Improvements in Boat Disengaging Gear.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Oct., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 10th June, 1892-Accepted, 13th Aug., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Boat Disengaging Gear.
I, HORACE XIMENES BROWNE, Staff Surgeon Royal Navy, H.M.S. "Calypso,"
Training Squadron, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Chain slings are bolted into the keel at about 3 feet from either end of the boat.
The disengaging hooks are attached to these slings & suspended in the boat by
steadying chains from the gunwales.
The hooks are made in the shape of the letter C with the lower part produced
horizontally instead of curving upwards, so as to form an arm nearly twice as long
as the upper one.
The book is pivotted on a circular pin with squared ends carrying a dependent
shackle to which is attached the sling. The upper part of the shackle forms a
mousing to the hook. The steadying chains run on slides let into the gunwales &
the other ends are fastened to eyes on the ends of the pivotting pin F. This
arrangement prevents strain coming on the steadying chains supposing the boat
being lowered at an angle. A flexible steel wire rope H connects eyebolts in the
extremities of the lower arms of the hooks, (A A' Fig. II Sheet 2) being led
along the keelson under sheaves 0 01 & protected from pressure by a wooden or
iron casing which is not shewn in the drawing. This line must be of such a length
that when the weight of the boat is on the hooks, the lower arms will be held
horizontal & parallel to each other no matter at what angle the boat may be
lowered. Then if either end of the boat be water-borne or raised by a wave, the
strain on the connecting line is relaxed & the hook at the opposite end of the boat
will open & disengage the shackle on the fall block M or M. One hook being free
the other will disengage by the weight of the sling. The releasing of the two
hooks is practically instantaneous. If the whole boat be waterborne the hooks
will detach by the weight of the slings. In hooking on, to prevent disengaging
while the falls are slack a locking bar E engages a spur P Fig. II Sheet II which
projects backwards from the lower angle of the hook A through the shackle B.
The bar falls between the back of the shackle & the curved inner surface of the
spur & thus prevents any movement of the hook A. The hook cannot move back-
wards being prevented from doing so by the connecting piece D between the two
sides of the shackle. The bar E hangs by side pieces from pivotting studs G on
either side of the shackle. The side pieces are made in such a shape that the bar E
can be raised and held in position clear of the spur by the pivot G engaging the
slot in the upper side of the side piece. This bar would be pushed up clear of the
spur before commencing to lower the boat. Supposing the hooks to be disengaged
from the fall blocks (M M Fig. II Sheet 2) and hanging in the boat by the
steadying chains K K¹ with the locking bar hanging down, the weight of the chain
slings JJ will keep the hooks open & then if the ring or shackle of the fall block
be placed over the upper part of the hook & the lower arm be pressed down, the
locking bar will first be raised by the spur & then fall between it & the back of
the shackle B, the hook will then be locked. The steadying chains (K K¹ Sheet 2)
are drawn much larger than necessary, and the slides for the outer ends of the
steadying chains which would extend along the inner side of the gunwales for
about 2 feet are not shewn in the drawing.
Dated this 19th day of October 1891.

page_text: .COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Boat Disengaging Gear.
I, HORACE XIMENES BROWNE, of H.M.S. "Calypso," 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 :-
This invention has reference to an improved construction of boat disengaging
gear.
According thereto, the disengaging hook with which the shackles of the fall
blocks of the lowering tackle are engaged are each pivoted in a shackle that is
connected to a chain sling secured to the bottom of the boat, and also to suitable
steadying chains, the two hooks being formed with lever arms that are connected
together by a suitable flexible connection such as a wire rope. The length of this
flexible connection is so adjusted that when the boat hangs on the hooks, the arms
remain constantly horizontal, the hooks being kept closed by the transmission of
the strain equally between them through the flexible connection. To prevent
accidental disengagement of the hooks while the falls are slack, each of the hook
shackles is provided with a locking device adapted to engage with a spur on the
corresponding hook. A connecting piece between the two sides of each shackle,
serves also to limit the movement of the corresponding hook in one direction.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of so much of a boat as is necessary to illustrate
the application thereto of disengaging gear constructed according to my invention.
Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same.
and
Figs. 3 and 4 show the disengaging hook, respectively in side and end elevation,
Fig. 5 shows in side elevation the said hook, with its shackle and locking device.
Fig. 6 is an end view of the shackle and locking bar, the hook being removed.
Figs. 7 and 8 are respectively end and side views of the locking device detached.
Fig. 9 shows an eyebolt hereinafter referred to.
Figs. 3 to 9 inclusive are drawn to a larger scale than Figs. 1 and 2.
A Aare disengaging hooks and B3 B are shackles in which the said hooks are
pivoted. CC are chain slings each connected at one end to one of the said
shackles and at the other end to an eye bolt D secured to the keel of the boat as
shown. E' E' are two steadying chains extending from each shackle to the gun-
wales; these chains also serve to suspend the hooks in the boat when not in use.
F F are the fall blocks. G G' are the shackles of the said blocks.
HH' are
locking bars, one pivoted to each shackle B B¹ for preventing accidental disengage-
ment of the corresponding hook.
The hooks A. A are shaped as shown the lower part of each being extended
horizontally, so as to form a lever arm A* about twice as long as the upper hooked
part. Each hook is pivoted on a circular pin I (Fig. 9) having square ends 1' by
which it is secured in the corresponding shackle B or B'. The upper part of the
shackle B extends beneath the hook and forms a mousing therefor.
Each of the steadying chains E' E' which must be long enough to allow the
hook to which it is connected, to sink in the boat far enough to let the opposite
hook become disengaged as hereinafter described, runs at its outer end on a slide
or bar E' secured at its ends to the gunwales of the boat. The other or inner
euds of the chains are fastened to eyes 12 on the ends of the pivot pins I of the
hooks A A¹. This arrangement prevents undue strains being brought upon the
steadying chains should the boat be lowered at an angle. J is a flexible con-
nection such as a steel wire rope that connects the extremities of the lever arms A*
of the hooks. This rope is connected to eyebolts A³ in the said arms and is led
under sheaves at K K and along the keelson preferably through an iron or wooden
casing not shewn in the drawings. This rope, as stated, is of such a length that

page_text: when the weight of the boat is on the hooks the arms thereof will be horizontal as
shown and will remain so even should the boat be inclined whilst being lowered.
To prevent accidental disengagement of the hooks A A' from the shackles G G¹
while the falls F F are slack each locking bar H is caused to engage a spur L
which projects backwards from each of the hooks A A¹ through its corresponding
shackle B or B. Each of these locking bars when in its operative position rests
between the back of the shackle B or B' and the spur which it prevents from
passing through the shackle and thereby prevents the corresponding hook from
opening. Movement of the hook in the opposite direction is limited by the con-
necting piece B* between the two sides of the shackle. The side pieces of each
locking bar H are each formed with two recesses H2 H3 of the shape shown in the
drawings so that the bar can be suspended from its pivots M at two different points,
at will. By this construction each locking bar can when desired be raised and
caused to hang clear of the spur as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 5 or it can be
lowered to engage with the spur as shown in full lines in this figure. This locking
bar should be pushed up clear of the spur before lowering the boat.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-
It will be seen that when the boat is suspended from the fall blocks, the forces
tending to open the hooks balance each other being transmitted through the rope J
in opposite directions, that is to say the upward tendency of the arm of one
hook, is neutralised by that of the lever arm A* of the other hook. Consequently
as long as the boat hangs from the fall blocks, the rope H will be kept taut and the
hooks will remain closed. Should either end of the boat however be water-borne
the strain on the connecting rope J will be relaxed and the hooks will open and
disengage the shackles G G on the fall blocks, the hook at the water-borne end
being disengaged by the weight of the chain sling. The release of the two hooks
is practically simultaneous. Should the whole boat be water-borne both hooks
will be disengaged by the weight of the respective slings.
When the hooks are disengaged from the fall blocks F F they will be suspended
in the boat by the steadying chains E E' with the locking bars H H¹ hanging
down. When the ring or shackle G or G³ of one of the fall blocks is placed
over the upper part of the corresponding hook and the lower arm A* thereof
is pressed down, the corresponding locking bar will first be raised by the spur L
of the hook and will then fall between it and the back of the shackle B, thereby
automatically locking the hook in its closed position.
Each locking bar may be prevented from dropping accidentally, when in its
raised position, by a suitably arranged removable pin or catch N (Fig. 5).
With the same object the upper slot H in the side of each locking bar might be
made deeper than is shown in the drawings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a boat lowering gear, of the kind in which disengaging hooks connected
to the boat to be lowered are provided with arms connected by a flexible con-
nection by which the hooks are maintained in their closed position so long as the
boat is supported at both ends, the combination with each of the disengaging hooks
of a locking device whereby the hook can be locked in its closed position, sub-
stantially as herein described.
2. Boat disengaging gear constructed arranged and operating substantially
as described and shown whether with or without the locking devices.
Dated this 31st day of May 1802
HORACE X. BROWNE.