IMPROVED ARMOUR PLATES FOR VESSELS, TURRETS, TARGETS, FORTS, AND OTHER STRUCTURES IN WHICH ARMOUR PLATES ARE OR MAY BE USED
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William John Clapp, of Nantyglo Ironworks, in
the County of Monmouth, and Nathaniel Coats, of Serhowy Ironworks,
in the County of Monmouth, for the Invention of "IMPROVED ARMOUR
PLATES FOR VESSELS, TURRETS, TARGETS, FORTS, AND OTHER STRUCTURES IN
WHICH ARMOUR PLATES ARE OR MAY BE USED."
Sealed the 2nd September 1863, and dated the 9th March 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William John Clapp and
Nathaniel Coats at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 9th March 1863.
We, WILLIAM JOHN CLAPP, of Nantyglo Ironworks, in the County of
Monmouth, and NATHANIEL COATS, of Serhowy Ironworks, in the County
of Monmouth, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVED ARMOUR PLATES FOR VESSELS, TURRETS, TARGETS, FORTS, AND OTHER
STRUCTURES IN WHICH ARMOUR PLATES ARE OR MAY BE USED," to be as follows:-
We make plates with curved and with flat portions, and through the flat
parts the bolts or rivets pass, securing the same to the framing of the vessel,
turret, target, fort, or structure, and so that other curved plates may be placed
over the said flat parts and over the joints which are at the flat parts afore-
said, and cover and protect the bolts or rivets first mentioned, such other
curved plates being bolted or rivetted through the first-mentioned curved
plates, by which means additional strength is obtained by the curved plates

page_text: arranged as above mentioned, and the principal joints and bolts or rivet heads
are protected, so that a single plate does not receive all the force itself, but it
is distributed among the whole of them, thereby rendering them impregnable
if constructed of proper thickness.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William John Clapp and Nathaniel Coats in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 9th September 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
JOHN CLAPP, of Nantyglo Ironworks, in the County of Monmouth, and
NATHANIEL COATS, of Serhowy Ironworks, in the County of Monmouth, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-six year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said William John Clapp and Nathaniel Coats, Her special licence that we,
the said William John Clapp and Nathaniel Coats, our executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said William John Clapp and
Nathaniel Coats, our 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 "IMPROVED
ARMOUR PLATES FOR VESSELS, TURRETS, TARGETS, FORTS, AND OTHER STRUCTURES IN
WHICH ARMOUR PLATES ARE OR MAY BE USED," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said William John Clapp and Nathaniel Coats, our
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, 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 per-
formed, 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 we, the said William John Clapp and Nathaniel
Coats, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement:-

page_text: We have plates of iron or other suitable metal with curved and with flat
portions, and through the flat portions pass bolts or rivets to secure the same to
the framing of the vessel, turret, target, fort, or structure, in such manner that
other curved plates may be placed over the said flat portions of the said first-
mentioned plates and over the joints thereof, to cover and protect such bolts
or rivets first mentioned, the last-mentioned curved plates being bolted or
rivetted through the first-mentioned curved plates or otherwise, or secured in
any equivalent manner, by which means additional strength is obtained and
the principal (and, if desired, the major part of) the joints and bolts or rivet
beads are protected, so that a a single plate shall not receive all the force of any
projectile or striking body, but such force be distributed over the whole of the
plates, thereby rendering them impregnable if constructed of proper thickness.
The plates aforesaid should be produced by rolling or compressing.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, we will now
describe in what manner the same is to be performed, wherein we shall refer.
to the accompanying Drawings by the words, figures, and letters marked
thereon and herein referred to, that is to say :-
Fig. 1, a plan or view shewing how the main plates and completing plates
are put together; Fig. 2, section shewing completing plates bolted through
from outside; Fig. 3, section shewing the completing plates secured by an eye
bolt passing through the main plate, a smaller cross bolt or rivet passing
through the eye of said eyebolt and fitting into the groove inside the com-
pleting plate; Fig. 4, modification of Fig. 3, where the cross bolt has the eye
and is fixed on top of the principal bolt, the groove in completing plate being
the same as in Fig. 3; Fig. 5, section of an arrangement in which a long
perforated plate or tongue is fitted in the top of a whole line of the bolts which
pass through the main plate, and which plate or tongue takes into the groove
as in Fig. 6, said Fig. 6 shewing a plan of this plate (the circles shewing the
bolt or rivet holes); Fig. 7, part section of vessel with plates fitted to the
side; Fig. 8, exterior view of part of ship or vessel with plates fitted;
Fig. 9, section shewing a mode of fastening the completing plates somewhat
similar to that shewn at Fig. 5, as will be perceived by inspection of the
Drawing.
In said Drawings, A denotes the main plates, which are bolted to the
framing of the vessel, as shewn in Fig. 1, and then the completing plates B
are slidden in between them (said Fig. 1 shewing this partly effected). The
completing plates if to be bolted or rivetted through from the outside to have
the bolt or rivet holes brought over the holes in the main plate. C, bolts for
the main plate; D, bolts for completing plate; E, eyebolts; F (Figs. 3 and 4),

page_text: the cross bolts; G, groove for the cross bolts (in Figs. 3, 4, and 5); H, Fig. 6,
the long plate or tongue (the circles denoting the bolt or rivet holes);
H+, bolts for securing the main plate and the tongue plate. As regards the
arrangements shewn in Figs. 3, 4, and 5, the bolts will have to be secured in
position with the cross bolts or tongue secured thereto, the completing plates
being afterwards slidden into place, the groove G allowing this to be done.
And it will be obvious that the bolting and rivetting may be effected in
any convenient and effectual manner practised by engineers and artizans.
The lengths of completing plates, when secured as shewn at Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6,
to be firmly fastened at the ends of each line to prevent any sliding or shifting,
as, for instance, by bolting the said completing plates firmly through, as shewn
at Fig. 2. The tongue plate (Figs. 5 and 9) should be made of rolled or
compressed iron or metal, and the main plate with which it is used should
have a sufficient number of bolts or rivet holes to receive the tongue plate, and
thereby secure the completing plate to the main plate, and so that these bolts
or rivets will pass through every alternate hole, the remaining holes to be
used to secure the main plate to the framing.
Having now particularly described the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, we hereby declare that we claim
the use of the improved armour plates herebefore described and illustrated by
the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said William John Clapp and Nathaniel
Coats, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Sixth day of
September, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-three.
Witness,
JOHN H. WOOD,
Nantyglo Ironworks.
WILLIAM JOHN CLAPP. (L.S.)
NATHANIEL COATS.
(L.S.)