An Improved Fender for Ships' Bows.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Apr., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 14th Dec., 1889-Accepted, 22nd Feb.,
1850
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Fender for Ships' Bows.
GEORGE SAXLY PENFOLD of The Hollies Kew Surrey, Hop Merchant, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My Invention has for its object the instantaneous and automatic placing of a
massive Fender of considerable thickness and of great strength, composed of the
most tenacious materials, over a portion of the cut water & bows of a vessel where
it will fit tightly over the spot selected as the most suitable for it to deaden impact
& prevent cutting another vessel.
In order to secure the Fender acting as described I have fixed round the stem of the
vessel slightly below the deck line a powerful bracket on which (rivetted to the said
bracket and also to the sides of the vessel is an iron plate containing a deep groove
slighting inclining inwards the ends of which have hinged locking straps which screw
down on the frame to increase the rigidity with which it is held by the said groove as
shown on the large sized section & marked B. Lower down the cut water at the point
selected as being the most suitable place for the Fender I have fitted a small stop of
iron preferably with a groove in it as shown in the drawing C. at the mark a-The
above mentioned iron plate and stop support & fix a frame of sufficient strength to
hold steady the Fender when held at the deck line as shown on the drawing C by
dotted lines at the mark H & to guide it into position when liberated as shown at the
mark 1 on the said drawing-The frame as shown on the drawing marked D is oblong
& something like the shape of a tuning fork the cross portion of it has two thicknesses-
the inside portion of it which fits in the groove being smaller than that outside thereby
giving a grip on the plate.
The sides of the frame or guides are round & the bottom portion forms a band
fastened to the sides of the frame by screw nuts & fitting tightly to the shape of the
bows immediately over the stop as shown at P in the drawings A & D.
At the junction of the bottom band & the sides as shown at m in the drawing D
leather or india rubber washers are placed to deaden the fall of the Fender and at
each end of the bottom band is an eye hole for ropes as marked b in the drawing C.
The Fender as shown in the drawing A of escutcheon shape for choice is attached to
the frame by twisting the ends of the V shaped portion of it round the arms or guides
as shown in the plan E or by eye holes or collars bolted on to the frame & holding. the
Fender as desired or required by the shape of the bows and other circumstances.
When it is desired to place the frame & Fender in position they are easily lifted
out on to the plate & the frame is then pushed forward into the groove marked a in
the drawings B & F, the strut marked c in the drawing C is then fixed & the locking
straps screwed down as shown in drawings B & B & the bottom of the frame will
rest on the stop on the cutwater as shown in drawing A. Increased rigidity can be
given to the bottom of the frame by ropes attached to the eye holes before mentioned
marked 6 in drawing C & made fast to cleets above in the ordinary way.
The Fender is then made ready the temporary lashings which have held it up on
the frame are cast off & a sufficiently strong rope is made fast to an eye hole in the
top of the Fender as shown at D in the drawing C-the rope is then passed through
the handle of the frame over a sheave at the stem head behind which is fixed a wooden
pad & made fast to a cleet in such a manner that it can easily be cut with a knife or
divided by a blow by an axe on the portion resting on the pad or the said rope can be
taken to the bridge & be carried over another pad or placed so that cutting or
releasing would be easily & quickly accomplished or if desired the Fender might
be secured by a rope hooked on to a slip tackle which by a simple & ready action
would release the said Fender. When fixed the top of the handle of the frame

page_text: rests about a foot forward of the stem the bottom of the arms or guides marked F
in the said drawing C about eighteen inches abaft the cutwater.
In working the Fender on a frame I have in view several considerations first the
power it gives of having a most substantial Fender and one large enough to prevent
the stem of one vessel cutting through the skin of another between its ribs.
Secondly the arms of the frame, being outside the V shaped back of the Fender
greatly protect the stem of the vessel using it & permit of squeezing only and not
twisting and tearing as would be the case of a Fender relying for its rigidity on
a grip of the stem only, & the said arms hold the Fender in its place in the event
of an oblique blow-Thirdly in the event of a second concussion taking place (as is
often the case during a collision) the Fender will still be there.
Made fast to the head of the Fender and when fixed to the bottom of the bracket or
other suitable place is a stout chain the exact length of the proper drop of the Fender
as marked g in the said plan C. The look out whose proper position in foggy or
snowy weather is at the stem bead of the vessel can directly he sees a collision to
be unavoidable, sever the rope ou which the Fender will instandly descend & auto.
matically fit itself tightly over the portion of the cutwater selected as its station
in a collision & on the impact of the ramming vessel the Fender will undoubtedly
vastly decrease the severity of the blow & certainly prevent the cutting between the
ribs which under present circumstances is so fatal & destructive.
I claim for my Invention its simplicity; the ease with which the frame & Fender
can be fixed or put out of the way & the certainty of the Fender being shot home &
tightly fixed within three seconds of the danger being discovered & of its power to
prevent the stem of the vessel using it cutting through another.
G. S. PENFOLD.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Fender for Ships' Bows.
I, GEORGE SAXLY PENFOLD of The Hollies Kew in the County of Surrey Hop
Merchant do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
My invention has for its object the instantaneous and automatic placing of a massive
Fender of considerable thickness and of great strength comprised of the most
tenacious materials over a portion of the cutwater and bows of a vessel where it will
fit tightly at the spot selected as the most suitable for it to deaden impact and prevent
cutting another vessel. In order to secure the Fender acting as described I have fixed
round the stem of the vessel slightly below the deck line a powerful bracket on which
(rivetted to the said bracket and also to the sides of the vessel) is an iron plate con-
taining a deep groove, slightly inclining inwards, the ends of which have hinged
locking straps, which screw down on the frame to increase the rigidity with which it
is held by the said groove as shown in the large sized section and marked B in the
drawings lodged with the provisional specification.
Lower down the cutwater at the point selected as being the most suitable place for
the Fender I have fitted a small stop of iron preferably with a groove in it as shown
in the drawing C at the mark a. The above mentioned iron plate and stop support
and fix a frame of sufficient strength to hold steady the Fender when held at the deck
line as shown in the drawing C by dotted lines at the mark H and to guide it into
position when liberated as shown at the mark i. in the said drawing.
The frame as shewn in the drawing marked D is oblong the cross portion of it is
flat and something like the shape of a tuning fork; it has two thicknesses-the
inside portion of it which fits in the groove being smaller than that outside thereby
giving a grip on the plate.
The sides of the frame or guides are round and the bottom portion is a band
fastened to the sides of the frame by screw nuts and fitting tightly to the shape of the

page_text: bows immediately over the stop. At the junction of the bottom band and the sides
leather or india rubber washers are placed to deaden the fall of the Fender, and at
each end of the bottom band is an eye hole for ropes as marked b in drawing C.
The Fender as shown in the drawing A, of escutcheon shape for choice, is attached
to the frame by twisting the ends of the V shaped portion of it round the arms or
guides as shewn in the plan E or by eye holes or collars bolted on to the frame
holding the Fender as desired or required by the shape of the bows and other
circumstances.
When it is desired to place the frame and Fender in position they are lifted out
on to the plate the frame is then pushed forward into the groove marked X in
drawings B and F the strut marked Ċ in the drawing C fixed and the locking straps
screwed down as shewn in drawing B and the bottom of the frame will rest on the
stop on the cutwater as shown in drawing A (increased rigidity can be given to the
bottom of the frame by ropes attached to the eye holes before mentioned marked b
in drawing C. and made fast to cleats above in the ordinary way) the Fender is then
made ready the temporary lashings which have held it up in the frame are cast off
and a sufficiently strong rope as shown at D in the drawing C is made fast to an eye
hole in the top of the Fender and passed through the handle of the frame over a
sheave at the sten head behind which is fixed a wooden pad and made fast to a cleat
in such a manner that it can easily be cut with a knife or divided by a blow from an axe
on the portion resting on the pad or the said rope can be taken to the bridge and be
carried over another pad or placed so that cutting would be easily and quickly accom-
plished, or if desired the Fender might be secured by a rope hooked on
slip tackle which by a simple and easy action would release the said Fender.
to &
When fixed the top of the handle of the frame rests about a foot forward of the
stem the bottom of the arms or guides marked in the said drawing C about
eighteen inches abaft the cutwater. Made fast to the head of the Fender and to the
bottom of the bracket or other suitable place is a stout chain the exact length of the
proper drop of the Fender as marked G in the said plan C.
The look out whose proper position in foggy or snowy weather is at the stem head
of the vessel can directly he sees a collision to be unavoidable, sever the rope on
which the Fender will instantly descend automatically and fit itself tightly over the
portion of the cutwater selected as its station in a collision and on the impact of the
ramming vessel the Fender will undoubtedly vastly decrease the severity of the blow
and certainly prevent the cutting which under present circumstances is so fatal and
destructive.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
The ease with which the frame and Fender can be fixed or unfixed and stowed
away and the certainty that when fixed and ready for use a Fender of immense
strength and resisting power can be placed within a few seconds of the danger of a
collision being discovered between the two vessels that will prevent the stem of the
vessel carrying the Fender from cutting through the skin of the other vessel.
Dated this Thirteenth day of December 1889.