IMPROVEMENTS IN 'STEAM RAMS' AND OTHER 'SHIPS OF WAR' FOR THE PURPOSE OF DOING AWAY WITH THE NECESSITY OF EMPLOYING RIFLED CANNON OR OTHER LONG RANGE ORDNANCE' AGAINST ARMOUR-PLATED AND OTHER SHIPS IN MARITIME ENGAGEMENTS
Year: 1860

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by George Gill at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 15th November
1860.
I, GEORGE GILL, of 37, Francis Street, Newington, in the County of Surrey,
Engineer and Naval Architect, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN 'STEAM RAMS' AND OTHER 'SHIPS OF WAR' FOR
THE PURPOSE OF DOING AWAY WITH THE NECESSITY OF EMPLOYING RIFLED CANNON OR
OTHER LONG RANGE ORDNANCE' AGAINST ARMOUR-PLATED AND OTHER SHIPS IN
MARITIME ENGAGEMENTS," to be follows:-
That whereas "molten iron," "molten metal," "liquid fire," and under some
conditions "steam," are acknowledged by all great commanders to be the
most destructive of all known elements to ships of war, but from the absence
of any proper appliances to deal successfully with and "inject in large
quantities" any one or more of these elements (especially that of molten iron)
direct into the enemies ship without the hazard of setting the "injecting ship"
on fire, I would attach to the foremost part (or build up from the stocks as
a part and parcel of such vessel) an "iron beak or spur" of a conical shape,
stretching forward from the stem or cutwater, and tapering down to almost a
sharp point in front. The said beak or spur to be constructed of iron or steel,
or both combined, and to have a channel or passage running through its body
(longitudinally) from its "base" or part next the stem, to within a short
distance of its extreme end, terminating in two openings, one on either side
(right and left) of the spur, and at "right angles" with its "central or main

page_text: passage," through which any one or more of the fused elements above referred
to are injected, care being taken that such channel or passage is bored or
made parallel with the "upper surface" of the cone or spur (when fixed), and
not in a line or parallel with the axis of it. By such arrangements it will at
once be seen that the outlets near the "end" of spur are somewhat lower
than the inlet at its "base," facilitating thereby the more rapid flow of the
fused elements, whatever they may be, and at the time of impact to the hull
of the enemies ship, setting her antagonist on fire by a single-thrust.
"
The length, weight, and strength of the spur (not necessarily of solid iron,
particularly in smaller vessels,) to be determined by the length, tonnage,
power, and speed of the ship to which it is to be attached, but I do not
confine myself absolutely to a "cone-shaped" spur; any other form of pene-
trator, such, for example, as one shaped like a "pyramid," a "triangular
pyramid," or figure having a "broad base" and tapering to a "point," would
answer every purpose, "provided that it possessed an aperture through its
body for the gravitation of the fused elements." A hollow beak or spur properly
strengthened internally or externally with longitudinal ridges or massive bars
of iron running from the bows and stem to "penetrating point," would be all
that is necessary to pierce the side of and inject with molten metal such a
vessel as the "now invulnerable French frigate La Gloire," i. e., in the fore-
most part of a ship of war, that part immediately behind the stem, I build a
"cupola chamber or "fire cabin," containing one or more cupolas and other
apparatus necessary for the "fusing of the metals in the usual way;" the
said cupola chamber being protected externally with "armour plates," is also
to be lined internally on floor, sides, and overhead, first, with a stout iron
casing, and secondly, on floor and a foot or two up the sides, with a course or
two of the best "fire-brick," of the character and quality used in the construc
tion of cupolas & smelting furnaces, such fire-brick paving to be continued on
from the floor of the chamber right through the aperture in the spur to the
outlets near its striking end, otherwise some of the molten metal would "cake"
on coming in contact with the iron, and be more or less sluggish in its flow.
There must also be an outlet or two from the after part of the chamber,
independant of the " proper or spur outlet, for the more ready escape of the
molten material in the event of the bursting or otherwise damaging of any one
or more of the charged cupolas; "these several outlets are all to be paved
with fire-brick." The outlet "proper," when the spur itself is composed of
"solid iron," would; of course, be bored out of the solid metal after the manner
of boring a large piece of ordnance, and its brickwork lining placed in after-
wards, care being taken that the diameter of the bore is made slightly to

page_text: diminish as it nears the striking end of spur, otherwise a partial displacement
of the brickwork during impact might be the result, also that the passage or
channel is parallel with the "upper surface" of the spur to facilitate the more
rapid flow of the molten agents. But when the spur itself is a "conical.
cylinder" or hollow tube of any kind, strengthened by longitudinal ridges or>
bars of iron, the molten metal aqueduct is then to be formed of another
cylinder placed internal of the outer one, firmly secured in position, and.
carrying within itself its "fire-brick lining," which might either be built up at,
first as a sort of tapering chimney of the exact size to fit, and the iron case:
driven firmly over the mass; or I make both brick lining and cylinder in two,
corresponding longitudinal sections, placing them together afterwards, and;
securing the whole firmly by strong iron rings driven (whilst hot) on the
tapering iron case, after the manner of hooping a large piece of ordnance..
Each outlet being at "right angles" with the "central or main passage," the
brick lining of the outlets I form of hollow blocks of fire-brick (made and-
burnt expressly for them) of the proper size to fit the iron aperture, and driven
close up to the brickwork of the main passage, thus forming one continuous.
aqueduct or 'channel for the flow of the molten elements to the enemy, care
being taken that the outlets are not too near the end of the spur so as to.
weaken its body by the area they occupy, and cause it to snap asunder during.
impact. But in larger ships (especially those built from the stocks as rams).
a "solid" iron spur having a bored passage and firmly secured to stem (and
bows when necessary) I would recommend. To secure the instantaneous
ejection of the fused elements at any given moment, I adjust two "slide.
valves" (one at each outlet) of fire-brick or fire-slab evenly ground against
the outlet facings, dovetailed into or embraced by an external iron plate in-
dented in the body of the spur, the valves to be opened and shut at pleasure by
the action of iron rods leading back through the body of the spur (one on
either side) to the cupola chamber herein-before mentioned.. By the proper
adjustment of these "slide valves" the whole length of channel from cupolas
to outlets might be charged with "molten iron" or "other agents," a few
seconds before impact is contemplated, insuring thereby at the proper time
and place the more ready deposit of the burning fluids, not only among the
"shattered timbers" and "stores," but on and over the cracks of the enemies
ship, whose side and decks are opened by the "wedge-like" action of the spur
during penetration, and creating thus a crevice or a way for the molten element
to creep towards the magazine itself. In those injecting rams by which some
other metals and steam only are ejected "without the molten iron," no "fire-
brick" lining or casing of the apparatus would be necessary.

page_text: I have now nothing to d. scribe but the "striking end" of the spur, which
must not taper down to nothing and terminate in a sharp point at its apex,
but possess a "flat punching surface" of about six or twelve inches "in diameter
(according to size of ship), or slightly above the area covered by the largest
shot. The striking end of the spur being "square" for a foot or two back
from its point, the flat punching surface must necessarily have a square edge
or margin instead of a circular one, as would be the case with a "perfect.
cone;" "the character and position of these edges is most important," inasmuch
as their proper form would facilitate the cutting away of the "armour plati n,"
entering the end or side of a beam as a "wedge" would do, and cut an aper-
ture for the body of the spur with almost as much ease as a bayonet would
pierce a horse's side, which is done simply by allowing the "
upper horizontal
edge" of the square punching surface to recede some few inches further
towards the stem than the lower one. Example, when the spur itself is
"conical" to within a foot or so of its apex (which latter portion would be
square), a foot rule placed perpendicularly against the flat surface would form
a "right angle" with the "lower surface" of the cone, and not quite so with.
the axis of it, giving the spur or penetrator thereby a far greater "biting or
griping" quality against the "tumble-home" iron side of its formidable
antagonist, and prevent its glancing off to the "right or left," "up or down,"
or indeed any way but that of going clean through the side of her now all but
annihilated enemy.
"
The science of "defence" through the instrumentality of "armour plated
ships of war," having become superior to the science of "attack," and all our
modern and improved artillery rendered "useless" by the "iron side resistance"
to shot or shell from guns of the largest calibre, a new principle of warfare is
here involved by which the hull of these "now invulnerable" and modern
structures is not only "easily" and to some extent "gradually" pierced at a
point where shot and shell cannot enter, but many other most important
advantages are secured, first, that the "momentum of so many thousands of
tons being brought to bear against the "small area" covered by a cannon shot,
nothing can prevent the penetrator going clean through the side; and secondly,
that the spur itself, increasing in size as it does towards its base, the
"machinery" of the injecting ram is not displaced in any way from the effect
of the concussion, the spur itself (coupled with some slight elasticity of the
enemies ship's side) acting "wedge-like" as a complete buffer, "gradually "
checking the sudden momentum of the ponderous mass, which, if not entirely
checked by the time the spur has entered as far as its "root or base," the
ram is then brought suddenly up by the action of a "powerful buffer" (pressing

page_text: against the side of the enemie's ship), which I place at the right and left side of
the spur, at its root, to assist the action of the screw in springing or "with-
drawing" the ram from the wreck or partial wreck of the injured vessel; and
lastly, that the force necessary to sink an enemies ship by "concussion "alone,
"which can only be done in that way by the enemy remaining stationary all
the while," is here avoided by a principle that could be applied when both
ships were in "motion," provided the "injecting ram" possessed but the slight
advantage of, "say, a couple knots an hour" in speed over her antagonist,
for the penetrating spur itself (serpent like) being charged with that most
destructive of all things "molten iron" (or other elements), some "two or
three feet" entrance would be all that was necessary to vomit in its "cwts." or
"tons" weight of an agent so deadly and destructive in its nature that against
which no ship of war of any age or country could for any length of time with-
stand. The result would be that the enemy on being aware of the existance of
some "three or four" of these "terifically destructive rams" as auxiliaries to
our fleet (which I do firmly believe, by the application of some improvements
in propulsion, that I could drive at "twenty" knots an hour), his policy would
be to make off as soon as possible "without an encounter," and leave our fleet,
as it certainly would be left (either with or without an engagement) in "full
possession of the seas."