IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION, PROTECTION, AND ARMAMENT OF SHIPS, VESSELS, AND FLOATING BATTERIES, SOME OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO LAND BATTERIES AND FORTS
Year: 1862

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by George Clark at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 22nd October 1862.
I, GEORGE CLARK, of No. 30, Craven Street, Strand, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION, PROTECTION, AND ARMAMENT OF SHIPS,
VESSELS, AND FLOATING BATTERIES, SOME OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE
TO LAND BATTERIES AND FORTS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in improved methods of arranging and constructing
various parts of ships, vessels, or floating batteries, and of arranging, working,
and protecting guns forming the armament of ships, vessels, or batteries afloat,
some of such modes of arrangement, construction, and protection being appli-
cable to the construction, protection, and armament of land batteries and
forts.
The nature of my said Invention in its several parts will be understood by
the following descriptive references to the Diagrams hereunto annexed.
Fig. 1, 2, 3, 4, represent the frame of a ship, of which I propose that the
stem and stern shall be constructed with iron beams, angle bars, and plates
arranged diagonally from the extremities (a, a,) of the stem and stern, to
points (b; b;) on the side of the vessel, about one-fourth the distance, more or
less, of the entire length from each extremity, as shown in the Drawings. I.
propose to carry out the same principle from the outer lines of the decks (a, b,
a, c, a, d), to a line (a, e,) from the extreme ends (a, a,) to the points of the
keel (e, e,) at both ends, so that the two ends of the vessel shall be angulated

page_text: in every direction, namely, horizontally, from the extremities of the stem and
stern to the lines at the sides where the taper of the vessel ends, and vertically,
from the extreme outer points at the centre of the stem and stern at each
deck to the points (e, e,) of the keel, and to the beams of the decks below
respectively at (c, c,) and (d, d.) Between the points (b, b,) and also between
the points (c, c,) and (d, d,) which are on the lines of the deck beams, strong
iron beams or girders are to be fixed as abutments to longitudinal and diagonal
iron beams or girders (f, f.) forming braces on the line of each deck between
the iron bars or beams on the diagonal lines of the stem and stern, the beams or
girders (b, b,) (c, c,) and (d, d,) and the sides of the ship. The two ends of
the ship, horizontally and vertically, will be of the angulated form represented
by the sections (a, b, b,) (a, b, e,) and (b, b, e,) in Fig. 1, 2, 3, 4. The outer
surfaces of the stem and stern thus arranged are to be formed of plates
rivetted to the beams and girders (a, b,) (a, c), and (a, d,) and to frames
inside, as well as to the skin plates of the sides of the ship. I mean that the
angulated extremities thus constructed shall be substantially the frame and
body of those parts of the ship, in order that they may derive their strength
from the rectangular and diagonal bearing of the beams or girders in straight
lines without any bend or curve; and I therefore intend that these extremities
shall be made water-tight and complete in every part as if they were the
outer structure of the vessel bearing on the water; but I propose that outside
these angulated extremities the ordinary iron shell of the bows and stern of
the vessel shall be constructed of plate and angle iron, forming cells and a
water-tight skin outside the inner structure.
Figs. 2, 3, 5, 6, show my mode of constructing and arranging the gun deck
of a ship or floating battery. The principal features of my plan are,-
1st. Instead of fixing the armour plating outside the sides of the vessel, I place
it inwards from each side a distance equal to about one-fourth of the extreme
width, and a distance from the extremity of the stem and stern equal to about
one-fourth of the extreme length. This mode of armour plating may com-
mence with the lowest strake under the water line, or at the gun deck as
represented in the Drawing. The armour plates are shown sloping from the
water line upwards to their junction with the bottom of the armour plates on
the gun deck, but I do not consider this arrangement regarded as a sloping
or angulated deck or side of a ship, as part of my Invention. I do however
propose to place bars, beams, or girders diagonally from the ends of the
lower deck beams (B, B), or from a line a little above them to the line of the
bottom of the armour plates on the gun deck beams (A, A). Experience will
determine whether it will be best to place the armour plates which are below

page_text: the
gun deck vertically, either outside the vessel or inside, on a line with the
gun deck armour, or in a sloping direction as in the Drawing. In whatever
way the armour plates are thus fixed inwards away from the outside of the
structure, I relieve the sides of the vessel from the weight of heavy plates
hung outside her hull. I also intend in constructing ships or batteries of
great strength for the purpose of resisting the crushing force of heavy ordnance
to cover the outer as well as the inner sides of the ship or battery with armour
plates, and fill in the space between the two sides solid with iron angle bars
or girders and wood or other filling. In all cases where I use wood as filling
in armour-plated structures I propose to render it incombustible by saturating
it with alum, or a metallic sulphate, or other substance which shall also pre-
serve the wood and prevent its corrosive action on the iron. By the arrange-
ment as shown in the Drawing, I form a commodious fighting fortress (g, g,)
along the centre of the ship, with ample space for working a number of guns.
I propose that the stern and bows be protected with armour plates a few feet
above and below the water line. I cover the armour-plated fighting deck
with a bomb-proof roof (h, h,) which may be provided with a parapet. Out-
side the fighting deck (g, g,) I construct a raised deck (i, i,) up to nearly the
muzzle of the guns, forming a commodious gangway outside and all round
the fighting deck. The following are some of the other details which form
part of my Invention :-(j, j,) are projecting armour-plated lunettes or gun
shields at the extremities of the raised decks or outer gangways (i, i,), armed
each with a pivot gun as a protection against boarding by sweeping the decks
or firing into boats alongside; (k, k,) are demilune gun shields projecting from
the line of the armour-plated sides of the fighting deck to increase the range
and facilitate the training and depression of the guns; (1, 1) are turntables
for training the guns to the required range; (m, m,) are revolving turret
heads, which cover and protect the guns and the tops of the shields, as illus-
trated in the Diagrams, Figs. 7, 8, 9, 10. Each of these turret beads revolves
on its own centre independently of the wall or sides of the gun tower or shield
of which it is the roof, and is supported by or fixed to the platform or turn-
table on which the gun revolves or traverses, so that the turret head-turns
with the gun, its outer edges underneath travelling on rollers as shown in
Fig. 10. An opening (q, Fig. 9), in the turret head forms the embrasure to
the gun, turning with the muzzle in the segment of a circle. By this rotary
action of the turret head, the opening in it which forms the embrasure may,
after the gun is discharged, be turned inwards, so that the port will be closed,
and need not be opened again until the gun is to be trained for firing.
For the purpose of obtaining the results produced in the manner above

page_text: is fixed, I
propose
another
described by the rotation of the turret head or upper part of a shield with the
gun and the carriage or platform on which the gun
plan, namely, to cause the shield itself, or a part of it below the head or upper
part to rotate with the gun and its carriage or platform, the head or upper
part being fixed and stationary. In this arrangement the part of the shield
which it is intended should rotate with the gun will be securely fixed to a
turntable or revolving platform, on which the gun will stand with the muzzle
projecting through an opening in the revolving part of the shield, such opening
being the embrasure, so that in training the gun the shield and the gun will
rotate together, the head remaining stationary.
I wish here to point out the difference in principle between a revolving
tower forming of and by itself the protection to all parts of a gun or guns
placed inside the tower, and the plan of the part of a shield of a circular or
other form protecting the muzzle and front of the gun and carriage, whilst
the sides and rear parts of the gun and carriage are protected by being placed
inside a fortified deck or fort. I am aware that the plan of a tower or
revolving convex shield has been invented and applied, or proposed to be
applied, for the protection and training of guns, but in such Invention the roof
is fixed to and revolves with the tower or shield; whereas in my Invention
the shield, whether it be a circular tower forming the entire protection to the
gun or guns, or only part of a gun shield, the head or roof, and the base or
lower part of the shield, will revolve separately and apart from each other.
It will also be perceived that my plan for protecting and training guns by
means of a salient shield for the muzzle, differs in construction and principle
from a gun tower whether fixed or rotary.
(n, n,) Figs. 5 & 6, is an arrangement for converting the level raised deck
or gangway (i, i,) into an incline, and lowering the bulwark in front of each
gun so as to facilitate its depression.
(0, 0,) Figs. 5 & 6, is an arrangement for lighting and ventilating the
lower deck through skylights fixed in the gun deck between the guns. The
apertures for these skylights when a ship goes into action are closed and pro-
tected by means of iron shutters, sliding or opening and shutting with a
hinge; (p, p.) are sliding portcullises or revolving turrets on the plan already
described, being intended as sally ports, which may be readily opened and
closed for the egress and ingress of the crew from and into the fighting deck.
It will be seen in the above-described arrangement of a ship there is
nothing to prevent her being fitted with masts, which may pass from the
keel through the gun deck and its roof without at all interfering with the
proper position and working of the guns, whilst the platform roof of the gun

page_text: deck, and the raised gangway decks, afford ample space for handling the sails,
yards, and rigging. I mean the aforesaid improvements in constructing the
stem and stern of ships and vessels in an angulated form, as well as in
armour plating ships, and protecting and working guns, or parts of such
improvements in so far as they are applicable, to be applied to wooden ships
and vessels, and also to land batteries and forts.
For the construction of turret heads to gun shields I use square or diagonal
bars of iron of 8 or 9 inches, or any other serviceable width and thickness, and
of any required length. These bars are bent into hoops, and fitted one upon
the other as shown in the Diagrams, Fig. 9 and 10, or vertically. I intend
to apply the same plan to fixed turret heads, and I wish it to be understood
that the revolving turret head is not necessarily a part of my general arrange-
ment of a fighting deck, nor is any one of the improvements described a
necessary part of the whole, and each part may be used separately in all cases
when applicable to any ships or other structures.