IMPROVE- MENTS IN SELF PROPELLING SUBMARINE BOATS to be as follows:
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOHN HOLMES BLAKESLEY of 23 Topatone Road Earls Court in the County of
Middlesex Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SELF PROPELLING SUBMARINE BOATS to be as follows:-
"
This invention has for its object improvements in self propelling submarine
boats.
The boat is arranged by preference in the manner described in my provisional
specification No 5374 in the present year and it can float entirely submerged and
some distance beneath the surface of the water.
With such a boat I combine for the purpose of propulsion engines driving
a screw propellor and supplied with steam from a reservoir or reservoirs of water
at high temperature. The exhaust steam is condensed by means of caustic soda,
which developes heat in absorbing the same.
The condenser or vessel containing
the soda is placed within the hot water reservoir and the heat generated by the
condensation is utilised to keep up the temperature and pressure of the water in
the supply reservoir.
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant..

page_text: I, JOHN HOLMES BLAKESLEY of 23 Topstone Road Earls Court in the County of
Middlesex Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SELF PROPELLING SUBMARINE BOATS" and in what manner the same is
to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:―
This Invention has for its object improvements in self propelling submarine
boats.
The boat is arranged by preference in the manner hereinafter described and in
accordance with my specification bearing even date herewith N° 5374. It can
float entirely submerged and some distance beneath the surface of the water.
With such a boat combine for the purpose of propulsion engines driving
a screw propellor and supplied with steam from a reservoir or reservoirs of water
at high temperature. The exhaust steam is condensed by means of caustic soda
which developes heat in absorbing the same. The condenser or vessel containing
the soda is placed within the hot water reservoir and the heat generated by the
condensation is utilised to keep up the temperature and pressure of the water in
the supply reservoir.
In order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figures 1, 2 and 3 define the form of my sub surface boat as I prefer to construct
it. The contour lines in Figure 1 are those of vertical sections. One of these is
the section on the axial line and the others on the longitudinal lines marked
on Figure 2 and on the vertical lines marked on Figure 3. The contour lines in
Figure 2 are water lines or lines of horizontal section; those marked IV are taken
on the level of the axial line, those marked I, II, III, V, VI, VII, are taken on the
level of the longitudinal lines similarly marked in Figure 1 and also represented in
Figure 3. The contour lines in Figure 3 are lines of vertical transverse section, the
sections are taken on the vertical lines in Figures 1 and 2.
•
Figure 4 is a longitudinal section and Figure 5 is a transverse vertical section
indicating the general arrangement of the internal fittings.
A is the boiler, it has the condenser within it.
B is the position for the fore tank for diving, its dimensions may be varied and
it is not shewn complete at the forward end.
This tank forms an air lock, it has doors at the top for the entrance of the diver
and doors at the bottom by which the diver can leave the vessel. The diver
is provided with a diving dress and apparatus such as renders him independent of
the vessel for his supply of air. The fore tank B also serves to regulate the trim
or floating equilibrium of the vessel according as more or less water is allowed to
remain in it.
C is the after tank, it is similarly used in regulating the trim or floating
equilibrium of the vessel.
D shows the position of a window with electric lamp illuminating the bottom
when required to aid in search or to light the diver to his work.
E is the place for the steersman.
F indicates the position of the air pumps by which air can be compressed into a
receiver to be utilised for various purposes in working the vessel.

page_text: G shows the position of the pumps which can be employed to pump water out of
the tanks or from the bilge into the sea to lighten the vessel.
H is the place for the propelling engines.
M is space for compressed air vessels and reservoirs for automatic steering
apparatus, electric accumulators &°.
J J are conning towers which can be raised and lowered and which are provided
with windows by which when the vessel is at the surface those in the vessel can
look around. At the fore part of the vessel the position of a torpedo tube is
indicated.
Figures A show longitudinal section of the boiler and condenser, also a transverse
section of the same.
a is the outer shell of the boiler and b is a case contained within it with openings
to the exterior. This case serves as the condensor.
ccare tubes through the case b.
dd are pipes leading the steam to the engine.
e is the pipe by which the exhaust steam from the engines is brought to the
condenser, the portion of the pipe within the case b is perforated as shown.
f is a float valve to prevent under any circumstances liquid from passing from
the condenser to the engines.
It is intended that the boiler should be charged before commencing the run with
water higbly heated and under heavy pressure, also that the case b should as
already stated be filled with a substance having a high affinity for water and
which in absorbing the vapour of water becomes highly heated. Then when the
engines are at work a gradual transference of the water takes place from the space
within the boiler exterior to the condenser to the interior of the condenser without
anything being taken into or rejected from the system.
The pressure also within the boiler is maintained by the heat developed by
the combination of the vapour of water with the hydroscopic substance therein
contained.
I generally employ however an auxiliary condenser of the ordinary sort
connected between the engines and the float valve f so that at pleasure the
exhaust steam may be diverted from the condenser b when requisite for the
purpose of regulating the temperature and pressure in the boiler. The steam
pipes passing through the condenser b the steam becomes dried and superheated.
Figure B shows the gear I employ in connection with the vertical steering
rudders (g-Figure 4) in order that these may be controlled either by a hand tiller
or by apparatus acting automatically to maintain a pre-arranged distance below the
surface or by apparatus acting automatically to maintain an even keel or to keep
the axis of the vessel approximately in an horizontal position.
hh are the rudder lines, they pass around the pulleys ii and kk. The axes of
the pulleys kk are fixed and between them is the automatic gear for preserving an
even keel, it works the rudder lines between these pulleys as hereinafter described.
The pulleys i i are not fixed they are connected by links a with the pulleys 1 7 and
an endless cord m passes around the pulleys and around other pulleys n n
and o o as indicated in the drawing. The axes of the pulleys n n and o o
are stationary and between the one pair the automatic gear controlling the
depth acts on the cord m and between the other pair the hand tiller similarly
operates. By this arrangement either method of control may be employed or all
simultaneously.
Figure C shows an arrangement which may be substituted for each pair of
pulleys i, l, and the link a.
Figure D shows the automatic apparatus for maintaining uniform depth. It
consists of a cylinder with a piston. The portion of the cylinder beneath the piston
communicates by a pipe with the exterior water. The portion of the cylinder over
the piston contains air and has an air vessel and pressure guage connected with it.
The piston rod can at pleasure be made fast to the arm of a bell crank which also
is connected with a rod or directly to the cord 'm.

page_text: In setting the apparatus the vessel is brought to the depth it is desired to
maintain and then the piston is brought to a central position in the cylinder by
admitting compressed air to the cylinder, The rudder and all its gear are placed
in middle positions and the piston rod is attached to the bell crank lever.
whenever the standard depth is departed from this apparatus will steer the vessel
towards the standard depth.
Then
Figure E shows the apparatus for automatically maintaining an even keel. A
piston in a cylinder can be used for this purpose but the equivalent arrangement
shown by the drawing is preferred. It consists of a double bellows like vessel, the
two ends are fixed but the central diaphragm is moveable and is connected by rods
as shown with the steering lines. On one side of the diaphragm a connection is
made by a pipe with a small open water reservoir in the forward part of the vessel
and on the other side of the diaphragm another pipe forms a connection with
a reservoir aft. These pipes are also connected for the purpose of adjustment
through a stop cock which is closed when the adjustment has been effected. The
water in the two reservoirs tends constantly towards the same level and in so
doing moves the diaphragm and operates the rudder in a sense tending to correct
any deviation from the horizontal of the axial line of the vessel.
Figures F show an instrument I employ to keep in view an object towards
which it may be desired to direct the vessel. It consists of a small tube standing
upwards from the deck of the vessel.
When an observation is required the vessel rises sufficiently to cause this tube to
project out of the water. The tube has a window in the side and opposite the
window is a mirror hung upon pivots and is controlled by an arm.
When the arm
is vertical the mirror is at an angle of 45 degrees and light striking the mirror
horizontally will be reflected vertically downwards through a lens below.
This lens is represented in the drawing, it throws an image on a screen below or
the image may be otherwise viewed.
The arm on the mirror is slotted and receives a pin on another shorter arm
or pendulum. The arrangement is such that when the pendulum takes a position
inclined to the axis of the tube in consequence of the vessel not being on an even
keel, the inclination of the mirror to the side of the tube is altered by an amount
equal to half the angle through which the pendulum passes, consequently horizontal
rays of light will in all positions be reflected in a direction approximately parallel
with the axis of the tube.
Having 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 :-
The combination of parts constituting my improved self propelling submarine
boat and consisting of a completely closed hull furnished with a propeller and
containing a steam engine supplied with steam from a reservoir containing highly
heated water under pressure, and containing also a condenser charged with a
hydroscopic substance which absorbs the exhaust steam and liberates heat serving
again to generate steam for the supply of the engine.