IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIP- BUILDING, AND IN MACHINERY FOR PROPELLING.
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Apsey, Engineer, of Blackfriars, in the
County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIP-
BUILDING, AND IN MACHINERY FOR PROPELLING.".
Sealed the 30th March 1853, and dated the 5th October 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Apsey at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 5th October 1852.
I, JOSEPH APSEY, Engineer, of Blackfriars, in the County of Surrey,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SHIP-BUILDING, AND IN MACHINERY FOR PROPELLING," to be as
follows:-
The building of vessels of such a construction and application of the
power employed that a much greater speed with the same power may
be obtained than by the usual method of constructing ships to be
propelled by steam or any motive power other than by the use of sails.
Firstly, with regard to the construction of ships: I make the vessel
of such a breadth of beam with regard to her length that a vessel of
about 1000 tons burthen shall draw at her stationary load line about

page_text: eight feet of water; secondly, I incline the bottom of the vessel
from amidships or thereabouts gradually upwards to about the load
water line at the fore-foot or bows; thirdly, the upper part of the
bows are made very much fuller or broader than steam ships are
usually built; the most approved form, such as the wave line, may
still, however, be retained in that portion of the vessel which is
immersed; the object of such a build of vessel is obviously to obtain
a greater speed by reducing the resistance of the hull in passing
through the fluid in which she floats; and when a high speed be given
to such a vessel by the steam power (for I wish to dispense en-
tirely with sails) she will rise and skim upon the surface of the water,
drawing less and less as her speed increases, so that the total resist-
ance she experiences from the fluid shall not increase in the usual
excessive proportion through the submerged cross sectional area of
the ship decreasing with the increase of speed. The inclination given
to her bottom will always have a tendency to dip her at the stern, so
that the draft there will slightly increase with the speed; now this is
exactly what is required for vessels propelled by the screw (the best
recognized method of propulsion), and in paddle vessels this peculiarity
will still be found advantageous, as it will improve her steering qualities.
The annexed sketches of a vessel, the lines of which are drawn for
a ship according to my Invention, will further explain my meaning.
Fig. 1, is an elevation, and Fig. 2, a deck plan of the same ship.
Secondly, my Invention consists in a peculiar form of screw pro-
peller adapted to the propelling vessels constructed as before described,
by which propeller the greatest possible amount of propelling surface
is obtained with the smallest diameter. Fig. 5, shows a side view, and
Fig. 6, an end view of this propeller; by which it will be seen it is
composed of two half turns of a double threaded truc screw or helix,
that is to say, the blades are of a regularly constructed pitch from the
fore to the after end; so far, it is like the double threaded screw of
F. P. Smith's; but the peculiarity consists in diminishing the diameter
of the boss or axle from the fore end to a point or nothing at the after
end; by this means the whole area of the circle, Fig. 6, is available
for propelling, the screw acting upon a whole unbroken column of

page_text: water equal in diameter. to the diameter of the screw. This form
obviates the choking action of the water found to take place around
the axle of the ordinary screw (where so much as a half turn is used)
when driven at any very great speed. This screw also enables me to
construct the blades much thinner, and consequently diminishing the
resistance of rotation in the water; the diagrams, which are sections
of one blade at a, b, c, d, and e, will show how I diminish the thickness
of the blades also from the fore to the after end. These screws having
no axis at the after end f, Fig. 5, will of course have no after bearing
on the ship, and I propose to use one or more of such screws in each
quarter, but as far forward as the build of the vessel will admit.
a
The third part of my Invention is for the purpose of driving the
screws at a much greater speed than it is usual to drive screws, but
without increasing the speed of the steam pistons very materially.
For this purpose I employ large driving wheel with wooden or
metal cogs, which wheel encircles the cog wheels upon the screw's
shafts; the cogs of the wheels upon these shafts taking into the cogs
of the large driving wheel inside the rim or periphery, or, what is
technically termed, "geared internally" with the large wheel. Fig. 3,
shows this arrangement: 1, the large driving wheel, and s, s, the screw
shafts cog wheels; a, the main engine shaft. For driving the main
wheel 1, I use three cylinders; Fig. 4, placed equi-distantly around the
main shaft æ, the piston rods acting upon one or more crank pins, which
arrangement gives a much more equable motion to the cog wheels.
In conclusion, I wish it to be understood that I am aware ships
liave, prior to this, been constructed with inclined keels, but have
always been inclined throughout the entire length of the keel, or
where that has not been the case the inclination has been but slight,
such, for example, as the Great Britain steam ship. What I claim
as new and of my Invention is, the constructing of ships with the
bottom inclined upwards from amidships or thereabouts to about the
surface of the water at the fore foot, and at the same time giving them
such a breadth of beam and expanding bottom at the water line that
the ships draw only such water as is absolutely necessary for the appli-
cation of the propelling power, in order that she shall skim rather upon

page_text: the surface than pass through the water. Secondly, the screw propeller
described; and, thirdly, the application of three cylinders, double or
treble expansion cylinders, with the "internal gearing" described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said Joseph Apsey in. the Great Seal Patent Office,
on the 5th April 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JOSEPII APSEY, of Blackfriars, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the
sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors;
give and grant unto me, the said Joseph Apsey, Her special license
that I, the said Joseph Apsey, my executors,, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph Apsey, my executors, ad-
ministrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein ex-
pressed, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIP-BUILDING,
AND IN MACHINERY FOR PROPELLING," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Joseph Apsey, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, 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 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 Joseph Apsey, 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 (that is to say):

page_text: The building of vessels of such a construction and application of the
power employed that a much greater speed with the same power may
be obtained than by the usual method of constructing ships to be pro-
pelled by steam or any motive power other than by the use of sails.
Firstly, with regard to the construction of ships: I make the vessel
of such a breadth of beam with regard to her length that a vessel
of about five hundred tons burthen shall draw at her stationary
load line from four to eight feet of water. Secondly, I incline the
bottom of the vessel from amidships or thereabouts gradually upwards
to about the load water line at the fore-foot or bows. Thirdly, the
upper part of the bows are made very much fuller or broader than
steam vessels, are usually built; the most approved form, such as the
wave line, may still, however, be retained in that portion of the vessel
which is immersed; the object of such a build of vessel is obviously to
obtain a greater speed by reducing the resistance of the hull in passing
through the fluid in which she floats; and when a high speed be given
to such a vessel by steam or other motive power, the inclination given
to her bottom will cause her to rise and skim upon the surface of the
water, drawing less and less as her speed increases, so that the total
resistance experienced from the fluid shall not increase in the usual
excessive proportions on account of the submerged cross sectional area
of the ship decreasing with the increase of speed. The inclination given
to her bottom will always have a tendency to dip her at the stern, so
that the draft there will slightly increase with the speed; now this is
exactly what is required for vessels propelled by the screw (the best
recognized method of propulsion), and in paddle vessels this peculiarity
will still be found advantageous, as it will improve her steering quali-
ties. The annexed Drawings will better explain my Invention.
Figures 1, 2, and 3, represent respectively the side elevation, general
outline plan, and end view at the bows of a ship of the ordinary con-
struction of five hundred tons burtben. Figures 4, 5, and 6; represent
the saine burthen of ship constructed according to my improvements,
where it will be observed that the length is not altered, but the breadth
of beam is increased, so that a much less draught of water is obtained.
Figure 5, shews how the bottom of the ship is inclined up from mid-
ships to the load water line at the bows. The total cubic amount of

page_text: water displaced by this construction will of course be exactly the same
as in any other build of vessel of the same dead weight. But the
advantage I obtain is in displacing the water near the surface, so that
the resistance presented to the lower part of the submerged portion of
the vessel shall be lessened by reason of the fluid having a less vertical
column of water above it.
Secondly, my Invention consists in a peculiar form of screw pro-
peller, by which propeller the greatest possible amount of propelling
surface is obtained with the smallest diameter. Figure 8, shews' a
side view, and Figures 9, and 10, end views of this propeller; by
which it will be seen it is composed of two half 'turns of a double
threaded "true" screw or helix, that is to say, the 'blades are of a
regularly constructed pitch from the fore to the after end. But I do
not confine myself to this, as the blades inay be constructed of an
increasing piteli, if desired; the peculiarity of the Invention consists in
diminishing the diameter of the boss or axle from the fore end to a
point or to nothing at the after end; by this means' the whole area of
the circle, Figures 9, and 10, is available for propelling, the screw acting
upon a whole unbroken colúmn" of water equal in diameter to the
diameter of the screw. This form obviates the choking action of the
water found to take place around the axle of the ordinary screw when
driven at a great 'speed. This screw also enables me to construct the
blades much thinner, and consequently to diminish the resistance of
rotation in the water; the' diagrams, which are sections of one of the
blades at a, b, c, d, and e, Figure 9, will shew how I diminish the thick-
ness of the blades also from the fore to the after end. "These screws
having no axis at the after end g, Figure 8, will of course have no after
bearing on the ship, and I propose to use one or more of such screws
in each quarter but as far forward as the build of the vessel will admit.
See Figure 4.
The third part of my Invention is for the purpose of driving the
screws at a greater speed than it is usual to drive screws, but without
increasing the speed of the engine. For this purpose I employ a
large driving wheel, Figure 7, with wooden or metal cogs, which
whcel encircles the 'cog wheels upon the screws shafts s, s. The cogs
of the wheels upon these shafts taking into the cogs of the large driving

page_text: wheel inside the rim or periphery, or, what is technically termed, geared
internally with the large wheel. æ, is the main engine shaft. For
driving the main wheel 1, I use three cylinders placed around the
main shaft a, the piston rods acting upon one crank, or where more
than one crank is used the pins of all three of the cranks to be in line,
which arrangement gives a much more equable motion to the cog
wheels. And in order to economise the power as much as possible I
prefer the use of three cylinders cast either together or separately, the
two outside cylinders being smaller than the centre onc f. The steam
is first allowed to act upon the pistons of the small cylinders, and then
expand into the larger one f.
In conclusion, I wish it to be understood, that I am aware ships have,
prior to this, been constructed with inclined keels, but have always been
inclined throughout the entire length of the keel, or where that has not
been the case the inclination has been but slight, such, for example, as
the Great Britain steam ship. What I claim as new and of my Inven-
tion is, the constructing of ships with the bottom inclined upwards from
amidships or thereabouts to about the surface of the water at the fore
foot, and at the same time giving them such a breadth of beam that the
ships draw only such water as is absolutely necessary for the application
of the propelling power, in order that they shall rather skim upon the
surface than pass through the water. Secondly, the screw propeller
described; and, thirdly, the application of three single or double or
triple expansion cylinders, with the "internal gearing" described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Apsey, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fourth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
Signed and sealed in
}
EDWARD JAMES POWELL.
the presence of
JOSEPH APSEY.
(L.S.)