IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF COMBINING TOGETHER AND SECURING TO THE SIDES OF NAVIGABLE VESSELS AND WATER BATTERIES ARMOUR PLATES OF IRON OR STEEL
Year: 1861

page_text: IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF COMBINING TOGETHER AND SECURING TO THE
SIDES OF NAVIGABLE VESSELS AND WATER BATTERIES ARMOUR PLATES OF IRON
OR STEEL."
Sealed the 2nd May 1862, and dated the 5th November 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Beresford Love at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 5th
November 1861.
I, JOHN BERESFORD LOVE, of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, 'in
the United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF COMBINING TOGETHER AND SECURING TO
THE SIDES OF NAVIGABLE VESSELS AND WATER BATTERIES ARMOUR PLATES OF IRON
OR STEEL," to be as follows:-
The Invention consists in rebating and boring the edges of armour plates, so
that the same when adjusted together closely, shall produce accurately fitting
lap joints, that will leave both the inner side and outer side surfaces respec-
tively of the said plates flush or even with each other, and also have tapering
or conical holes transversely through the lapping portions to correspond with
each other respectively for the admission from the outer side of corresponding
bolts, whose outer ends, when the bolts are firmly inserted into the said holes,

page_text: Shall be flush with the outer side of the said plates, and in intervening along
between the said edges of each connecting pair of the said plates, when the
same are being applied as armour to the vessel or battery, a thin strip of soft
compressible metal, gum cloth, tarred felt, or any other similar compressible
and durable material, so that when the said conical bolts are driven firmly into
the holes in the lapping portions of the plates, in securing the latter to the
walls of the vessel or battery, the packing shall be powerfully compressed, and
held between the said edges, and so produce a perfectly water-tight and durable
joint thereat.
The Invention also consists in fitting together the upper edges of the highest
tier of plates, and the upper edge of the bulwark of the vessel, for the purpose
of better supporting the said plates, by means of an overlapping projection or
flange, formed on the inner side of the plates at this part, and also in con-
structing and applying a capping rail, which will closely embrace the upper
ends of the said flanged plates, and the upper edge of the bulwark of a curved
form in its transverse section, and firmly bolted to the parts which it covers,
so that it shall form a powerful support to the bulwark of the vessel, and at
the same time serve to deflect shot or shell. These armour plates are intended
to be applied to the walls of either iron or wooden vessels and batteries. The
plates are arranged transversely in relation to the vessel, and in two series, an
upper and a lower one, but they may be arranged longitudinally along the
vessels, walls, and in any required number of series, as the size of the plates,
or of the vessel or battery to which they are to be applied, may require. They
are intended to be made of. iron or steel, and in solid plates of about sixteen
feet in length, four feet in width, and four or five inches in thickness, more or
less, for the upper series, and for the lower series of the same width and
thickness as those of the upper series, and about eight feet in length, or those
of both series of such lengths respectively as may, when the two series are
lapped and secured together, as hereinafter described, cause the lower one to
extend downward sufficiently far below the water line of the vessel or battery,
to protect the same from injury by shot or sbell striking below said line.
The connecting sides and ends of the said plates are recessed or cut away
to half their thickness for the width of about six inches from their outer edges,
and the remaining portions of the said edges planed to either rectangular or
bevelled faces, so that the said plates will fit accurately together, and form
lapping joints, which will leave both the inner and outer surfaces of the plates
exactly flush or even with each other respectively. Each bolt is fitted at its
smaller end with a screw nut, to be operated on the inner side of the wall in
the usual well known manner of a draw nut, after the bolt has been driven.

page_text: The bolt holes in the plates are to be bored and tapered to correspond
exactly with each other, when the lapping portions are first fitted accurately
and closely together, so that in afterward securing them to the wall, the
packing may be inserted accurately between the said edges. The port holes.
are to be formed during the original construction of the plates.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Beresford Love in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
5th May 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
BERESFORD LOVE, of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, in the United
States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Beresford Love, Her special licence that I, the said John
Beresford Love, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said John Beresford Love, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MODE OF COMBINING TOGETHER AND SECURING TO THE SIDES OF NAVI-
GABLE VESSELS AND WATER BATTERIES ARMOUR PLATES OF IRON OR STEEL," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Beresford Love, 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 John Beresford Love, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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:-
This Invention consists in rebating and boring the edges of armour plates,

page_text: so that the same when adjusted together closely, shall produce accurately
fitting lap joints, that will leave both the inner side and outer side surfaces
respectively of the said plates flush or even with each other, and also have
tapering or conical holes transversely through the lapping portions, to cor-
respond with each other respectively, for the admission from the outer side of
corresponding bolts, whose outer ends, when the bolts are firmly inserted into
the said holes, shall be flush with the outer side of the said plates; and in
intervening along between the said edges of each connecting pair of the said
plates, when the same are being applied as armour to the vessel or battery, a
thin strip of soft compressible metal, gum cloth, tarred felt, or any other
similar compressible and durable material, so that when the said conical bolts
are driven firmly into the holes in the lapping portions of the plates in securing
the latter to the walls of the vessel or battery, the packing shall be powerfully
compressed and held between the said edges, and so produce a perfectly water-
tight and durable joint thereat.
My Invention also consists in fitting together the upper edges of the highest.
tier of plates, and the upper edge of the bulwark of the vessel, for the purpose
of better supporting the said plates, by means of an overlapping projection or
flange formed on the inner side of the plates at this part; and also, in con-
structing and applying a capping rail, which will closely embrace the upper
ends of the said flanged plates and the upper edge of the bulwark of a curved
form in its transverse section, and firmly bolted to the parts which it covers,
so that it shall form a powerful support to the bulwark of the vessel, and at
the same time serve to deflect shot or shell.
In the Drawings, Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of the side wall of a
navigable vessel, having my Invention applied thereto; Fig. 2, a vertical trans-
verse section of the same through the line of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3, a horizontal
longitudinal section through the line y of the same Figure; like letters in the
different Figures indicating like parts. These armor plates are intended to be
applied to the walls of either iron or wooden vessels and batteries, but in this
instance they are represented as applied to an iron vessel; A, being a section.
of the side wall of the vessel; B, B', the armor plates; C, C, the intervening
strips of packing; D, D, the conical bolts whereby the plates are forced
towards each other with the packing between, and also secured to the vessel;
and E, the capping rail, which forms the upper boundary of the bulwark of
the vessel. The plates B, B', are arranged transversely in relation to the
vessel, and in two series, an upper and a lower one; but they may be
arranged longitudinally along the vessel's walls, and in any required number of
series, as the size of the plates or of the vessel or battery to which they are to

page_text: be applied may require. They are intended to be made of iron or steel, and
in solid plates of about sixteen feet in length, four feet in width, and four or
five inches in thickness, more or less, for the upper series, B; and for the
lower series, B'. of the same width and thickness as those of the upper series,
and about eight feet in length, or those of both series of such lengths respec-
tively as may, when the two series are lapped and secured together as herein-
after described, cause the lower one to extend downward sufficiently far below
the water line of the vessel or battery to protect the same from injury by shot
or shell striking below said line. The plates of the upper series, B, are each
made with a projection or flange b, across the inner side of its upper end, so
that the said flange, when the plate is applied, shall rest directly upon the
upper edge, a, of the bulwark, and come exactly flush with the inner side of
the latter, substantially as represented in Figure 2 of the Drawing.
.
Fig. 4 shows the flange extended in both a lateral and downward direction
so as to form a cap in itself, and fix firmly on the bulwark without the aid of
the capping rail. The connecting sides and ends of the said plates B, B', are
recessed or cut away to half their thickness for the width of about six inches
from their outer edges, and the remaining portions f,f, of the said edges planed
to either rectangular or beveled faces, so that the said plates will fit ac-
curately together and form lapping joints, which will leave both the inner and
outer surfaces of the plates exactly flush or even with each other respectively,.
as represented in the Drawings. The plates are secured closely and firmly
to the wall A, and to each other by means of the conical bolts D, D,
which are each about two inches in diameter at their larger ends, and one-
inch at their smaller ends, and fit in corresponding holes, which are made
in rows through the lapping edges of the plates, and also correspondingly,
through the wall A of the vessel; each bolt D being fitted at its smaller
end with a screw nut d, to be operated on the inner side of the wall, in
the usual well known manner of a draw nut, after the bolt has been
driven; its outer end will then be flush or even with the outer side of the
plate, as represented in the Drawings. The bolt holes in the plates are to be
bored and tapered to correspond exactly with each other respectively, when
their lapping portions are first fitted accurately and closely together, so that,
in afterward securing them to the wall A, the packing C of soft compressible
metal, gum cloth, tarred felt, or other similar material (which should be about
an eighth of an inch thick, and cut into strips of a width and length to correspond
with the width and length of the abutting edges of the lapping portions of the
plates,) niay be inserted accurately between the said edges, and as the conical

page_text: bolts D are driven into the holes by a heavy sledge hammer, the edges of the
respective plates will be forced toward each other,, so as to compress the
packing tightly between them, and thus produce thereat a durably 'water-tight
joint. The top or flanged end of the upper series of plates B, together with
the upper edge of the bulwark of the vessel, are finally covered by a strong
grooved capping rail E, which is firmly secured thereto by transverse bolts D';
in sections of about fourteen feet in length each, so as to break joints with the
plates, as seen in Fig. 1, for the purpose of strengthening the bulwark. The
transverse section of this rail E presents a curved form, especially on the
outer side of the bulwark, for the purpose of causing a ball or shell in striking
it to be deflected either upward or downward. The recess formed by the
square lower ends of the lower series of plates B' is intended to be filled out
with wood H, and then covered in a water-tight manner by boiler iron plates
G, as indicated in Fig. 2, for the purpose of producing an easy curve from the
armor plates to the keel of the vessel. The required port holes, indicated by
the dotted lines Z, Z, are intended to be formed or produced during the
original constructing of the plates B.
.
The herein described construction and application of armour plates is
believed to be the most simple and effective mode for the purpose of with-
standing the powerful force of heavy point-blank shot, and as no projecting
bolt heads or other offsets are presented on the face of the walls, there can be
comparatively but little chance of loosening either the bolts or the plates by
such shot, and none at all from such shot as may strike obliquely; besides,
the joints between the plates are effectively and durably water-tight.
Having thus fully described my Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, and also pointed out its utility, I wish it to be under-
stood that I do not desire to claim broadly the bolting of thick armour plates.
to the walls of navigable vessels and water batteries, as such has been effected
before in various modes; but what I claim as new of my Invention, and
desire to be secured to me by the herein in part recited Letters Patent, is-
Firstly, the mode herein described of constructing the edges of the plates
B, B', and combining them together in a water tight manner with each other
and the exterior walls of navigable vessels and water batteries; the same
consisting of the flush-lapping joints of the edges of the plates, the intervening
packing C, and the conical draw bolts D, the whole being combined together
with the walls of the vessel or battery, substantially in the manner described
and set forth.
Secondly, I claim the projection or flange bion the upper ends of the plates

page_text: B, when the same is constructed so as to rest directly upon the upper edge of
the bulwark of the vessel, and flush with the inner side of the same, as
described and set forth, for the purpose of more securely supporting the said
plates; and also the method shewn in Fig. 4.
Thirdly, I also claim the capping rail E, when the same is grooved and
curved, substantially as described, and applied to operate in combination with
the plates B and the bulwark of the vessel, in the manner described and for
the purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Beresford Love, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Third day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
JOHN BERESFORD LOVE. (LS.)
Witness,
ALEX. PRINCE,
Agent for Patents,
4, Trafalgar Square,
Charing Cross.