An Improved Device for Indicating the Position of Sunken Ships or Vessels, applicable also for Preserving Persons or Valuable Effects in the event of Shipwreck.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Feb., 1895-Accepted, 30th Mar., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by JUAN L. VIGNOLO, of Montevideo, Uruguay,
Gentleman.]
An Improved Device for Indicating the Position of Sunken Ships
or Vessels, applicable also for Preserving Persons or Valuable
Effects in the event of Shipwreck.
。
I, EDWARD MEIKLE, of 39 Lombard Street, in the City of London, Merchant,
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 relates to an improved device for indicating the position of sunken
ships or vessels and for preserving persons or valuable effects in the event of
shipwreck. The said device consists essentially of a buoy or hollow floatable body
composed of metal or other suitable material and internally divided into any
requisite number of compartments or chambers for containing documents, letters or
other valuable effects. The floatable body is carried or supported in a suitable
framework mounted on the deck of the ship and is connected to said framework or
to the ship by means of a chain so that in the event of the ship's becoming ship-
wrecked or sinking the floatable body will rise to the surface of the water and by
floating in proximity to the wrecked or sunken ship will serve to indicate its
position. The said framework for carrying or supporting the floatable body
is so constructed that while effectually serving to retain it in a vertical position
and prevent its becoming displaced by the rocking of the ship said framework
will not restrain the floatable body from escaping in the event of the ship's
sinking.
In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into
effect I will describe the same more fully with reference to the accompanying
drawings, in which
Figure 1 is an elevation of the framework within which the floatable body is
supported on shipboard, the position of said floatable body being shewn in this
figure by dotted lines.
Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 1. 1. of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is an elevation of the floatable body as it appears when in the water,
and
Figure 4 is a central vertical section of the preceding figure.
A is the hollow floatable body, B the framework for supporting it in position
upon the deck of the ship and C a portion of the chain for connecting said floatable
body to the ship or to the framework.
The floatable body shewn in the drawings is composed of metal plates securely
rivetted together so as to constitute a hollow body of sufficient strength to with-
stand the force of the waves. The interior of the body is divided into compart-
ments a by means of the horizontal partitions a¹ which are provided with
openings as that are adapted to be securely closed by the screw lids or covers a³.
These lids or covers may for additional security be furnished with locks a* so that
they cannot be opened by unauthorized persons. a is a ladder carried on the
external part of the body by the brackets a by means of which the top of the
device may be readily reached either for the purpose of gaining access to the com-
partments a or for enabling shipwrecked persons to climb on to the top of the

page_text: device. In order to give better accommodation to shipwrecked persons the upper
portion of the body is provided with a projecting rim or edge a' from which the
bent arms as a extend and meet in a central boss a supporting a bell a¹. From
the upper part of this boss a vertical post or staff a" extends and carries near its
upper end the sphere a¹ and flag as. Apertures a are formed in the projecting
rim or edge a whereby any water that may be hurled by the waves into the
space within the said projecting rim or edge can readily escape. The object of
providing a bell is to enable a person that may have taken refuge on the device
to give audible signal to passing ships at night-time, and in order that the position
of the device may be seen at such time the before mentioned sphere a¹ is composed
of a thick glass chamber filled with any suitable phosphorescent substance which
will be visible to a rescue party. The flag as will answer this purpose during the
day-time.
The framework by which the device is retained in position on ship-board consists
of a cylindrical base 6 carrying four brackets 61 which at their upper ends are
provided with pivotal connections 62 by means of which the arms 63 are pivotally
connected thereto. These pivoted arms when turned inwardly into the position
indicated in Figure 1 come into engagement with recesses a¹ formed in blocks a¹7
that are bolted or rivetted to the body A. When the arms are in this position
they prevent any tendency of the device to lateral movement but offer no
impediment to its vertical upward movement. Thus in the event of the ship
sinking the device will readily disengage itself from the framework B by raising
the arms b³.
D is a comparatively heavy weight situated at the lowermost part of the device
and constituting ballast.
In order that it may at all times be possible for the device to indicate where a
shipwreck has occurred, and the spot where the vessel that carried said device has
sunk, even if such shipwreck should have occurred in comparatively shallow water
or near the coast, there should be secured to the lower part of the device a chain
of say, 250 yards in length and so constructed that at intervals of about every
50 yards thereof a link is provided of larger size than the other links so that
said large links according to the depth of the water where the shipwreck has
occurred may serve to retain the device in parts where the water is comparatively
shallow.
The retaining hook by which the chain is secured to the ship is so made that it
cannot resist a greater strain than about of that exerted thereon by the device when
the latter escapes from the frame B. Consequently in the event of the ship sinking
said device, together with its chain, becomes disengaged, the said chain, constituting
in this case a weight that prevents the device from being readily carried away by
the swell of the sea. Facilities are thus offered in all cases of this kind, to ship
owners, underwriters, insurance companies or others for attempting the salvage
both of the shipwrecked vessel and the cargo therein, which, otherwise, would be
irremediably lost for the simple reason that the spot where the sunken ship lies
could not be ascertained.
The said chain should be proportioned according to the size of the device
employed, the resistance of said chain being calculated in accordance with any of
the well known methods.
The length of the chain may be increased, provided its weight does not exceed
of the weight which corresponds to the total displacement of the device, and the
length of the chain hereinbefore indicated represents only a minimum, it being
assumed that the weight of the device including the weight of the ballast D, does
not exceed of the total displacement of the device when wholly immersed in the
water.
The general dimensions of the device taken as a whole, may vary, according as
the device is intended to be used in connection with large, medium-sized or small
ships.
:
It will be understood that even during ordinary voyages provision may be made

page_text: for possible danger by placing mail bags and the like in the compartments a of the
device beforehand, and locking the covers a³ of said compartments with a key that
is kept under the supervision of a trustworthy person so that in this manner the
said device will serve as a kind of safe. If desired there may be more than one
key for locking the covers as one of said keys being in the possession of the ship's
captain while the other may be left at the offices of the insurance company or of
the underwriters or of the ship owners, so that in the event of the ship being
shipwrecked, any papers or valuables which may have been locked up in the device,
can, if anything should have happened to the captain, be still recoverable by the
owners or underwriters.
The device may be painted red, and be provided with a cast iron plate or a
board bearing the name of the ship and inscribed with any other requisite informa-
tion, the writing being preferably in large clearly visible white characters.
I would point out, that the device may be of such a size as to permit of its being
divided into a greater number of compartments than that indicated in the drawings,
or the device may be of smaller dimensions and be provided with only one of such
compartments. Where there are two or more superposed compartments as indicated
in the drawings the lower one may serve to receive valuables and effects, mail bags
and the like while the upper one, which need not be locked, may serve as a safe
refuge for shipwrecked persons.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is
--
1. The improved device for indicating the position of sunken ships or vessels and
for preserving persons or valuable effects in the event of shipwreck consisting of a
hollow floatable body divided into any desired number of internal compartments
and normally connected to the ship or vessel by a chain or other suitable means
substantially as described.
2. The framework or appliance for supporting the device while on shipboard in
such a manner that while preventing lateral movement thereof said framework or
appliance will not restrain the device from escaping in the event of the ship's
sinking substantially as described.
3. The improved device substantially as described with reference to the accom-
panying drawings and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 14th day of February 1895.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.