IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS OR VESSELS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Smith Henzell, of South Shields, in the
County of Durham, Shipowner, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS OR VESSELS."
Scaled the 14th April 1857, and dated the 29th October 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Smith Henzell at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th October 1856.
I, THOMAS SMITH HENZELL, of South Shields, in the County of Durham,
Shipowner, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS OR VESSELS," to be as follows:-
These improvements in the construction of ships or vessels are designed for
the following purposes:-
Firstly, to effect a very great saving in the cost of building or constructing
the ship or vessel, together with increased strength; secondly, to enable the
ship or vessel, to carry more cargo, according to the registered tonnage, and
with a less draught of water, than vessels of the usual construction; thirdly, to
dispense entirely with the use or necessity for ballast.
In the first place, the ships or vessels are built almost entirely of straight
timber; the bottom of the vessel is flat, but slopes slightly upwards at the
stem and stern. There are three keels. The centre or midship keel is quite

page_text: straight, and the space between it and the bottom of the vessel at stem and
stern is filled in with dead wood. The side keels are curved at each end to
the desired form of the bow and run of the vessel, being the only curved
pieces in the vessel, excepting the side keelsons, which necessarily take the
same curve and the deck beams. The midship and sister keelsons are quite
straight. The floor timbers run transversely, and the inside and outside
planking longitudinally, with a diagonal ceiling. The side timbers are quite
straight and vertical, with diagonal planking, the inner and outer planking
crossing in opposite directions. The planks are bolted to the side keels and
keelsons and to the deck clamp, and, running up the whole height of the
vessel to the upper rail, afford an immense increase of strength to the
vessel.
The vessel is also furnished with side floats, which can be hove up and down,
so as to give less or more hold upon the water, as may be desired, without
increasing the immersion of the hull by means of ballast, and also offering
much less resistance than vessels of the ordinary construction.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Smith Henzell in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 28th April 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
SMITH HENZELL, of South Shields, in the County of Durham, Shipowner,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Thomas Smith Henzell, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas Smith
Henzell, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Thomas Smith Henzell, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time 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 "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS OR VESSELS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Smith Henzell, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one

page_text: 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 I, the said Thomas Smith Henzell, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement in writing, and on reference to the accompanying
Drawings, that is to say :-
My improvements in the construction of ships or vessels are designed
principally for the following purposes:-
Firstly, to effect a very great saving in the cost of building or constructing
the ship or vessel, together with increased strength; secondly, to enable the
ship or vessel, to carry more cargo, according to the registered tonnage, and
with a less draught of water, than vessels of the ordinary construction; and,
thirdly, to dispense entirely with the use or necessity for ballast.
In the first place, the ships or vessels are built almost entirely of straight
timber; the bottom of the vessel is flat, but rises slightly upwards at the stem
and stern. There are three keels. The centre or midship keel is quite
straight, and the space between it and the bottom of the vessel at stem and
stern is filled in with dead wood. The side keels are curved to the desired form
of the bow and run of the vessel, being the only curved pieces in the vessel,
excepting the side keelsons, which necessarily take the same curve (both of
which, however, will set or bend sufficiently with straight timber), and the
deck beams and top rail or covering board. The midship and sister keelsons
are quite straight. The floor timbers run transversely, and the inner and outer
floor planking longitudinally, with a diagonal ceiling. The side timbers are
quite straight and vertical, with diagonal planking, the inner and outer
planking crossing in opposite directions. The planks are bolted to the side
keels and keelsons, and, running up the whole height of the vessel to
rail, afford an immense increase of strength to the vessel.
the upper
The vessel is also furnished with sliding side keels or floats, which can be
hove up and down, so as to give less or more hold upon the water, as may
be desired, without increasing the immersion of the hull by means of
ballast, and also offering much less resistance than vessels of the ordinary
construction.
In the illustrative Drawing accompanying these Presents, Figure 1 represents
a side view of a vessel constructed according to my Invention, and drawn to a

page_text: scale of about one-eighth of an inch to a foot; and Figure 2, a plan view of
the lower flat of the vessel, shewing the light and load water lines and the
upper rail; Figure 3 is a half end view, the left-hand half representing the
after end, and the right-hand half the fore end of the vessel, shewing the land
of the side timbers. The lines set off are intended to combine large carrying
properties with more than an average speed, but the latter may be increased by
finer lines and a greater depth of dead wood. a, a, represents the centre or
midship keel of the vessel, which, as usual, is quito straight; a*, a*, iu
Figure 2, is the centre keelson; b, b, is the stem post, and c, c, the stern post;
d, d, is the dead wood forward, and e, e, is the dead wood aft; f, f, are the side
keels, which are curved to the desired form of the bow and run of the vessel,
and are also curved slightly upwards towards the stem and stern; g, g, are the
side keelsons, which take the same curve as the side keels. The outer line of
the side keelsons in Figure 2 also represents the light water line, and the
line h, h, the load water line. i, i, are the sister keelsons, which are straight
in plan view, and k, k, shews the line of the top rail or covering board; 1, 1, is
the rudder, and m, m, the cutwater; n, n, represents the bowsprit, and o, o,
the deck stringer; p, p, are the transverse floor timbers. The floor planking
is not shown in the Drawing, but is intended to run longitudinally with a
diagonal ceiling. The side timbers q, q, are quite straight and vertical, and
the side planking is diagonal, the outer planking r, r, running in one direc-
tion, and the inner plauking or ceiling shewn by the dotted lines s, s, running
in the reverse or opposite direction, so that they cross at right angles, or nearly
so, as shewn at the bow of the vessel. The whole of the ends of the outside
planking rabbit into and are bolted to the side keel, leaving about four inches
of solid keel below to caulk and protect the plank ends. The side timbers q, q,
step on the side keels, and dowel or rabbit into the floor ends, and run up to
the upper rail or covering board. The deck beams are placed athwart ship,
and step on the deck stringer o, o, into which the ends are dowelled and bolted
vertically. The deck planking runs diagonally and butts against the plank
adjoining the coamings, and the ends may be bolted vertically on to the deck
stringer and beams, thus avoiding the use of knees, if desirable. t, t, are the
sliding side keels, which are enclosed in a casing u, u, outside the diagonal
planking, and run in grooves v, v, being hove up and down as required by
means of the chains w, w.
Having thus described the nature and object of my said Invention of
improvements in the construction of ships or vessels, together with the manner
of carrying the same into practical effect, I would remark, in conclusion,
that I claim as my Invention the general construction and arrangement of

page_text: ships or vessels, as shewn in the annexed Drawing, and above particularly
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Smith Henzell, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Twenty-second day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
THOS S. HENZELL. (L.S.)