Improvements in the Construction of Cargo Vessels.
Year: 1896

page_text: This print is in accordance with the Origina! Specification as it stands after
Amendment (under Section 11 of the Patents, &c. Act, 1883) as required by
the decision of the Chief Examiner of the 23rd day of February 1898.
Date of Application, 25th Jan., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 25th Nov., 1896-Accepted, 2nd Jan., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Cargo Vessels.
We, HUGH LAING, Shipbuilder, and WILHELM HŎK, Naval Architect, both
of Deptford Yard, Sunderland, in the County of Durham, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in the construction of cargo vessels and
consists in the provision in combination with the deck structure of a girder-formed
fore-and-aft and substantially continuous trunk extending from the amidships'
portion of the vessel towards the ends to any suitable distance but preferably not
less than will amount to at least half the vessel's length.
Such a trunk may be erected on for example the weather deck of an ordinary
flush deck vessel and may be of any suitable height form section or width. Its
upper surface or sheer line will by preference be straight either parallel with the
keel or not or it may be formed of straight parts or curved with reference to
the amidships' part so that the ends may either rise or fall or one fall and the
other rise.
The trunk top will or may be plate or otherwise decked and fitted with
ordinary hatches and winches but in other respects its members will be
continuous.
The ship may have sheer rising or falling towards its ends or no sheer regard-
less of the upper line of the trunk whose girder-shaped sides may be practically
continuous through ordinary bridges.
According to the length of the forecastle and poop and similarly in regard to
raised quarter decks so will the form of the trunk ends be modified with regard to
them; thus the trunk ends may stop short of the poop and forecastle so as to leave
a passage or passages therebetween or the ends may be coterminous therewith or
otherwise extend thereinto to a sufficient distance in which case the sides of the
trunk will be rigidly connected to the bottom or top and bottom plating of the
poop and forecastle or its equivalent as the case may be and similarly with regard
to bridges extending over a sufficient length of the amidships' portion the trunk
may either run inside the bridge for its whole length or it may be interrupted as
to its ends within such bridge its vertical members being rigidly connected to the
top and bottom plating of the bridge so as to maintain in every case the strength
of the structure and obtain equivalent strength to an unbroken trunk for a suffi-
cient portion of the ship's length.
The trunk and space below the weather deck or hold may or are thus capable of
forming one large open cargo space when or if the weather deck plating is
omitted.
The ship's beams can be strengthened where or as required and centre pillaring
will be suppressed the deck being supported by. pillaring from the continuous

page_text: longitudinal girders forming the trunk either vertically or diagonally against the
ordinary floor or cellular bottom as found convenient and there may be central or
other erections either on weather deck or on trunk deck or on both or these may
take the form of bridges.
Dated this 24th day of January 1896
Improvements in the Construction of Cargo Vessels.
We, HUGH LAING, Shipbuilder, and WILHELM HÖк, Naval Architect, both
of Deptford Yard, 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:
i
.Our invention relates to the construction of cargo vessels of the kind which
have a fore and after central midship erection or trunk of less breadth than "the
vessel and particularly such as are intended to carry relatively large cargoes on
shallow draught. Such vessels are usually of great length in proportion to depth,
and therefore great longitudinal strength is essential; also owing to their special
constructional conditions such vessels have in many cases excessive cargo space
for the cargo they can carry (depending necessarily upon the density of the cargo),
and since dues are measured and established upon and in direct relation to cubic
capacity or tonnage it consequently frequently happens that heavy dues are pay-
able without proportionate return to the owner.
The object of our invention is to reduce the cubic capacity of such vessels just
sufficiently for the purpose in view, and at the same time to provide and maintain
the full longitudinal strength and rigidity required, and to effect these purposes
with particular regard both to lightness of. structure.and cost of building.
jit
To this end, according to our improvements, for example, in a two decked vessel
we, as it were, shift inwardly towards the longitudinal centre line the sides of the
vessel from amidships for a certain distance both fore and aft so as to form a long
central erection upon the second deck.
This erection (hereinafter called the trunk) is preferably not less than half the
length of the vessel, and of considerably less width than the breadth of same, and
it is built integrally with the structure thereof, and strongly connected thereto at
either side and end. By this means an efficient weather deck is provided at either
side, of and upon the top of the trunk, and the inner part of the trunk may either
be in direct communication by sundry deck.hatches, with the holds or separated
therefrom by central or intermediate. deck plating and dual hatch-openings. The
sides of the trunk are formed of continuous longitudinal girders of suitable
strength and supported upon laterally. disposed pillaring instead of central as
heretofore.
Our invention further comprises certain, details from which certain advantages
hereinafter referred to essentially accrue.
We will now fully describe our invention in reference to the accompanying
drawings in which:
Figure 1 is an elevation, Figure 2 a plan of a two decked steamer having our
invention embodied therein,.
Figure 3 is to the right a half cross section on lines 1-1 of Figures 1 and 2
(that is fore or aft of the bridge), showing the main deck plates inside trunk

page_text: retained, and the left side of same figure is a cross section at the bridge, showing
said deck. plating dispensed with.
Figure 4 is a section looking from the outer side of the trunk with the deck.
plating cut off to show clearly the beams and brackets beneath the same, and
illustrating the construction of continuous longitudinal girders and connections.
S S, Figure 3, represent the sides of a two decked vessel which sides in ordinary
construction would be extended upwardly for the whole length of the vessel as
shown at S between the decks D D but for the reasons above stated, according
to our invention for a certain distance we, as it were, shift these upper sides
illustrated at S¹ inwardly towards the centre line to such a position as S2, so as to
do away with the cubic space marked $3, except at the bridge and as hereinafter
explained. Thus we produce a long central midship erection or trunk T and
continuous weather decks B B at either side thereof, and these we provide with
bulwarks B so as to render them available for deck cargo if required and also for
safety of the crew during working of the vessel.
This central trunk T extends for at least half the length of the vessel, and in
the Figures 1 and 2 it is shown as practically co-extensive therewith, and instead
of bending the deck beams to form the frames of its two sides and plating them,
we employ a pair of continuous wrought iron or steel girders G G of suitable.
strength supported by the laterally disposed vertical pillars P P, these girders G
consisting of comparatively light stiffening frames g and plating g'. The weather
decks B are supported by and secured to the deck beams & and are of iron or steel:
plating in order to preserve continuity of strength between the sides S of the.
vessel and the girders G. The part D³ of the deck D2 within the trunk T between.
the girders G G may either be retained or dispensed with. If it is retained, the
vertical stiffeners or frames g of the girders G are attached thereto by inner
vertical gussets and other stiffeners and the plating g¹ is connected to the decking B
by flanging or by angle irons and stiffened in the known way, but if the deck
plating D is removed the frames g are attached to the deck beams 6 by large
gussets or brackets g². The attachment of the trunk deck t to the girders G is
effected in any usual and suitable way and provided with protection railing if
required. It will be seen that by this arrangement of continuous longitudinal
girders GG, the pillaring P P, instead of being centrally disposed as is the usual
practice, is placed vertically below the main girders G G which it supports; the
lower ends of the pillars are rigidly fixed to the top of the tank p or floor and if
there be decking at D³ the upper ends are secured to the weather deck beams b
by brackets as shown but if there be no decking at D³ then the tops of the
pillars P P are carried up as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and rigidly fixed to the
girders G G.
The pillars are specially constructed to secure greatest rigidity and prevent
bending and in constructing them we employ preferably a broad channel iron I,
Figure 4, to the back of which are riveted two bulb angle irons i i so as to form
a light but strong and inflexible support for the superstructure.
When no central deck D3 is used, we may continue the deck beams b right across
the vessel as shown in Figure 3, but we prefer to substitute for same at relatively
wide spaced intervals stronger beams such as the built girders shown
at b, Figure 4, not interfering with the hatchways, said beams alone
traversing the opening to trunk T and to these we connect the frames g
by web plates g. By such construction the trunk may be in direct com-
munication with the holds, and it extends as stated for at least half the length of
the vessel; its side girders are shown vertically arranged in Figure 3, but they
may have an inward inclination or "tumble home if desired. The depth of the
girders forming same is as required for strength, but amidships the usual height
of deck erections is preferred. The top of the trunk may if desired be sheered up
or down fore and aft regardless of the sheer at the sides of the vessel, but we find
it best and most advantageous to make it level or with just sufficient upward sheer to

page_text: the ends (or concavity) as to make it appear level, for by so doing the capacity of
trunk is increased aft in proportion to forward which has the important
effect of keeping or tending to keep the vessel in better trim.
The vessel may have an ordinary forecastle E and poop F erected on the deck D²
and the trunk T may extend into and be attached to these erections if they are
within the half length of the vessel or approximately so, so as to maintain the
requisite longitudinal strength and rigidity, but if they happen to be too remote
then the ends of the trunk terminate preferably in front of them, and in such case
the ends of the trunk may be rectangular or preferably elliptical as shown at t¹ by
dotted and full lines in Figure 2, and connected to these erections by gangways
for easy communication.
For navigating and other purposes, such as accomodation, it is desirable to
have a short bridge extending to the sides of the vessel; such a one is shown
at C and in constructing same the sides S are built up as at S', Figure 3, and form
with the ordinary transverse beams, top and end plates the bridge C between the
sides S¹ and the girders G.
We prefer that the trunk T should remain continuous throughout, but in some
cases it may be interrupted at the bridge suitable permanent provision being made
at such end connections to the deck plating thereat to ensure the full required
strength and rigidity of the whole structure."
The hatches H, winch platforms, and so forth are formed on the upper trunk
plating t, and if decking 13 is used, corresponding openings are cut in same
below such hatches, the remaining space within the trunk being available for
storage.
By thus, as it were, shifting, as above described, the sides of the vessel towards
the centre line and so forming a central erection or trunk not only do we attain
our object above enunciated, viz. the reduction of unnecessary cargo space without
loss of longitudinal strength of structure, but other important advantages accrue.
For example, firstly, efficient flat (with round of beam only) and not curved or
angled weather decks are provided for working the vessel with safety to the crew
and carrying temporary or deck cargo and for convenience in coming alongside
quays, other vessels and so forth, there being no rounded gunwales or angular
sides; secondly, the trunk deck being removed from immediate contiguity with
seas, less damage and difficulty of locomotion and navigation will be experienced
in heavy weather; thirdly, by dispensing with deck plating within the trunk an
efficient feeder is formed for the main hold for bulk cargoes; and fourthly, the
continuous side girders of the trunk not only serve as efficient longitudinal
strengtheners, but also simplify and render less inconvenient the internal pillar-
ing supporting same; and fifthly, no heavy cumbrous and costly transversely
curved or angled deck beams are required or used.
We are aware of the prior Patent of E. H. O. R. Ropner No. 10680 of A.D.
1895, and we make no claim to anything claimed therein.
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. In the construction of cargo vessels of the kind above referred to, shifting
as it were both sides inwardly towards the longitudinal centre line of the vessel
fore and aft from amidships for a distance preferably not less than half the vessel's
length so as to form a longitudinal central midship erection or "trunk" of less
breadth than the vessel, the sides of such trunk being constructed of continuous
longitudinai girders supported on laterally disposed pillaring and secured at each
end and at each side as above described in such manner as to secure an integral
structure, by which construction excessive cargo space is reduced, longitudinal
strength and rigidity are ensured, and other advantages accrue, substantially as
above set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
!

page_text: 2. In a vessel having a longitudinal central midship trunk the sides of which
are constructed of continuous longitudinal girders as above specified wherein no
intermediate deck plating is provided within the said trunk, the arrangement of
laterally disposed pillaring supporting the side girders of the trunk and con-
structed as specified to ensure inflexibility, in combination with widely spaced
transverse beams bridging the internal trunk space but not interfering with
the hatches, so as to provide an efficient feeder for bulk cargoes, substantially as
described and illustrated.
3. In a vessel having a central midship trunk such as above referred to, forming
the top of said trunk straight in longitudinal directions, that is to say, with prac-
tically no sheer, and forming the vessel's sides with sheer, as and for the purpose
hereinabove set forth.
4. The improved construction of cargo vessels as above described with reference
to and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
www
For the Applicants,
J. C. CHAPMAN,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., and
3, St. Nicholas Buildings, Newcastle-on-Tyne,
Chartered Patent Agent.