CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIP BUILDING
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter Armand Le Comte de Fontaine Moreau, of
39, Rue de l'Echiquier, Paris, and of 4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
for the Invention of CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIP BUILDING."-
A communication.
Sealed the 11th November 1856, and dated the 13th June 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter Armand Le Comte
de Fontaine Moreau at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 13th June 1856.
1, PETER ARMAND Le Comte DE FONTAINE MOREAU, of 39, Rue de l'Echi-
5 quier, Paris, and of 4, South Street, Finsbury, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIP BUILDING,"
to be as follows, that is to say -
This Invention consists, firstly, in a peculiar mode of constructing keels
of vessels; secondly, in constructing and strengthening the hulls of vessels by
means of iron brace picces, and by an improved method of uniting and fitting
the ribs together, so that the hull shall be strengthened throughout.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal view of the keel, composed of iron and formed with
binding forks b, b; Figures 2 and 3, keelsons formed in the same manner as
the keel, to which they are parallel and united by bolts or rivets, so as to leave

page_text: spaces a, a, for the ribs, as shewn in Figure 4, which represents the complete
keel.
Figure 5 shews one of the screw bolts used, of copper or galvanized iron,
and made square at the top.
The rib-work is at first constructed on the system ordinarily employed, as in
Figure 11, and in the part in which it rests upon the keel it may have a
groove, varying in depth according to the height of keel to be obtained.
The rib timbers and the lengthened knees, Figure 11, have their scarfs
bound by iron braces b, d, in a single piece, nailed and bolted on the rib-work.
The keel being prepared, as above described, for building the vessel, I place
in a horizontal position, and above one another, two midship frames, between
the fillings in, the parts which ought to be occupied by the bolts and rivetting
pegs. The bolts a, b, c, d, e, Figure 6, ought to be placed in such a manner
with reference to the scarfs, that if the different pieces composing the rib-work
had not been previously pegged, they would be held together by the bolts; I
then fasten the rib-work and fillings together by bolts and rivettings. The two
couples thus secured, Figure 6, are placed in the spaces formed by the forks of
the keel, the succeeding couple is then presented, always placing the fillings
between the couples at equal distances from those already in position.
In the parts a, b, Figure 1, fore and aft of the keel thus formed, I adapt
iron screw rods b, c, d, e, f, g, Figure 4, provided with nuts; I then place the
stem and stern post, then the parts a, b, Figure 1, fore and aft, which I secure
solidly to the keel by the branches formed for this purpose. I continue, by
the system described, to place the rib-works which rest upon these parts. The
hull being thus mounted, I place in each space between the filling & the keel,
the wedges, Figure 9, which are supported against the filling and the keel.
These wedges, composed of three pieces, Figure 10, a, b, c, after being
forced (Figure 9) by the key C, which enters into the vessel, are fixed by the
iron pegs D, E, Figure 9; their object is to fill the spaces in that part of the
vessel and to secure the keel.
From the above description it will be understood a vessel may be constructed
simply in the manner represented in Figures 7 and 8, offering a remarkable
amount of solidity, when in ordinary construction separate pieces would be
used. This mode of strengthening the hull furthermore excludes none of the
ordinary means of solidity employed up to this in naval constructions.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Peter Armand Le Comte de Fontaine Moreau in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 13th December 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PETER
5 ARMAND Le Comte DE FONTAINE MOREAU, of 39, Rue de l'Echiquier, Paris,
and of 4, South Street, Finsbury, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Ier heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Peter Arinand Le Comte de Fontaine Moreau, Her special license that
I, the said Peter Armand Le Comte de Fontaine Moreau, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Peter Armand Le
Comte de Fontaine Moreau, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
5 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 "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIP BUILDING," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Peter Armand Le Comte de Fontaine Moreau, 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 tho said
5 Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that J, the said Peter Armand Le Comte de Fontaine
Moreau, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention communicated
to me, 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 annexed Sheet of Drawings, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon, that is to say:-
The improvements relate to a peculiar method of constructing keels and
hulls of ships and vessels, with a view of strengthening the same.
The improvements are divisable into two parts; first, the construction of
a keelson keel, Figure 4; secondly, the mode of constructing the hull with
strengthening pieces, as shewn in Figures 7 and 8. The keelson keel,
Figure 4, is formed by the union of the keel, Figure 1, and the two keelsons,
Figures 2 and 3, effected by means of rivets or nuts and bolts. As neither

page_text: the keel nor keelson can be of ono piece in its entire length, they are united
by cross scarf pieces, I designate by the name of keel. The longitudinal
part a, a, Figure 1, intended to remain under the ribs of the ship fore-and-aft,
and as binding forks of the keel; the parts b, b, b, Figure 1, intended to be
placed in the room and space of the ship; the parts a, a, Figure 2, and b, b,
Figure 3, which are set parallel with the keel, I call keelsons; and the
parts b,b, b, Figure 2, and c, c, c, Figure 3, I call binding forks of the keelson.
I call keelson keel the three parts united, as shewn at Figure 4. The forks
of the keel are placed in and between the forks of the two keelsons, ascending
to the upper part of the keelsons, to which they are bolted and rivetted. The
forks of the keelsons descend to the lower part of the keel, and are there bolted
and rivetted, leaving spaces a, a, Figure 4, in which the ribs are placed. The
intervals between the binding forks, either of the keel or keelson, are equal.
The breadth of the forks is also equal; hence it follows, that if one of the
intervals is nine inches broad, all the intervals of the forks of the keel or keel-
sons ought to be nine inches broad. In like manner, if one fork is six inches
broad, all the forks of the keel or keelsons ought to be six inches broad. The
total height of the keel and forks ought to be equal to that of one of the keel-
sons and one of its forks. The thickness of iron employed for the keel,
Figure 1, ought to be double that of the keelson.
For ships which do not require the amount of strengthening berein-before
described, the ordinary kind of wooden keel and keelson are slotted, so as to
admit a portion of the rib-work, wood fillings being placed between the keel
and the keelson. The whole is then bound together by strong iron plates cut
to the width of the room and space, and which commence at the upper part of
the keelson, pass through the room and space, and leave off at the lower part
of the keel, being nailed on to the keelson, the fillings, and the keel. The
mode of effecting the continuous union of the different ribs composing the
shell of the ship is as follows, reference being had to Figures 7 and 8: -
The rib-work is at first constructed according to the ordinary method, as shewn
at Figure 11, and at the part where it rests upon the keel it may have a
groove, varying in depth according to the height of the keel required. The
floor timbers and lengthened knees, Figure 11, have their scarfs connected by
iron knee pieces b, d, and nailed and bolted to the rib-work. The other
scarfs a, e, c, are also connected by iron plates. The rib-work should be made to
fill exactly the intervals between the forks, hence it follows, that according to
the size of the spaces in the keel and keelson, I obtain a rib-work of propor-
tional strength.
The parts which are necessary in the construction of the rib-work are, first,

page_text: screw bolts of galvanised iron or copper, made square at a; secondly, iron or
copper pegs and washers; thirdly, the fillings, which consist of wooden pieces
of the thickness of the room and space. The keel being set in its position,
and the other preparations being made for building the vessel, I place on a
horizontal position, one above another, two midship frames, and place the
fillings between them at the parts where the bolts or pegs are to be inserted.
The bolts a, b, c, d, e, Figure 6, should be inserted in such wise, with respect to
the scarfs, that if the different parts composing the rib-work had not been pre-
viously fixed together by pegs, they would. be held together by the bolts, the
bolts or pegs being passed through the rib-work and fillings, are firmly fixed by
nuts or rivets. The two midship frames thus secured, Figure 6, being placed
in the spaces formed by the forks of the keel, I then fix to them another
couple of frames, so as to form a continuation, and introduce fillings between
the two couples, at equal distances from those already in position; I pierce
the rib-work fillings and one of the midship frames, the whole being placed
perpendicularly to the keel and between the forks; I then pierce a hole and
drive bolts from fore to aft, which come out at the room and space, Figure 6,
formed by the two frames, and the last couple is then firmly secured by nuts
or rivets to the preceeding couple. The process thus described for the fore part
of the ship has only to be repeated for the aft part; the rivets or bolts being
inserted inversely.
When the rib-work forward or aft reaches that elevated part where it
becomes necessary to have solid wood between the rib-work and the keel, I
place on the right and left the binding forks of the keel, the keclson forks of
which pass into the room and space, and descend to the lower part of the keel,
when the forks of the keel ascend between the upper part of the keelsons, and
are united by rivets and bolts, and form the keelson kecl.
In the solid wood fore-and-aft of the keelson keel thus formed, I adapt iron
screw rods b, c, d, e, f, g, Figure 4, provided with nuts; I then place the stem
and stern post, then the solid wood of the fore-and-aft, which I secure firmly
to the keelson kecl by the rods fixed to them for this purpose; I continue, as
before described, to place the rib-work which rests upon the solid wood. When
the hull of the ship is built, I place in each room and space, between the filling
and the keelson keel, wedges similar to Figure 9, which press against the
filling and the keelson keel. This wedge is composed of three pieces a, b, c,
Figure 10, forced out by the key C, Figure 9, which has an entrance in the
ship, and traversed by iron pins d, e, Figure 9, by which they are connected.
The object of employing these wedges is to fill the room and space in that part
of the vessel, and to secure the keelson keel.

page_text: From the above description it will be understood that a ship may be con-
structed in the manner as represented in Figures 7 and 8, possessing a great
amount of stability, when in the ordinary method of ship building separate
pieces of wood are used; and, moreover, this mode of building the hull does
not exclude any of the ordinary means of strengthening employed in naval
construction.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention communicated to me,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I would have it understood
that I do not restrict myself to the precise details herein laid down; but what
I claim is,
-
First, the mode of constructing the keel and keelson, as herein-before
described, and referred to in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Secondly, the method of forming the hull by the employment of strengthen-
ing pieces, as herein-before described, and shewn in Figures 5, 6, 7, and 8, of
the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Peter Armand Le Comte de Fontaine
Moreau, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of
December, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-six.
L' DE FONTAINE MOREAU. (L.S.)