IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS OR VESSELS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Alexander Elliott, of Rathmines, in
the County of Dublin, Ireland, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
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Sealed the 21st November 1871, and dated the 8th September 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Alexander
Elliott at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition; on the 8th September 1871.
I, THOMAS ALEXANDE
LEXANDER ELLIOTT, of Rathmines, in the County'
of Dublin, Ireland, do hereby declare. the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS OR VESSELS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to the construction of ships or vessels in a
special manner whereby their strength both longitudinally and ver-
tically and their stability are much increased.

page_text: Iemploy longitudinal timbers or iron ribs as a frame, to which on
the outside I fasten plates or planking in a diagonal manner. On the
inside I fasten other plates, which may run vertically or otherwise, so
that the strain or shock of a collision would be felt in more than one
direction and absorbed by the entire length of the hull.
The frame ribs are placed closer together at the bilge portions than at
the sides or the bottom, which bottom is of concave form from end to
end, with a deep keel, which is fastened to a solid flooring. The inner
plating I prefer to carry from side to side, but it may be connected
to a kelson if found desirable. The top sides of the ship slope very
much inwards, by which, with the concave bottom and the deep keel,
greater steadiness is obtained.
If timber planking is used it can be sheathed with copper or other
-
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Alexander Elliott in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 8th March 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
ALEXANDER ELLIOTT, of Rathmines, in the County of Dublin, Ireland,
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 seventy-one, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Alexander Elliott, Her special
licence that I, the said Thomas Alexander Elliott, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas
Alexander Elliott, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any timé 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS OR VESSELS,"

page_text: upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Alexander
Elliott, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 Thomas Alexander Elliott, 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 :-
This Invention relates to the construction of ships or vessels in a
special manner whereby their strength both longitudinally and vertically
and their stability are much increased.
I employ longitudinal timbers or iron ribs as a frame, to which on
the outside I fasten plates or planking in a diagonal manner. On the
inside I fasten other plates, which may run vertically or otherwise, so
that the strain or shock of a collision would be felt in more than one
direction and absorbed by the entire length of the hull.
The frame ribs are placed closer together at the bilge portions than at
the sides or the bottom, which bottom is of concave form from end to
end, with a deep keel, which is fastened to a solid flooring. The inner.
plating I prefer to carry from side to side, but it may be connected to a
keelson if found desirable. The top sides of the ship slope very much
inwards, by which, with the concave bottom and the deep keel, greater
steadiness is obtained.
If timber planking is used it can be sheathed with copper or other
metal plates laid in an opposite diagonal direction to that of the

page_text: . a, a, are the longitudinal timbers running fore and aft, and upon the
outer sides of which the planking b, b, is arranged in a diagonal manner
so as to obtain the necessary strength, the timbers near or at the bilge
portion c, c, being fitted closer together to give additional stiffness
throughout the hull. The bottom from the bilge to the kecl d is
inclined upwards to form a trough or conical space, from the central
portion of which the keel d depends, the keel being of extra depth to
ensure steadiness. The keel is secured to a solid flooring e in any
suitable manner, and the longitudinal frame timbers are covered on the
inside by another set of planking g, either arranged vertically or
diagonally as desired. If the inner planking is arranged diagonally I
prefer that it should be in the opposite direction to that of the outer
planking, but this is not essential. The inner planking is preferably
carried from side to side, but it may stop short at the kelson if found
desirable, and the outer planking may be sheathed with copper or other
metal to preserve the hull from oxidation and other injurious effects of
the water, which sheathing plates may be arranged in the direct
opposite manner to the planking or longitudinally as usual.
In the case of iron vessels I make the longitudinal rib frames of angle,
gutter, or other forms of iron to obtain the object I have in view, that of
covering longitudinal rib frames with a diagonal laid coating or skin on
the outside and another coating or skin on the inside. The same is also
the case with composite vessels where the inner coating or skin may be
of iron, and also the longitudinal rib frames and the outer skin of
planks sheathed or not.
The exterior appearance of a vessel with diagonal outer planking or
plates is shown in Figure 2, but I do not limit myself to the angle at
which the plates are placed, as that would vary to suit the taste or
desire of the builder and the purpose for which the vessel is intended.
Figure 3 represents a plan view of the vessel with a portion of the
outer planking or plating on one side only, the other side showing the
longitudinal rib frames from stem to stern. It will be seen that the
top sides of the vessel slope or are rounded inwards very much, and this
combined with the concave bottom and the deep keel ensures a large
amount of steadiness not hitherto attainable in vessels built according
to ordinary designs with high, almost straight, sides and flattish
bottoms, and with little or no keels. In Figure 1 I have shown one

page_text: half of the vessel as being coated with iron lapped plates on the outside
and the other half having planks, the two being arranged in a diagonal
manner for the purposes described.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim the
construction of ships or vessels with longitudinal rib frames and
diagonally arranged exterior skin or sheeting, in combination with the
conical bottom and deep keel, substantially as described and shown.
I also claim the employment of longitudinal rib frames in vessels to
which an inner skin or sheeting and an outer skin or sheeting are
combined in the manner described and shown, and for the purposes set
forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Alexander Elliott, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of March
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
THO³. A. ELLIOTT. (L.S.)