Improvements in or relating to Disengaging Apparatus for Ships' Boats.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 7th June, 1899
Complete Specification Left, 9th Apr., 1900-Accented 7th June 1000
Date of Application, 7th June, 1899
Complete Specification Left, 9th Apr.. 1900-Accented 7th June 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Disengaging Apparatus for Ships'
Boats.
We, JOSEPH NICHOLSON BROWN, Shipwright, of 51, Forster Street, and ALAN
GEORGE ROBSON, Clerk, of 1, Joannah Street, both in Sunderland, in the County
of Durham, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to disengaging apparatus for ships' boats.
By the present practice, under normal conditions, each boat rests upon chocks
whereon it is secured by gripes permanently fastened at one end to the ship's
deck and engaging at the other end with the sides of the boat. Thus when
launching is required, the gripes have to be cut before the chocks can be dis-
placed to free the boat. This plan, however, is cumbersome and inexpeditious
and the object of our invention is to obtain the simultaneous and instantaneous
release of the chocks and the gripes by one operation whereby great benefit
accrues.
To this end, according to one form of our invention when a pair of free
chocks are employed at both ends of the boat, we fix to each chock an eyed bar
or arm and dispose the bars of both pairs to converge so that their eyes overlap
about the part bearing the chocks to and from which they, are attached and
detached as hereafter explained.
At one extremity of every gripe we provide an eve to be connected to and
disconnected from a forked bracket or lug fixed on the ship's deck, this con-
nection and disconnection, as well as the attachment and detachment of the
chocks, being accomplished by the insertion and withdrawal of a pin or bolt..
Each pin or bolt is pivoted to a link which in turn is hinged to a revoluble
shaft or spindle centrally arranged transversely to and underneath the boat. The
shaft is mounted in bearings fixed to the ship's deck, and at its in-board end
a hand-lever is fitted and furnished with means, such as a pin, for locking it
to the adjoining bearing, or other convenient part.
Supposing the parts are in the inoperative position: then to secure the boat
after it is placed upon the chocks, the pins or bolts are manipulated to effect
the connection of the gripes to the ship's deck and of both pairs of chocks and
when these operations are completed the lever is turned into a vertical position
and there locked as aforesaid.
Now, assuming it is required to release the boat for launching: then the
lever is first unlocked and next moved either forward or aft, whereupon the
shaft is rotated and all the pins or bolts are withdrawn, consequently the gripes
are detached and the chocks fall away, or are free to do so, thereby permitting.
the boat to be swung out.
Suitable means may be provided to prevent the loss of any parts likely to get
ost.
In exemplification of our invention
1
1 1
J

page_text: case where two pairs of chocks are used all of which slide or fall away when
detachment takes place, but of course, as will be obvious, it is also applicable
to other arrangements, as for instance to cases where only one of each pair of
chocks is free, the other being hinged; or where one chock is disposed at the
centre of the boat; or where there are three chocks; the location of the parts
before described being simply varied to meet the particular circumstance.
Dated this fith day of June 1899.
Improvements in or relating to Disengaging Apparatus for Ships'
Boats.
We, JOSEPH NICHOLSON BROWN, Shipwright, of 51, Forster Street, and ALAN
GEORGE ROBSON, Clerk, of 1, Joannah Street, both in Sunderland, in the County
of Durham, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to disengaging apparatus for ships' boats.
By the present practice, under normal conditions, each boat rests upon chocks
whereon it is secured by gripes permanently fastened at one end to the ship's
deck and engaging at the other end with the sides of the boat. Thus when
launching is required, the gripes have to be cut before the chocks can be dis-
placed to free the boat. This plan, however, is cumbersome and inexpeditious
and the object of our invention is to obtain the simultaneous and instantaneous
release of the chocks and the gripes by one operation whereby great benefit
accrues.
We will fully describe our invention in reference to the accompanying draw-
ings which illustrate two forms of it, with the parts constituting the apparatus
assembled for use.
Of the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation and Fig. 2 is a plan representing
one arrangement, and Figs. 3 and 4 are similar views exemplifying the other.
In Figs. 2 and 4, the boat is shown in dot-and-dash lines for the sake of
clearness; and in all the figures the same letters of reference designate the same
or similar parts.
According to the form of our invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 when
a pair of free sliding chocks is employed at both ends of the boat A, we fix to
each chock B an eyed bar or arm and dispose the bars b, b of both pairs of
chocks to converge so that their eyes overlap about the part bearing the two
chocks B, B to and from which they are attached and detached as hereafter
explained.
At one extremity of every gripe C we provide an eye c to be connected to
and disconnected from an adjacent forked bracket or lug D fixed on the ship's
deck, this connection and disconnection, as well as the attachment and detach-
ment of the chocks B, B, being accomplished by the insertion and withdrawal
of a pin or bolt d.
Each pin or bolt d is pivoted to a link which in turn is hinged to a revoluble
shaft or spindle E centrally arranged transversely to and underneath the boat A.
The pivoting of the bolts d-d to the links, as well as the hinging of
the links to the shaft E, may be effected in various ways. A convenient way

page_text: is shown, and according to it we fork the ends of every link d¹, and connect the
outer end to a lug on the end of the bolt d by a pin d³, and the inner end,
by a pin e, to a lug e¹ at the contiguous side of a collar e fastened on the
shaft E.
The shaft E is mounted in bearings e, c³, fixed to the ship's deck, and at its
in-board end a hand-lever F is fitted and furnished with means, such as a
pin passing through a hole therein, for locking it to the adjoining bearing e³,
or other conveniently arranged part.
Now as regards Figs. 3 and 4. The preceding description is applicable to
these figures too, the only difference between the arrangements illustrated in
them and in Figs. 1 and 2 being that in the latter we adopt separate means for
securing and releasing the gripes C-C and the chocks B-B, whereas in the
former we adapt the same means for controlling both the gripes and the chocks,
thereby avoiding the central links d', and their associated parts shown in
Figs. 1 and 2. To this end, we arrange the eyed bars or armis -b on the
chocks B-B to diverge and we dispose the free end of each bar or arm 6 to fit
in the fork of the adjacent bracket D, which is fashioned to receive both the
said end and the eye c of the gripe C which are fastened to and released from
the bracket by the insertion and withdrawal of the one bolt d.
In all other respects the two arrangements are alike, and the operation is as
follows:-
Supposing the parts are in the inoperative position: then to secure the boat
after it is placed upon the chocks B-B, the pins or bolts d-d are manipulated
to effect the connection of the gripes C-C to the brackets D-D) on the ship's
deck and of both pairs of chocks B, B to the parts 61, 6, or to the brackets D-D,
as in Figs. 1 and 2 and Figs. 3 and 4 respectively, and when these operations
are completed the lever F is turned into a vertical position and there locked
by the pin as aforesaid.
Now, assuming it is required to release the boat for launching: then the
lever is first unlocked and next moved either forward or aft, whereupon the
shaft E is rotated and all the pins or bolts dare withdrawn, consequently
the gripes C-C are detached and the chocks B-B fall away, or are free to do
so, thereby permitting the boat to be swung out.
Suitable means may be provided to prevent the loss of any parts likely to get
lost; for example, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, chains G-G or the like may be
furnished in connection with the chocks B-B and their supporting parts bl, bl
for preventing the former falling overboard when not in use.
In exemplification of our invention we have described its application to two
cases where two pairs of chocks are used all of which slide or fall away when
detachment takes place, but of course, as will be obvious, it is also applicable
to other arrangements, as for instance to cases where only one of each pair of
chocks is free, the other being hinged; or where one chock is disposed at the
centre of the boat; or where there are three chocks; the location of the parts
before described being simply varied to meet the particular circumstances.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that
what we claim is:-
1. The improved disengaging apparatus for ships' boats for obtaining the
simultaneous and instantaneous release of the chocks and gripes by one opera-
tion, substantially as set forth.
2. Disengaging apparatus for ships boats comprising the combination of the
chocks B-B, eyed bars or arms b-b, gripes C-C, forked brackets or lugs D-D,
pins or bolts dd, links dd, shaft E, and lever F, all arranged and adapted
for use substantially as described in reference to the accompanying drawings.
3. The combination of parts constituting our improvements in or relating to
disengaging apparatus for ships' boats, all arranged and operating substantially

page_text: as and for the purposes described and shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the accom-
panying drawings, and subject to the modification explained in regard to Figs. 3
and 4 thereof.
For the Applicants,
J. A. HARVEY,
Chartered Patent Agent, 3, St. Nicholas' Buildings, Newcastle-on-Tyne.