IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS AND VESSELS OF WAR (ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER SHIPS AND VESSELS), AND IN BATTERIES AND FORTIFICATIONS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Tozer, of Dean Street, Soho, in the County
of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF SHIPS AND VESSELS OF WAR (ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER SHIPS AND
VESSELS), AND IN BATTERIES AND FORTIFICATIONS."
Sealed the 6th May 1864, and dated the 28th December 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Tozer at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th December 1868.
I, THOMAS TOZER, of Dean Street, Soho, in the County of Middlesex, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS AND VESSELS OF WAR (ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER SHIPS
AND VESSELS), AND IN BATTERIES AND FORTIFICATIONS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in the construction of ships
and vessels, the object being to afford great strength and power of resistance
against shot and shells in regard to vessels of war, the Invention being equally
applicable to the construction of merchant ships and vessels, and also to
batteries and fortifications of every kind.

page_text: I propose to construct the walls or hulls of vessels or batteries of a series of
cellular divisions or spaces formed of horizontal steel or iron plates and
vertical plates of the same thickness rivetted or bolted thereto by aid of
angle iron, the vertical divisions consisting of plates of a wedge shape, the
narrow ends of which are arranged on the exterior or front of the construc-
tion, and between each series or tier of these wedge plates the horizontal
plates of steel or iron are supported. Each of the cells or spaces are to be filled
in with wood, which is held firmly by the wedge-formed recesses or divisions.
The decks or roofs of constructions are also to be formed on the same
principle. A backing of teak or iron plating may be applied if desired.
I propose to improve the keels of vessels and ships by grooving or recessing
the lower surface of the keel, and inserting therein a series of rollers working
by gudgeons in bearings, in order that when a vessel runs on a rock she may
be enabled to glide or roll off instead of being firmly fixed or set, and
ultimately wrecked or broken up.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Tozer in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th June 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS, SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
TOZER, of Dean Street, Soho, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Thomas Tozer, Her special licence, that I; the said Thomas Tozer,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas
Tozer, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHIPS AND VESSELS OF WAR (ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER
SHIPS AND VESSELS), AND IN BATTERIES AND FORTIFICATIONS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Tozer, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands

page_text: and seals, 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 the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Tozer, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in the construction of ships
and vessels, the object being to afford great strength and power of resistance
against shot and shells in regard to vessels of war, the Invention being equally
applicable to the construction of merchant ships and vessels, and also to
batteries and fortifications of every kind.
I construct the walls or hulls of vessels or batteries of a series of cellular
divisions or spaces formed of horizontal steel or iron plates and vertical plates
of the same thickness rivetted or bolted thereto by aid of angle iron, the
vertical divisions consisting of plates. of a wedge shape, the narrow ends of
which are arranged on the exterior or front of the construction, and between
each series or tier of these wedge plates the horizontal plates of steel or iron
are supported. Each of the cells or spaces are to be filled in with wood,
which is held firmly by the wedge-formed recesses or divisions. The decks or
roofs of constructions are also to be formed on the same principle. A backing
of teak or iron plating may be applied, if desired, and armour plate may be
applied to the sides of ships or batteries by means of screw bolts passing
through the wooden wedges and the teak or iron plating, the entire construc-
tion being strengthened by screwing the nuts inside the vessel or battery
tightly up, so as to clamp the armour plate to the side of the vessel or battery.
I form the heads of the bolts of a circular form, and of such dimensions that
their peripheries come in close proximity, thus affording an extra protection
to the construction, since the heads of the bolts let in recesses cut in the
armour plates or skin of the vessel will extend half way across each of the
four iron sides of the cells containing the wooden wedges, and consequently
will take a bearing on the iron divisions of the structure.
I propose to improve the keels of vessels and ships by grooving or recessing:
the lower surface of the keel, and inserting therein a series of rollers working:
by gudgeons in bearings, in order that when a vessel runs on a rock she may
be enabled to glide or roll off instead of being firmly fixed or set, and
ultimately wrecked or broken up.

page_text: In order to explain my said Invention as completely as possible, I now
proceed to describe the best means I am acquainted with for carrying the
same into practical effect, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of
illustrative Drawings, and to the numeral figures and letters of reference
marked thereon, as follows. The Drawings are made to a scale of three
inches to a foot.
Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of a portion of a vessel or battery. a, a,
are the vertical frames or ribs, and b, 6, the horizontal frames or plates, which
are let in between the vertical frames by means of tongues and grooves, and
fixed by means of angle iron and screws with rivet heads; the vertical iron
wedges c, c, are let in between these horizontal plates by means of wedge-
shaped recesses cut on the upper and under surfaces of the plates, and are
held therein by about twelve rivets on each of four angle irons attached to
their sides, as shewn hereafter. Between each pair of vertical ribs or frames
a series of similar iron wedges d, d, are inserted, with this difference, that they
are placed in a horizontal position, as shewn. e, e, are the wooden wedges,
having a square section tapering towards the rear, so as to fit the wedge-
shaped cellular spaces formed by the iron divisions; f, f. are the armour
plates, and g the heads of the screw bolts, which pass through holes in the
centre of each wooden wedge, and are secured by nuts at their screwed ends.
These bolts are sunk in recesses in the armour plates, so as to be flush with
the sides of the vessels; if desired, however, they might be slightly convex.
I prefer the vertical ribs or plates to. be in most cases two inches thick and a
foot deep, the horizontal plates to be five-eighths to one inch thick, and the
vertical divisions to be of the same thickness, both to be a foot deep, to
correspond with the vertical ribs, thus leaving the recesses six inches square
in the front, consequently the distance between the ribs will be twenty inches
and a half; but I do not limit myself to these dimensions, as the same may
be varied according as experience may suggest, say, from six to twelve inches
square in the divisions.
Figs. 2 and 2* shew a side and plan view of one of the iron wedges c; Fig.3
is a front view, and Fig. 4 a rear end view. h, h, are the angle irons rivetted
to the wedge by twelve rivets, the four remaining surfaces of the angle irons
being similarly rivetted to the horizontal plates or vertical ribs; i is the open
space between or within the iron wedge for the sake of lightness; this space is
to be filled in with a tapering block of teak or other wood; & is a space cut out
on each side of the iron wedge, as shewn more clearly in the side view, Fig. 5.
This space
also enables the wedge to be of lighter construction, and yet of great

page_text: recesses.;
Z
strength; Fig. 6 shews a side elevation of a wooden wedge e to fit the
the dotted lines represent the form of taper as in a plan view, Fig. 7,
shewing an end view. The space is for the purpose of inserting felt or other
such like material for the purpose of forming a perfectly water-tight joint ;
but in some cases I make the surface of the wedge flush, and dispense with
the cutting out of such space. I then apply felt between the narrow ends of
the wedges and the internal teak or iron plating; this space is created by
means of the wedges being all made two inches shorter than the depth of the
recesses, the advantage of which is that the wooden wedges may be allowed
to be slightly driven back by the force of a projectile without injuring such
internal lining. The wedges may be cut to receive the angle iron, or the
vertical and horizontal frames may be cut for the same purpose, leaving the
wedges perfect; Fig. 8 shews a plan, and Fig. 9 an under plan view of
the horizontal plates b, b. The front or exterior of each view is denoted by
the letter m; n, n, are apertures cut in the thicker parts of the metal for the
sake of lightness; o, o, are the recesses or wedge-shaped grooves to receive
the vertical divisions or iron wedges, between which the wooden wedges are
inserted.
Fig. 10 represents a horizontal section of the vertical ribs a, a, with a hori-
zontal wedge d, the opening in which is occupied by the arched form of iron or
steel spring, shewn in dotted lines. By this arrangement the wedge d would
be permitted to yield slightly to the percussive force of a projectile, and w
regain its position by the action of the spring. The ends of the iron stay are
turned outwards forming tongues, which take into recesses cut in the ribs a,
thereby giving the stays a good holding power; or the tongues may be secured
by screws or bolts to the interior of the ribs. f,f, shew openings in the wedges
for the sake of decreasing their weight. Where the wooden wedges come
between a vertical frame or rib and an iron wedge, the wooden wedge would
take a less taper than those between two iron wedges, but I 'can obviate the
necessity of making the wooden wedges of different sizes by rivetting to the
side of the rib forming part of a recess a thickness of iron, tapering towards
the front of the recess and thick at the rear, by which means the wedges will
fit every recess in the construction. Port holes are to be made between the
vertical frames or ribs, one of which is shewn at p; Fig. 1. The horizontal,
frames b, b, may be dispensed with, if desired, and the vessel or battery may
be built entirely with vertical ribs and wedges between them.
From the above description it will be evident that a ship or vessel of any
size may be constructed according to my Invention, whether for war purposes

page_text: or for commerce; in the latter case of course the armour plates would be
dispensed with; and even in vessels of war I should in many cases abandon
the use of armour plates, since by the construction adopted, the penetration
of shot would be effectually resisted without the addition of armour plate.
The horizontal frames would be curved as required to form the finer lines
of the bow and stern, as well as of the parts below the water line, and the
bow might consist of horizontal plates only for some distance according to
the fineness of the lines, thus giving a greater facility of construction, since
the vertical ribs would not be applicable at such part. The forms of the
recesses would thus vary in these situations, but the wedges could easily be
fitted accordingly. For batteries on land, or cupolas on a vessel of war, where
a circular form of construction would be preferable, the Invention would be
especially applicable. It is evident that the wooden wedges could not possibly
be driven out of their recesses, neither could they be split by penetration of a
projectile by reason of the clamp or grip of the cellular iron divisions; more-
over the iron wedges being rivetted with so many rivets, and protected by
armour plate, and the large diameter of the beads of the screw bolts bearing
upon four sides of every cell will form a construction of such strength that it
would be impossible to penetrate the walls of a ship or battery without lateral
disintegration or destruction, which it is evident could never occur.
With regard to the construction of the keels of vessels of war or otherwise,
I form a groove, channel, or recess on the lower surface of the keel, and cause
a series of rollers to be set therein working in bearings by gudgeons, so that
in the event of the vessel running on a rock she may be rendered more liable
to be released by gliding off than if the keel were of the ordinary construction.
Fig. 11 shews a transverse section of the keel and kelson. a is woodwork,
b; iron; and c a roller of iron or steel; Fig. 12 is an under plan view of part
of the keel, shewing the rollers c, c.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would remark in conclusion that I do not
limit myself to the precise details and configuration of parts herein expressed
and shewn, as the same may obviously be varied or modified without in any way
departing from the principles on which my Invention is based; but what I
claim as iny Invention, and desire to be secured to me by the herein in part
recited Letters Patent is, the construction of vessels, ships, and batteries of
war of a combination of cells and wedges, in addition to the vertical and
horizontal frames or ribs, and other portions of the construction, together with
the application of rollers to tho keels, constituting "Improvements in the

page_text: Construction of Ships and Vessels of War, Batteries, and Fortifications,"
substantially as herein specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Tozer, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
ALEX. PRINCE,
Office for Patents,
4, Trafalgar Square,
Charing Cross.
THOMAS TOZER. (L.s.)