Improvements in Ships and other Vessels 【whereby the Skin Friction thereof in Dessing through the Water is Redced or Counteracted and the Speed thereof Increased. WHEREBY THE FTION THEREOF IN PASSING THROUGH THE WATER IS REDUCED OR COUNTERACTED AND THE SPEED THEREOF INCREASED
Year: 1884

page_text: Improvements in Ships and other Vessels 【whereby the Skin
Friction thereof in Dessing through the Water is Reduced or
Counteracted and the Speed thereof Increased.
I GEORGE FREDERICK ASKEW of 14 Cromwell Terrace, Galbraith Street, Isle of
Dogs, Poplar in the County of Middlesex, Engine Fitter do hereby declare the
nature of said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS WHEREBY
THE SKIN FRICTION THEREOF IN PASSING THROUGH THE WATER IS REDUCED OR
COUNTERACTED AND THE SPEED THEREOF INCREASED to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to improvements in ships and other vessels whereby the
entire submerged surface of the hull is covered with a sheet of water, soap and
water or other fluid or air forced in a direction towards the stern of the vessel that
is to say in the direction of the stream lines and at a speed preferably at least
equal to that of the vessel.
For this purpose I apply exterior to the skin of the ship a covering preferably of
wood in which at suitable intervals I embed a number of vertical tubes formed
with narrow openings pointing backwards towards the stern of the ship. I make
the exterior of the vessel without projections of any kind whereby I avoid any
impediment to the ships motion.
The vertical tubes all communicate with one or more supply pipes through
which water or other fluid is forced at the required speed in order that a sheet of
water, soap and water or other fluid or air moving in a backward direction at a
speed at least equal to that of the ships motion shall be interposed between the
ship's outer surface and the surrounding water thereby reducing or counteracting
the friction of the surrounding water upon the ship's surface or in other words
reducing or counteracting the friction of the vessel in passing through the water.
By these means the speed of the ship is increased both by the reduction of friction
and by the streams of water acting as propellors.
I form the narrow openings in the vertical tubes continuous so as to direct a
continuous sheet of water, soap and water or other fluid or air through them and
I form the said openings with the forward side thereof overlapping the rear side so
that the water, soap and water or other fluid or air may be caused to issue there-
from in the desired direction.

page_text: In some cases I form the ship or other vessel with two metal skins connected to
each other by means of intervening ribs of Z or other shaped iron in which case
I form both of such skins water tight. Within the space between the said metal
skins I fix the vertical tubes.
In some cases I dispense with a second skin to the ship and form the before
mentioned vertical narrow opening in the skin and in order to form the vertical
tubes or channels and at the same time to strengthen the ship at such part I employ
a rolled or otherwise formed trough or half tube with a flange on each edge thereof,
which flanges are fixed in a watertight manner to the skin of the ship on each side
of the narrow opening.
G. F. ASKEW.
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings,
Agents.
thereof in Fassing through the water is keduced or
Counteracted and the Speed thereof Increased.
GEORGE FREDERICK ASKEW of 14 Cromwell Terrace Galbraith Street Isle of
Dogs in the County of Middlesex, Engine Fitter, do hereby declare the nature of
any invention for REDUCEING OR CONTERACTING THE SKIN FRICTION OF SHIPS AND
OTHER VESSELS IN PASSING THROUGH THE WATER AND INCREASING THERE SPEED,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to improvements in ships and other vessels whereby the
entire submerged surface of the hull is covered with a sheet of water soap and
water or other fluid or air forced in a direction towards the stern of the vessel that
is to say in the direction of the stream lines and at a speed preferable at least
equal to that of the ships motion.
For this purpose I apply exterior to the outer skin of the ship and transversely
around it at suitable intervals a number of tubes formed with narrow openings
pointing backwards towards the stern of the ship.
In order that the exterior of the vessel may be without projections of any kind
to impede its motion I embed the transverse descending tubes in wood or other
suitable material applied exterior to the skin of the ship.

page_text: The transverse descending tubes all communicate with one or more supply pipes
through which water or other fluid or air is forced by pumps or other suitable
apparatus at the required pressure (say from fifteen to fifty pounds on the square
inch) in order that a sheet of water soap and water or other fluid or air moveing
in a backward direction that is to say in the direction of the stream lines at a
speed at least equal to that of the ships motion shall be interposed between the
ships outer surface and the surrounding water, thereby reduceing or counteracting
the friction of the surrounding water upon the ships surface or in other words
reduceing or counteracting the friction of the vessel in passing through the water.
By these means the speed of the vessel is increased both by the reduction of the
friction and by the streams of water or air acting as propellers.
I form the narrow openings in the transverse descending tubes continuous, so as
to-direct an undivided sheet of water or other fluid or air through them, and
I form the said openings with the forward side thereof overlapping the rear side so
that the water soap and water or other fluid or air may be directed along the side
of the vessel and backwards in the direction of the stream lines.
The distance between the transverse descending tubes I vary from about three
to twenty feet and this distance, as also the pressure of water or other fluid or air,
I regulate to suit the speed at which the vessel is required to travel.
Referring to the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1. represents a side elevation of a ship to which the above described
arrangement is applied and which shows the water or air being forced back in the
direction of the stream lines. Fig. 2. is a sectional plan of the same vessel, the
upper half "A" being a section on the line C. D. and the lower half "B" a section
on the line E. F. Fig. 3. is a midship section of the saine vessel.
In these three figures" a "> <
………. are the transverse descending
tubes communicating in the manner shewn with the supply pipes "b” “b” through
which the water or other fluid is forced by suitable means.
a
a
»
>> 6
a
In order to make the supply pipes as small as possible and at the same time to
more evenly distribute the water or air in the transverse descending tubes I some-
times divide each of the said tubes into three portions as shown at "c" figure 3.,
the upper portions being supplied with water or other fluid or air by means of the
longitudinal supply pipes "b" "b" placed either inside or outside the skin of the
vessel whilst the lower portion is supplied by means of the supply pipe "e"
running along the bottom as shown in section on the drawing Fig. 3.
Fig. 6. represents a section through two transverse descending tubes embedded
in wood and is an enlarged representation of the transverse descending tubes
shewn in section on fig. 2.
In some cases I form the ship or other vessel with two metal skins connected to
each other by means of intervening ribs of Z or other shaped iron, in which case
I form both of such skins water tight and within the space between the said metal
skins I fix the transverse descending tubes. This arrangement is shewn on Fig. 7.
which is a section through two transverse descending tubes fixed as above
described.
In some cases I dispense with a second skin to the ship and form the before
mentioned narrow openings in the skin itself and form the transverse tubes by
riveting or otherwise attaching inside the skin of the vessel and across and along
the narrow openings a rolled or otherwise formed metal trough or half tube which
trough I make with metal stiffening bars placed at intervals across its mouth or
open side. This arrangemet is shewn on figures 4. and 5.
When applying my invention to ships of varying draft I obviate the disadvantage
that would arise from the water or air escaping from those portions of the narrow
openings which might not be immersed by means of the arrangement shewn on
fig. 8.
In this case I form each of the before mentioned transverse descending tubes
with an opening commencing at a point in its height which will not be above
the water line when the vessel is drawing least water and beside each of such

page_text: transverse descending tubes I place several parallel tubes each shorter than its
predecessor and each capable of being placed in communication with the longi-
tudinal supply pipes by means of a stop cock. By admitting the water or air into
each of these tubes in succesion I cover the side of the vessel with a sheet of
water or air to a height corresponding to the draft of water.
In some cases I close the opening of that portion of the transverse tubes which
is above the water line by means of a valvular door as shewn on fig. 9.
Haveing 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
1st The transverse descending tubes formed with narrow openings pointing
backwards with the forward side thereof overlapping the rear side so as to direct
the whole of the water or other fluid or air along the side of the vessel and back-
wards in the direction of the stream lines. .
2 The plan of embedding the transverse descending tubes in wood and the
application of the outer covering of wood in which to embed the said tubes so that
the vessel may be without projections of any kind and present an even surface to
the water.
3rd The plan of placing the transverse descending tubes between the two metal
skins as shewn in sectional drawing Fig. 7.
4th The plan of forming narrow openings pointing backwards in the skin of the
vessel and fixing along and across the said openings a metal trough or balf tube
made with stiffening bars across its mouth or open side as shewn in drawings
Fig's. 4. and 5.
5th The device of forming each transverse descending tube with the narrow
opening beginning below the water level when the ship is drawing least water and
placing beside it several shorter tubes to admit the sheet of water or air succesively
to higher portions of the vessels side in the manner shewn on the drawing Fig. 8.
6th The alternative device of the before described valvular door for closeing that
portion of the narrow openings of the transverse tubes above the water line.
7th The plan of supplying the transverse tubes with the three supply pipes as
shewn in drawing Fig. 3.
8th The forceing of the whole of the water or other fluid or air backwards in
the direction of the stream lines whereby the force which is covering the vessels
side with a sheet of wator or other fluid or air is at the same time propelling it,
substantially as before mentioned and described.
Dated this 2nd day of September 1885.