IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Edward Symonds, Captain in the Royal
Navy, of No. 10, Adam Street, Adelphi, in the County of Middlesex,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS AND
OTHER VESSELS."
Sealed the 28th February 1865, and dated the 5th September 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Edward Symonds
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 5th September 1864.
I, THOMAS EDWARD SYMONDS, Captain in the Royal Navy, of No. 10, Adam
Street, Adelphi, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of
the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS AND OTHER
VESSELS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the construction of ships
and other vessels. In constructing ships and vessels of war where more or
less of the central portion of the body of a ship or vessel is formed with a
battery carrying more or less guns on either side, it has in some vessels been
the practice to form the forward and after ends of the battery by transverse
bulkheads, in each of which near the sides of the ship or vessel, but somewhat
inboard, two ports or openings have been formed in order that two guns-may
be fired through such ports or openings, and in such cases parts of the bulwarks
have been hinged in such manner as to be moved inwards at the ends next
the bulkheads.
Now part of my Invention consists in causing the forward and after

page_text: transverse bulkheads at the ends of a ship's battery to be formed with curved
or rounded parts where the bulkheads are connected to the sides of the ship or
vessel, and in forming a port hole or opening through each of such curved or
rounded portions, by which and by rounding the sides of the ship or vessel
beyond where the transverse bulkheads are connected to the sides of the ship
or vessel, the guns may be fired through such port holes or openings in lines
parallel with the keel, and also through the sanie port holes at a considerable
angle approaching a right angle to the keel, whilst at the same time the guns
may be depressed to a greater extent than guns similarly placed when firing
through transverse bulkheads and over the deck, as heretofore constructed.
25
In all single deck slips this method of constructing the ports and bulkheads
admits of two methods of fitting-the-bulwarks-so as to enable the guns to be
fired in the manner described, viz., either fixed or moveable; when moveable,
they are constructed in two parts, one hinged from forward and the other from
aft, or vice versa; when fixed, the bulwark is brought to the inner side of the
port, thus leaving sufficient space for the gun to be fired from the curved
bulkhead at any angle of depression or elevation; this arrangement admits of
the forecastle deck being. brought aft to the armour-plated bulkhead, thus
affording increased accommodation without interfering with the working of
the gun.
The after ports in both these methods may be constructed in a similar
manner, and the side of the vessel may be rounded inwards abaft the bulk-
head, the vertical bulwarks being placed at a sufficient distance inboard clear
of the port, so as to allow the after guns to be fired at or nearly with the line
of the keel..
Furthermore, to attain the same object in frigate-built ships, more especially
on the main or gun deck, the ribs or upright frames of.a ship commencing next
the junction of the armour plate of the side, and an armour-plated bulkhead,
as they rise to about the level of the cills of the port holes or.openings are bent
inwards, and they are curved upwards, and continued in such manner as may
suit the required form of the ship. The object. of this; construction is to
produce, as before mentioned, embrasures in the bow and also in the sides of
.the after part or quarter of the ship or vessel parallel, with the keel, so as to
allow of the fire of the guns before-mentioned being in: lines parallel with the
keel or nearly so.
In constructing the lower part of the body of a ship or vessel where
Jongitudinal framing is introduced to form webs between the ribs or vertical
frames, in place of the webs formed between the top and bottom flanges of the
vertical frames being of perforated or unperforated sheet; iron, the webs are,

page_text: according to the present Invention constructed of trelliswork, by which a
greater relative strength of longitudinal frames of ship is produced, as well as
a lighter and more economical method of construction. This method is also
applied with a similar view to the principal beams of a ship, in lieu of the
present wrought-iron beams.
In constructing rudders of ships or vessels upright hollow or solid bars of
iron or other material are used, framed together at the top and bottom in such
manner that the upright bars are parallel to each other, but at a suitable
distance one from the other. These upright bars may be formed either of
two or more sides of lozenge, diamond, or other section; when of diamond
shape, the angle formed by the two forward sides of each bar comes opposite
to the angle formed by the two after sides of the bar next before it, hence,
when a rudder so constructed is put over, the forward inclined surfaces of the
bars will be more readily brought in a line at right angies with the keel than
the central plane of the rudder, whilst the water acting on the inclined surfaces
of the bars will be led through or escape between the openings, and thus
prevent any void or vacuity taking place on the side of the rudder opposite to
that which for the time is put over.
By this construction of rudder less mechanical effort will be required to get
it over to any desired angle, and the strain on the sternpost, pintles, and rudder
head will be considerably diminished.
Furthermore, in some cases it is preferred to form longitudinal slots or open.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Edward Symonds in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 4th March 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
EDWARD SYMONDS, Captain in the Royal Navy, of No. 10, Adam Street,
Adelphi, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Thomas Edward Symonds, Her special licence that J, the said
Thomas Edward Symonds, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Thomas Edward Symonds, my executors, administrators,
and assigus, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time

page_text: 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 THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS AND OTHER
VESSELS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas
Edward Symonds, 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 immie-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
"
NOW KNOW YE, that 1, the said Thomas Edward Symonds; do hereby
déclare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner, the same
is to be performed, 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 the construction of ships
and other vessels.
In constructing ships and vessels of war, where more or less of the central
portion of the body of, a ship or vessel is formed with a battery carrying more
or less guns on either side, it has in some vessels been the practice to form
the forward and after ends of the battery by transverse bulkheads, in each of
which near the sides of the ship or vessel, but somewhat inboard, two ports or
openings have been formed, in order that two guns may be fired through such
ports or openings, and in such cases parts of the bulwarks have been hinged
in such manner as to be moved inwards at the ends next the bulkheads.
Now part of my Invention consists in causing the forward and after trans-
verse bulkheads at the ends of-a-ship's battery to be formed with curved or
rounded parts where the bulkheads are connected to the sides of the ship or
vessel, and in forming a port hole or opening through each of such curved or
rounded portions, by which and by rounding the sides of the ship or vessel
beyond where the transverse bulkheads are connected to the sides of the ship
or vessel, the guns may be fired through such port holes or openings in lines
parallel with the keel, and also through the same port holes at a considerable
angle, approaching a right angle to-the keel, whilst at the same time, the guns
may be depressed to a greater extent than guns similarly placed when firing
through transverse bulkheads and over the deck, as heretofore constructed.
In all single-deck ships this method of constructing the ports and bulk-
heads admits of two methods of fitting the bulwarks so as to enable the
guns to be fired in the manner described, viz., either fixed or moveable;

page_text: when moveable, they are constructed in two parts, one hinged from forward
and the other from aft, or vice versâ; when fixed, the bulwark is brought to
the inner side of the port, thus leaving sufficient space for the gun to be fired
from the curved bulkhead at any angle of depression or elevation; this
arrangement admits of the forecastle deck being brought aft to the armour-
plated bulkhead, thus affording increased accommodation without interfering
with the working of the gun.
The after ports in both these methods may be constructed in a similar
manner, and the side of the vessel may be rounded inwards abaft the bulk-
head, the vertical bulwarks being placed at a sufficient distance inboard clear
of the port, so as to allow the after guns to be fired at or nearly with the line
of the keel.
Furthermore, to attain the same object in frigate-built ships, more
especially on the main or gun deck, the ribs or upright frames of a ship
commencing next the junction of the armour plate of the side, and an armour-
plated bulkhead, as they rise to about the level of the cills of the port holes or
openings are bent inwards, and they are curved upwards and continued in.
such manner as may suit the required form of the ship. The object of this
construction is to produce, as before mentioned, embrasures in the bow and
also in the sides of the after part or quarter of the ship or vessel parallel with
the keel, so as to allow of the tire of the guns before mentioned being in lines
parallel with the keel or nearly so.
In constructing the lower part of the body of a ship or vessel where longi-
tudinal framing is introduced to form webs between the ribs or vertical frames,
in place of the webs formed between the top and bottom flanges of the vertical
frames being of perforated or unperforated sheet iron, the webs are, according
to the present Invention, constructed of trelliswork, by which a greater relative
strength of longitudinal frames of ships is produced as well as a lighter and
more economical method of construction. This method is also applied with a
similar view to the principal beams of a ship in lieu of the present wrought-
iron beams.
In constructing rudders of ships or vessels upright hollow or solid bars of
ron or other material are used, framed together at the top and bottom in
such manner that the upright bars are parallel to each other, but at a suitable
listance one from the other. These upright bars may be formed either of
wo or more sides of lozenge, diamond, or other section; when of diamond
hape, the angle formed by the two forward sides of each bar comes opposito
o the angle formed by the two after sides of the bar next before it; hence,
when a rudder so constructed is put over, the forward inclined surfaces of the

page_text: In single-deck ships with or without a spar or light upper deck, or on the
upper deck of frigates or other ships, this Invention admits of two methods of
constructing the bulwarks either fixed or moveable, as shown in the Drawing
(Sheet 1), so as to enable guns to be fired in the manner described at or
nearly in a line with the keel. When moveable bulwarks are employed, I
construct them in two or more parts, one portion being hinged from forward
and the other from aft.
In Figures 1 and 2, Sheet 1, of the accompanying Drawings, I have shown
in elevation and part plan a single-deck ship with moveable bulwarks a, a,
and 6, b, hinged from forward and aft, which, when required to be open for
the purpose of firing the guns (as shown forward), that portion of the
moveable bulwark a is swung inboard clear of the port and abuts against
the rounded face of the bulkhead which prevents it flying further inboard.
The shorter portion of the bulwark b, also hinged, opens outwards against the
ship's side, which in some cases may be recessed to receive it. At the after
part of the vessel these hinged portions a, a, and b, b, are shown as closed and
flush with the fixed bulwarks, and secured together and retained in their
position by vertical and horizontal stanchions in the deck and the face of the
bulkhead or in any other convenient manner.
In a flush deck vessel this arrangement would admit of a top-gallant fore-
castle, which may be either carried as far as the hinge of the foremost bulwark,
or, if preferred, to the face of the armour-plated bulkhead, without interfering
with the working of the gun.
In Figure 3 another method of fitting hinged bulwarks is shown applicable
to gun boats, express boats, and other flush-deck vessels having central or
pivot guns without armour, by which means the bulwarks may be opened

page_text: inwards at a sufficient angle to form embrasures for the guns to be fired
through at sea, and secured when there by drop bolts or other means; thus
protection would be afforded to the guns' crew from grape or musketry, and
the sea kept from washing over the deck.
The hinged or moveable bulwarks herein referred to and shown in the
Drawings may be composed of iron or wood of convenient form, fitted with
hinges formed of bolts and eyes, or in any other suitable manner, and with
rollers or slides for traversing to and fro.
•
Figure 4 is a half plan of a vessel of the same class as that shown in
Figures 1 and 2, exhibiting my method of fitting ports in the rounded bulk-
heads with fixed bulwarks, a plan which I consider preferable to the foregoing,
inasmuch as the gun will be always ready for action and the structure will be
stronger. In this case a light upper or spar deck would be fitted forward and
aft, which would afford increased accommodation without adding materially to
the weight, and make the ship more generally seaworthy. I bring the
bulwark to the inner side of the port at a suitable angle and curve, leaving
sufficient space for the gun to be fired from the ports in the curved bulkhead,
the side of the ship being rounded upwards and inwards externally as shown,
so as to admit of the gun being fired at any suitable angle of depression when
the ship is heeling over under canvas or at the top of the rolling motion when:
under sail or steam.
The after ports in both these plans may be constructed in similar manner,.
the sides of the vessel being more or less rounded inwards' abaft tho
bulkhead, the vertical bulwarks being placed at sufficient distance.inboard
clear of the port to allow the guns to be fired at or nearly in a line with
the keel.
""
In the construction of frigates and ships of a larger class having guns on
the main deck, instead of carrying the athwartship armour-plated bulkheads
at right angles with the side, as is the ordinary practice, I curve' them in a
similar manner, and for the same purpose as previously described, the frames
of the ship cominencing next to the junction of the armour plating, with the
side both forward and aft being curved inwards and upwards, as shown in the
bow view (Figure 11); or the frames may be varied to suit the particular
purpose or form of vessel required, leaving a sufficient recess to admit of oval,
circular, or other embrasures being pierced on either side of the bow and
stern, so as to admit of the guns being fired in lines parallel with the keel at
any required angle of depression. Figures 5 and 6 exhibit parts of side
elevations of a vessel of the class referred to, having bow and stern guns.for
firing in lines parallel with the keel, as herein described. Figure 7 is part of

page_text: a side elevation of a similar vessel. Figure 8 is a stern view of Figure 7.
Figures 9 and 10 are plans 'of Figures 5 and 6: Figure 11 is a bow view,
shewing my method of fitting.curved. frames.
1
I further carry the armour-plated bulkhead in a similar manner to the
upper deck, and extend it at. a sufficient distance forward and aft in either case
to protect the guns from flank fire, having a top-gallant forecastle and poop.
By these. means four protected guns may be fired at either end in a line with
the keel, or even to cross their fire at about one hundred yards ahead or astern
of the ship without altering the normal! construction of the ship or vessel,
except at the extremities in the manner indicated, at about. 10 feet above the
water line, which does not interferes with any existing arrangement, or impair
efficiency, accommodation, or sea-going qualities. That part known as the
head, which in ordinary ships is fitted externally, and therefore.exposed, or
when internally is an obstruction and nuisance, on the upper deck, I arrange
under the top-gallant forecastle, before the armour-plated bulkhead; the nien
are thus protected. from the weather out of sight, and being external to the
bulkhead, the nuisance is abated. The ducts for the urinals, &c., being led:
in the most convenient manner to facilitate their discharge.
The ports or embrasures in both these methods may be of a form now
adopted in the turret ships, or of: 'other convenient form, they being intended
for bow and stern attack, and not requiring a large are for.training.
In constructing the lower part of the body of a ship or vessel where
longitudinal and other framing is introduced to form cells between the ribs or
vertical frames, in place of the plates being of perforated or unperforated sheet
iron, I construct them of trellis or lattice bars; by which a greater relative
longitudinal strength may be produced, as well as a lighter and more
economical form of construction.
In Sheet12I have shewn in. Figure 1'a section of a vessel having the lower
part of the body formed with trellis or lattice bars, also the beams formed in
manner similar to that described. Figure 2 is a section on line A, B; and
Figures 3, 4, and 5 are separate views of some of the parts..
I likewise employ this method in mortar vessels and gunboats that may be
intended to carry the contemplated increased weight of ordnance either in the
manner or form shown, or in any other way that may be most conducive to the
required purpose.
In Sheet 3.I have shewn my improved plan of constructing rudders for
ships and other vessels, by which less mechanical effort will be required to get
them over to any desired angle, with a material reduction of strain on the stern
posts, rudder head, and pintles.

page_text: In Figure 1 a series of vertical hollow bars a are shewn framed together at
the top and bottom in such manner that they are parallel to each other, and
at a suitable distance apart. The bars a, a, are shown as being vertical in
position, but the arrangement may be somewhat varied. Figure 2 is a section
of Figure 1, taken on the line C, D, the bars a being shown as formed in two
parts, and convex in section, but they may be otherwise formed, and be of
concave or other suitable section, having angles more or less acute, and with
two or more sides. In the example shewn the angle formed by the two
forward sides of each bar comes opposite to the angle formed by the two after
sides of the bar next before it, so that a rudder thus constructed, when "put
over" the forward inclined surfaces of the bars will be more readily brought
in a line at right angles with the keel than the central plane of the rudder,
whilst the water acting on the inclined surfaces of the bars will be led through
or escape between the openings d, and thus prevent any void or vacuity
taking place on the side of the rudder opposite to that which for the time is
put over. The bars a may be formed in manner described, either solid or
hollow, of iron, wood, or other material.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Edward Symonds, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
THO. EDWP. SYMONDS. (L.S.)