IMPROVED MOVEABLE KEELS FOR SHIPS, BOATS, AND OTHER VESSELS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Moody, of Rye, in the County of Sussex,
late Steam Ship and Naval Commander, for the Invention of
"IMPROVED MOVEABLE KEELS FOR SHIPS, BOATS, AND OTHER VESSELS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jolin Moody at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th June 1871.
I, JOHN MOODY, of Rye, in the County of Sussex, late Steam Ship
and Naval Commander, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVED MOVEABLE KEELS FOR SHIPS, BOATS, AND OTHER VESSELS,”
to be as follows:-
By Her Majesty's Letters Patent, granted to me 24th day of August,
A.D. 1865, No. 2173, my Invention of a star-like flat-bottomed vessel
was protected, in carrying out which Invention I have found that
it was very desirable that such a vessel should be provided with a
movcable keel, which could be made to. assume, when in the open sea

page_text: or in other places the proper perpendicular position of an ordinary keel,
and thus keep my ship or vessel from falling off to leeward when under
sail, which keel, when not required or when in shallow waters, can be
hauled up and laid flat against the bottom of the vessel, so as not to
alter the flat-bottomed character of the same. This desideratum I have
attempted to accomplish in various ways, but none have possessed the
practical qualities of my present Invention, by the adoption of which
my vessel is enabled to make a straight track and can carry canvas in
any wind. It consists in constructing the vessel with a keel piece or
rudamentary keel in place of an ordinary keel, to which a moveable keel
is to be hinged or hung free to swing to and fro, to each of the sides of
which moveable keel chains or ropes (say, for instance, two or more) or
other suitable mechanical contrivance are to be attached, which may be
carried up the sides of the vessel and on to the deck or through water-
tight tubes or apertures; and these ropes or chains may be tightened,
so that the keel or keels may be kept in a fixed or rigid position
when the vessel is in deep water, as illustrated by the Drawing No. 1
accompanying this Provisional Specification, a being the keel, and 6 the
chains; and when the vessel is in shoal water, or passing over sands, or
going on the beach the keel or keels can be drawn up against either side
of the bottom of the vessel by operating on these chains or ropes.
Instead of one keel in the centre of the vessel, there may be two placed
side by side, as in Drawing No. 2, a, a, being the keels, and b, b, h, b,
the chains. Or three or more such keels may be arranged side by
side, as in Drawing No. 3, a, a, a, being keels, and b, b, b, b, b, b, chains.
These moveable keels, although specially useful for my said star-like
flat-bottomed vessel, are also applicable to various descriptions of ships,
boats, and vessels, as illustrated in Drawing No. 4, and their adoption
would be fraught with great advantage, whilst the facility with which
such keels can be hauled up flat against the bottom of the ship, boat,
or vessel, would prevent many ships, boats, and vessels from being
wrecked when sailing in shallow waters or coming in contact with sand-
banks or other obstructions, and many valuable lives now lost by the
casualties of the sea would be saved.
My moveable keels can also be applied to ships, boats, and vessels
built with keels of the ordinary construction if need be.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Moody in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 9th December 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
5 MOODY, of Rye, in the County of Sussex, late Steam Ship and Naval
Commander, send grecting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Moody, Her special licence
that I, the said John Moody, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said John Moody, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from timo
to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, cxercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED MOVEABLE KEELS FOR SHIPS,
BOATS, AND OTHER VESSELS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said John Moody, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 John Moody, 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 :-
By Her Majesty's Letters Patent, granted to me the 24th day of
August A.D. 1865, No. 2173, my Invention of a star-like flat-bottomed
vessel was protected, in carrying out which Invention I have found that
it was very desirable that such a vessel should be provided with a
moveable keel, which could be made to assume, when on the open sea or
in other places, the proper perpendicular position of an ordinary keel,
and thus keep my ship or vessel from falling off to leeward when under

page_text: sail, which keel, when not required or when in shallow waters, can be
hauled up and laid flat against the bottom of the vessel, so as not to
alter the flat-bottomed character of the same. This desideratum I have
attempted to accomplish in various ways, but none have possessed the
practical qualitics of my present Invention, by the adoption of which my
vessel is enabled to make a straight track, and can carry canvass in any
wind. It consists in constructing the vessel with a keel piece or
rudimentary kcel in place of an ordinary keel, to which a moveable keel
is to be hinged or hung free to swing to and fro, to each of the sides of
which moveable keel chains or ropes (say, for instance, two or more) or
other suitable mechanical contrivances are to be attached, which may be
carried up the sides of the vessel and on to the deck, or through water-
tight pipes, tubes, or apertures; and these ropes or chains may be
tightened so that the keel or keels may be kept in a fixed or rigid position
when the vessel is in deep water, as illustrated by the Drawing No. 1
accompanying this Specification, a being the keel, and the chains;
and when the vessel is in shoal water, or passing over sands, or going on
the beach the keel or keels can be drawn up against either side of the
bottom of the vessel. by operating on these chains or ropes. Instead of
one keel in the centre, there may be two such keels placed side by side,
as in Drawing No. 2, a, a, being the keels, and b, b, the chains. Or
three or more such keels may be arranged side by side, as in Drawing
No. 3, a, a, a, being keels b, b, b, chains, Drawing No. 4, showing one
hinged keel drawn up and two kcels in proper perpendicular position,
and Drawing No. 5 showing three-hinged keels drawn up.
These moveable keels, although especially useful for my said star-like
flat-bottomed or approximately flat-bottomed vessel, are also applicable
to various descriptions of ships, boats, and vessels, as illustrated in
Drawing No. 6, and their adoption would be fraught with great advan-
tage, whilst the facility with which such keels can be hauld up flat
against the bottom of the ship, boat, or vessel would prevent many
ships, boats, and vessels from being wrecked when sailing in shallow
waters or coming in contact with sandbanks or other obstructions, and
many valuable lives now lost by the casualties of the sea would be saved.
My moveable keel can also be applied to ships, boats, and vessels
built with keels of the ordinary construction if need be.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature and
obiect of my said Invention, and in what manner the same may be

page_text: performed or put in practice, I hereby declare that I claim the exclusive
use of moveable keels such as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Moody, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
Witness,
WILLIAM HEADLEY,
4, Prince Street,
Bridlington Quay.
JOHN MOODY. (L.S.).