Improvements in or relating to Torpedo or like Boats.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Mar., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Torpedo or like Boats.
I, CLARENCE LIVINGSTON BURGER, a Citizen of the United States, of 253, Broad-
way, in the City, County and State of New York, U.S.A., Civil Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
It is generally conceded by all familiar with naval warfare that a torpedo boat
that can approach within torpedo range of a warship and discharge a torpedo
so as to strike the warship before being itself put out of action, can destroy
any battleship or cruiser afloat and will revolutionize naval warfare.
Surface torpedo boats are designed to approach within range of a warship
and hurl a torpedo, relying upon surprise and their high speed to then escape
destruction.
But events have proved that the modern machine and rapid fire guns and the
search light have made these frail and easily vulnerable craft an enemy little to
be feared either by day or night.
Submarine torpedo boats have been designed to attack a warship while well
submerged below the surface of the water and thus protected from the fire of
machine and rapid fire guns. But all such submarine boats have failed adoption
for the reason that while submerged, the object of their attack is totally invisible
and it is thus impossible to guide the torpedo boat in its direction, the fluctua-
tions of the compass, the tides and currents, and the movements of the boats
themselves, rendering useless any observations of the boat to be attacked taken
from the torpedo boat before its submergence while out of the long range of the
enemy's guns. Further, all submarine boats have at one time or another dived,
and are always liable to dive to the bottom, when the diving apparatus fails to
work properly or the trim of the boat is altered, for once inclined downward,
the forward impetus of the boat forces it downward irresistibly.
Other defects of the submarine boat are its inability to maintain its speed,
or its course for any distance, below water, owing to the exclusion of air, which
prevents steam power from being used and necessitates the employment of
storage batteries or other auxiliary motive power. Air for ventilation is of
course, also excluded and has to be temporarily provided for by means of com-
pressed air apparatus.
The object of my invention is a torpedo boat which has the advantage of the
submarine boat in its absolute protection from injury by ample submergence
beneath the waves and yet, like the surface torpedo boat, can be navigated from
a conning tower above water and is always in communication with the atmos-
phere for ventilation and so that the most efficient steam engine can be used for
motive power.
I attain my ends by means of a submarine hull containing the propelling
means, the working quarters, torpedo gun or other means of offence, and the
other vital parts, designed to travel at a fixed distance below the waves so as to
be safe from hostile shot or attack; an upper hull or float, preferably of cellular
construction and containing cellulose so as to be non-sinkable, designed to ride

page_text: over the waves, and an air-shaft preferably armored connecting the submarine
hull with the surface hull and forming thereabove a conning tower from which
the boat can be nagivated above the water, and also containing and protecting
the pipes for supplying air to the furnace and for ventilation.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood, I shall describe in
detail the mode in which I carry the same into practice.
I make the body or main hull of the boat preferably of thin steel, of hollow
and generally speaking cigar-like form, to travel usually about 5 to 10 feet
below the surface of the water and thus be absolutely safe from injury by
hostile shot or projectiles.
The submerged hull is provided with a suitable rudder, a screw propeller, one
or more, and a suitable steam or other driving engine, living quarters for the
crew, and at its forward end with a suitable submerged torpedo tube, through
which torpedoes can be discharged at a hostile vessel, when the torpedo boat is
within range thereof, so as to sink and disable the same. All the torpedoes,
stores, fuel and other vital or essential appurtenances of the boat are also placed
in the submerged hull, so that all are absolutely protected from injury by hostile
shot or shell.
The submarine hull is maintained the desired distance below the surface of the
water by means of a long, preferably low, canoe-shaped float or hull, designed to
travel with little resistance along the surface of the water and ride more or less
over the waves, with which float or hull, the submarine hull is connected by
an air-shaft, preferably armored, which rises from the top of the submarine hull
through the surface float or hull. The air-shaft is elevated above the deck of
the float or hull, to form an armored conning tower, having slits or windows
from which the boat can be properly navigated and steered like an ordinary
boat, a working platform being provided for the navigator in the conning
tower. The steering apparatus for controlling the rudder on the submarine hull
and the signalling apparatus for communicating with the engineer, the torpedo
men and the crew in general, are also by preference carried through the air-
shaft within reach of the navigator in the conning tower.
The top of the conning tower is made to open to give access from the deck
of the surface hull to the interior of the air-shaft and there-through by means
of steps or a ladder to the interior of the submerged hull. Openings are pro-
vided at the top of the conning tower for supplying fresh air to and exhausting
foul air from the submarine hull, suitable air blowers and air flues or pipes being
provided for the purpose. Other openings and suitable pipes are provided for
discharging into the atmosphere the steam, products of combustion, etc., from
the engine and the boiler in the submerged hull.
In order to better sustain the submerged hull from the surface hull, prefer
to connect the two by means of a rigid elongated hollow narrowed portion or
web, embracing the air shaft and of a form to pass easily through the water,
the web being constructed of thin steel and merging into the structures of the
surface and submarine hulls.
I prefer to make the partially exposed surface hull, as well as the web of
cellular construction, and to fill the cells with cellulose, cork or other suitable
material, so that even when partially destroyed or perforated by shot or shell
or other hostile appliances, the hull and web will still have sufficient buoyancy
to uphold the submerged hull and ride the waves.
The displacement of the submerged portion of the boat being made only a
little less than its gross weight, even a minor portion of the surface hull will
suffice to sustain the submerged hull and its contents.
As the armored conning tower is practically invulnerable to any but large
calibre shot; as large calibre guns would stand very little chance, if any, of
hitting so small a target as the conning tower in motion; as the non-sinkable
surface hull would still be effective even if riddled with shot, and as, owing to
submerged hull being below the bottom of the surface hull and separated from

page_text: the same by the water, a shot striking or exploding on the surface hull would
not injure the submerged hull, it seems almost certain that my torpedo boat,
with all its vital parts deeply submerged, and having ample driving power,
could approach within torpedo range of almost any warship afloat and destroy.
the same by a torpedo, with but little danger of being itself disabled before it
could escape.
Improvements in or relating to Torpedo or like Boats.
I, CLARENCE LIVINGSTON BURGER, a Citizen of the United States of America, of
253, Broadway, in the City, County and State of New York, U.S.A., Civil
Engineer, 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:
My invention is particularly designed for a torpedo boat and my principal
object is a boat which has the advantages of the submarine boat in its absolute
protection from injury by ample submergence beneath the waves, and yet, like
the surface torpedo boat, can be navigated from a conning tower above water
and is always in communication with the atmosphere, so that air may always
be had for ventilation and for combustion, thus permitting the use of the most
efficient motive power.
My invention comprises mainly a submarine hull containing the propelling
means, working quarters, torpedo tube, and the other vital parts, designed to
travel at a fixed distance below the waves, so as to be safe from hostile shot or
attack, an upper hull or float, preferably of cellular construction, and containing
cellulose, so as to be practically non-sinkable, designed to ride over the waves
and support the submarine hull and means for connecting and for affording com-
munication between the surface and submarine hulls, substantially as hereinafter
described and as claimed.
For connecting the two hulls, I prefer to use a longitudinal web or neck
tapered at both ends, so as not to interfere with the speed of the boat, and as a
means of communication between the hulls, I prefer to use an armored air-
shaft rising from the submarine hull through the connecting web or neck to an
armored conning tower on the surface hull.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which the same parts
are designated by like letters throughout.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a torpedo boat embodying my invention.
Figure 2 is a sectional side elevation of the same.
Figure 3 is a plan view of the same.
Figure 4 is a sectional plan view of the same on the lines 4-4, Figure 2.
Figures 5, 6, and 7 are cross-sectional views of the boat on the lines 5-5,
6-6, 7-7, respectively in Figure 2, the interior fittings being omitted.
I make the main hull A of the boat preferably of thin steel, of hollow and
substantially cigar-like form, to travel about five to ten feet below the surface
of the water, and thus be absolutely safe from injury by hostile shot.
The submarine hull A is provided with a suitable rudder H, a screw propeller,
three of which are here shown, but one or two of which may be used, and a suit-

page_text: able steam or other propelling engine G, living quarters for the crew, and at its
forward end with, in this instance, one or more submerged torpedo tubes H¹,
through which torpedoes can be discharged at a hostile vessel below the armored
belt, so as to sink or disable the vessel. All the torpedoes, fuel, stores and other
vital or essential appurtenances of the boat are also placed in the submarine
hull A, so as to be absolutely protected from injury by hostile shot..
The submarine hull A is maintained the desired distance. below. the surface
of the water by means of a long, preferably low, canoe-shaped float or hull C,
designed to travel with little resistance along the surface of the water and ride
the waves, with which hull C, the submarine hull A, is in communication pre-
ferably by an armored air-shaft D. The air-shaft D rises through the surface
hull to form above the deck thereof an armored conning tower D¹, having
slits or windows from which the boat can be properly navigated above water, a
working platform D2 being provided for the navigator in the conning tower.
The steering apparatus for controlling the rudder H, and the signalling appa-
ratus for communicating with the engineer, torpedo men and the crew in
general, are also by preference carried up through the air-shaft D, within reach
of the navigator in the conning tower.
The top of the conning tower D₁ is made to open to give access from the
deck of the surface hull C, through the air-shaft by means of steps or a ladder
to the interior of the submarine hull A. Openings E are provided at the top
of the conning tower for supplying fresh air to and exhausting foul air from
the submarine hull A, suitable air blowers and air flues or pipes being provided
for the purpose. Other openings F and suitable pipes are provided for discharg-
ing into the atmosphere the steam, products of combustion, etc., from the engine
in the submarine hull A.
I prefer to connect the submarine hull A with the surface hull C by means
of a rigid, elongated, hollow web B, surrounding the air shaft D and tapered
at both ends, so as to pass easily through the water, the web being constructed
of thin steel and merging into the structures of the surface and submarine hulls.
I prefer to make the surface hull C, as well as the web B, of cellular con-
struction and to fill these cells with cellulose, cork or other suitable material,
so that even when partially destroyed or perforated by shot or otherwise
damaged, the hull C and web B will still have sufficient buoyancy to uphold the
submarine hull A and ride the waves.
As the armored conning tower is practically invulnerable to any but large
calibre shot; as large calibre guns would probably never, in practice, hit so
small a target as the conning tower in motion; as the non-sinkable surface hull
would still act as a float, even if riddled with shot, and as shots striking or
exploding on the surface hull would not injure the separate submarine hull, it
seems almost certain that this torpedo boat, with all its vital parts deeply sub-
merged, and having ample driving power, could approach within torpedo range
of almost any warship afloat and destroy the same with a torpedo, with but
little danger of being itself disabled before it could escape.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. A boat having a surface hull, a submarine hull, and connecting and com-
municating means between said hulls.
2. In a boat having connected surface and submarine hulls, an air-shaft
affording communication between the surface and submarine hulls.
3. In a boat having communicating surface and submarine hulls, a longi-
tudinal tapering web connecting the hulls.
4. In a boat having connected and communicating surface and submarine hulls,
the cellular surface hull adapted to contain cellulose or like material.

page_text: 5. In a boat having connected surface and submarine hulls, an armored air-
shaft affording communication between the submarine hull and an armored
conning tower on the surface hull.
D
001
1000
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.