the metal skin are fixed together by drilling holes to suitable
depths, according to the thickness of the skin, and tapping the said holes with
a coarse thread, then rivetting the sheathing metal to the ship's side by putting
a plain soft copper rivet into the tapped hole and rivetting the same. In the
process of rivetting the rivet is forced into the thread, which securely holds
the sheathing metal to the metal skin. I also have a notch cut into the
tapped hole, which prevents the possibality of the rivets turning and screwing
out of their holes. In a similar manner the whole of the sheathing may be
applied without any wooden planking; this arrangement is very efficient but
more expensive than when planking is used.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Askew in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th
July 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
ASKEW, of No. 27, Charles Street, Hampstead Road, in the County of
Middlesex, Coppersmith, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Charles Askew, Her special licence that I, the said Charles
Askew, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Charles Askew, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN COATING OR SHEATHING IRON SHIPS, IRON FLOATING BATTERIES,

page_text: GRAVING DOCKS, AND BUOYS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Charles Askew, my executors or administrators, 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 Charles Askew, do hereby declare the
nature of the 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 thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in coating or sheathing iron
ships, iron floating batteries, graving docks, and buoys. For this purpose,
when conting or sheathing an iron ship I clean the ship's side as if for the
application of one of the preservative compositions now commonly employed,
and put on a thick coating of tar, or it may be other similar material, but I
prefer gas tar; over this I place thick and coarse paper saturated in oil, I use by
preference boiled oil, and tar again over the paper. I attach wood, commonly
pine, or it may be oak or other wood, of a suitable thickness, to the ship's
side with iron or metal screws, washers being placed under the heads of the
screws. The screws enter holes drilled and tapped in the ship's side, so as to
firmly fix the wood. The heads of the screws are sunk below the surface of
the wood, and the holes are filled up over them with wooden plugs driven in
so as to make a flush surface. Over the wood tar is again applied, and over
that thick coarse paper saturated with oil, as before. The sheathing metal is
laid on over all and nailed to the wood in the ordinary way as when sheathing
a wooden ship. All the edges of the wooden planking are bevilled, and they
are made to fit the one to the other accurately, and are made tight with red
and white lead or tar. I prefer to use two parts of white led and one of red,
ground together with oil, so as to make a paint, and the surfaces to make the
joint are thickly painted over with this composition before the parts are put
together. Particular care is taken also that the lapped joints of the metal
sheathing are made perfectly tight with red and white lead and thick coarse
paper. Strips of paper saturated with oil are painted over on both sides
with the lead paint and are placed between the sheathing plates at the
joints, thus the ship is enclosed in a wood and sheathing metal case which
prevents the possibility of the sea water getting to the iron and stops all
galvanic action. The arrangement of the several parts above referred
to is shewn in Figure 1 of the Drawing hereunto annexed, which is a

page_text: section of a part of the side of a ship coated and sheathed according to my
Invention.
At the extreme edges of the metal sheathing, at the keel, and above the
water line of a ship, or elsewhere, where the wooden planking stops and the
metal sheathing comes in contact with the skin of the ship, the sheathing and
the metal skin are fixed together by drilling holes to suitable depths, according
to the thickness of the skin, usually about half through it, and tapping the
said holes with a coarse thread, then rivetting the sheathing metal to the ship's
side by putting a plain soft copper rivet into the tapped hole and rivetting the
same. The rivet holes are countersunk at their mouths, so that the finished
work may have a flush surface. Figure 2 of the annexed Drawing shews
clearly this arrangement.
In the process of rivetting the rivet is forced into the thread, which
securely holds the sheathing metal to the metal skin. I also have a notch
cut into the tapped hole, which prevents the possibility of the rivets turning
and screwing out of their holes. Paper saturated with oil and painted over
with lead paint or tar, as above described, should be interposed between the
surface of the ship and the sheathing metal to keep them out of actual con-
tact; with the same object, also, the surface of the ship is cleaned and
thoroughly tarred before applying the paper. In a similar manner the whole
of the sheathing may be applied without any wooden planking. This arrange-
ment is very efficient, but perhaps more expensive than when planking is
used. Floating batteries, graving docks, and buoys, may be coated and
sheathed in manner precisely similar.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Askew, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
CHARLES ASKEW. (L.S.)