AN IMPROVED RUDDER AND MEANS OF WORKING THE SAME
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Hewitt, of the City of Bristol, Engineer,
for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED RUDDER AND MEANS OF WORKING THE
SAME."
Sealed the 4th March 1864, and dated the 8th September 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Hewitt at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 8th
September 1863.
I, WILLIAM HEWITT, of the City of Bristol, Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED RUDDER AND MEANS OF
WORKING THE SAME," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in the employment of rudders, constructed as hereafter
described fitted below the water line. The rudder consists of two blades
united by bolts, rivets, or otherwise, they are bowed outwards at or about the
centre, and are carried round a boss fixed on a main shaft, the outer end of
which protrudes beyond the vessel, the blades are also so shaped as to fit into
the boss at their inner ends, while their outer ends are furnished with pintles,
that on the lower blade is received and is free to move in a step carried out
from the vessel while the pintle on the top of the upper blade enters an eye
formed to receive it in a metal bearing fixed to and carried out from the
vessel. A toothed wheel is let in and fixed to the upper part of the boss into
which a bevilled toothed pinion gears. This pinion is keyed on a hollow shaft

page_text: which is carried inboard through a stuffing box over the main shaft, and has
keyed on it a wheel with three sets of teeth, one of these sets of teeth is
placed in gear at will with a toothed pinion on a shaft communicating with
the engine room or with another pinion on a shaft carried between decks, or
with a third pinion on another shaft communicating with the deck. When
either of these pinions is set in motion the hollow shaft through the bevilled
toothed pinion sets the toothed wheel on the boss in motion and turns the
blades of the rudder "starboard" or "port" as desired.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Hewitt in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th March 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HEWITT, of the City of Bristol, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most. Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight. hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her beirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Hewitt, Her special licence that I, the said William Hewitt, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Hewitt, 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 "AN IMPROVED RUDDER AND MEANS
OF WORKING THE SAME," upon the condition (amongst others) that 1, the said
William Hewitt, 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 Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
.after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Hewitt, 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
thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say:
My Invention consists in the employment of rudders constructed as hereafter

page_text: described fitted below the water line. The rudder consists of two blades
united by bolts, rivets, or otherwise, they are bowed outwards at or about the
centre, and are carried round a boss fixed on a main shaft, the outer end of
which protrudes beyond the vessel, the blades are also so shaped as to fit into
the boss at their inner ends while their outer ends are furnished with pintles,
that on the lower blade is received and is free to move in a step carried out
from the vessel, while the pintle on the top of the upper blade enters an eye
formed to receive it in a metal bearing fixed to and carried out from the vessel.
A toothed wheel is let in and fixed to the upper part of the boss into which a
bevilled toothed pinion gears. This pinion is keyed on a hollow shaft which
is carried inboard through a stuffing box over the main shaft and has keyed
on it a wheel with three sets of teeth; one of these sets of teeth is placed in
gear at will, with a toothed pinion on a shaft communicating with the engine
room or with another pinion on a shaft carried between decks, or with a third
pinion on another shaft communicating with the deck. When either of these
pinions is set in motion, the hollow shaft through the bevelled toothed pinion
sets the toothed wheel on the boss in motion and turns the blades of the rudder
"starboard" or "port" as desired.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a view of my improved rudder
shewing also in longitudinal vertical section the mechanism. for working it
arranged to suit either sailing, paddle, or twin screw ships or vessels; Figure.2
is a plan partly in section; Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal section shewing
the rudder and the means for working the same adapted to a ship or vessel
with one screw. propeller; Figure 4 is a transverse vertical section of the
arrangement shewn at Figure 1, and Figures 5 and 6 are transverse sections of
the worm wheel with three sets of teeth and of the pinions for giving motion
thereto. The same letters represent the same parts in all the Drawings. A, A,
are the blades of the rudder connected at a, a, by bolts or screws b, b. B is
the boss fixed on the main shaft E and formed for the reception of the toothed
wheel D, which latter is either fixed to the upper or under part of the rudder
which is within the boss. G is a pin or tie rod for connecting the two blades
of the rudder inside the boss. This pin is fixed into one or both of the blades
and secured by a key or cotter to keep it from turning round. .M' is a cotter for
securing the boss to the main shaft. E is the main shaft, which is a fixture,
and upon which is placed the counter or hollow shaft F. To this last-named
shaft the wheel H with three sets of teeth is attached, and is secured thereto
by one or more feathers. This wheel may be formed of one casting or
otherwise as most convenient. It is susceptible of having motion communi-
cated to it from the engine room by a pinion J gearing with the teeth K, from

page_text: between decks by means of a worm wheel L gearing with the teeth M (as
shewn in Figures 2 and 5) or from the deck by means of a bevil pinion N
gearing with the teeth O. Figure 6 is a transverse section of the worm wheel
shewing a different method of working the same from the deck, and whereby
the rudder can be turned or got over more quickly than by the arrangement
shewn in Figure 5. P is a shaft extending to the deck, at the lower end of
which is fixed a bevil wheel Q which gears with another and smaller bevil
wheel R, one turn or revolution of the wheel Q will cause the wheel R to make
more than one turn or revolution, thereby putting the rudder over very rapidly.
On motion being communicated to the wheel H either from the engine room,
from between decks, or from the deck, the counter or hollow shaft revolves, sets
in motion the wheels.C and D, and turns the rudder either "starboard" or
port." The wheel D is capable of being turned half way round whereby
the rudder can be set at an angle of 90°. The counter or hollow shaft is fitted
with a stuffing box in the same manner as a screw propeller.
66
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,---
First, the improved rudder herein-before described consisting of two blades
united together and combined with the boss B substantially as herein-before
described and illustrated in tho accompanying Drawings.
Second, the method of giving motion to the rudder by means of a bevil
pinion fixed upon one end of a counter or hollow shaft revolving upon a fixed
shaft the said bevil pinion taking into a bevil wheel placed on the boss and
in connection with the rudder as herein-before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawings.
Third, the arrangement and combination of gearing for giving motion to the
counter or hollow shaft and thereby to the rudder as herein-before described
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
:
In witness whereof, I, the said William Hewitt, hath hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifth day of March, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
RICHARD WILLIAM MORRIS,
3, Devonshire Blds,
Bristol.
WILLIAM HEWITT. (L.S.)