NEW-INVENTED FLOATING DOCK FOR DOCKING OF SHIPS IN RIVERS, HARBOURS, OR AT SEA, AND WHERE THERE IS NO TIDE
Year: 1785

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, CHRISTOPHER-
WATSON, of Rotherhith, in the County of Surry, Ship Builder, sends greeting.
WHEREAS the King's most Excellent Majesty, by His Letters Patent.
under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date the Fourth day of
November, in the twenty-sixth year of His reign, gave and granted unto the
said Christopher Watson, his executors, administrators, and assigns, His.
especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that he, the said
Christopher Watson, his executors, administrators, and assigns, by himself
or themselves, or by his or their deputy or deputies, servants or agents, or such
other person or persons as he, the said Christopher Watson, should at any
time agree with, and no other, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term of years therein and herein-after expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend his "NEW-INVENTED FLOATING
DOCK FOR DOCKING OF SHIPS IN RIVERS, HARBOURS, OR AT SEA, AND WHERE THERE
IS NO TIDE," within that part of Great Britain called England, the Dominion
of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as to him, the
said Christopher Watson, his executors, administrators, and assigns, or any of
them, should in their discretion seem meet, and that he, the said Christopher
Watson, his executors, administrators, and assigns, should and lawfully
might have and enjoy the whole profit, benefit, commodity, and advantage,
from time to time and at all times hereafter accruing or arising by reason of
the said new Invention, for and during the term of years therein and herein-
after mentioned, to have and to hold, exercise, and enjoy, the said licence,

page_text: powers, privileges, and advantages herein-before mentioned to be granted
unto the said Christopher Watson, his executors, administrators, and assigns,
of the sole use, exercise, and vending of his said Floating Dock for Docking
of Ships in Rivers, Harbours, or at Sea, and where there is no Tide, for and
during and unto the full end and term of fourteen years from the date of the
said Letters Patent next and immediately ensuing, and fully to be compleat
and ended according to the Statute in that case made and provided, His
Majesty, in such Letters Patent, thereby strictly commanding all and every
person or persons, bodies politick and corporate, and all other His Majesty's
subjects whatsoever, of what estate, quality, degree, name, or condition soever
they be, within that part of His Majesty's said Kingdom of Great Britain
called England, His Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
that neither they nor any of them, at any time during the continuance of the said
term of fourteen years thereby granted, either directly or indirectly, do make,
use, or put in practice the said Invention, or any part of the same so attained
unto by the said Christopher Watson, his executors, administrators, and
assigns as aforesaid, nor in anywise counterfeit, imitate, or resemble the same,
nor make or cause to be made any addition thereto or substraction from the
same whereby to pretend himself or themselves the inventor or inventors,
devisor or devisors, thereof, without the licence, consent, or agreement of the
said Christopher Watson, his executors, administrators, or assigns, in writing
under his or their hands or seals first had and obtained in that behalf, upon such
pains or penalties as can or may be justly inflicted on such offender' or
offenders for their contempt of His Majesty's said Royal Command, and
further to be answerable to the said Christopher Watson; his executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, according to law, for his or their damages occasioned
thereby in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that if the
said Christopher Watson, his executors, administrators, or assigns, or any
other person or persons which shall or may at any time thereafter, during the
continuance of the said grant, have or claim any right, title, or interest at law
or in equity of, in, or to the power, privilege, and authority of the sole use and
benefit of the said Invention, should make any transfer or assignment or any
pretended transfer or assignment of the said liberty or privilege, or any share
or shares of the benefit or profits thereof, to or for any number of persons
exceeding the number of five, and also that if the said Christopher Watson
should not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of his said Invention
of his Floating Dock for Docking Ships in Rivers, Harbours, or at Sea, and
where there is no Tide, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by
an instrument in writing under his hand and seal, and cause the same to be

page_text: inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within one calendar month
next and immediately after the date of the said Royal Letters Patent, that
then the said Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages whatsoever..
thereby granted, should utterly cease, determine, and become void, anything
therein contained to the contrary thereof in anywise notwithstanding.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Christopher Watson, in pursuance of
and in compliance with the said proviso in the said recited Royal Letters
Patent contained, do by this present Instrument hereby declare that the nature
of my said New-invented Floating Dock for Docking of Ships in Rivers,
Harbours, or at Sea, and where there is no Tide, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, is described and ascertained in the Plan here-
unto annext, and in manner and form following:-
11
My said floating dock is built of wood in the same manner as a ship; (that is
to say) of Riga fir timber are made the keels, keelusons, bulge ways, transomes,
upper futtocks, beam across the gates, floors, &c.; of fir plank are made the
main wale thick streak next the keelusons flat; of bottom plank, deck, lower
piece;
of shoreing ribband plank above the wale, &c.; ditto, ditto, of eight inches
are made the gunwales; of elm timber are made the cross chocks at the heels
of futtocks; of oak timber are made the lower futtocks, second ditto, middle..
ditto, cell of gatės, ridders, beams, knees, riding bits, &c.; of, oak plank are
made the bottom plank from wales down to bulge ways, inside ceiling, upper
pieces of shoreing ribband; with deal the bottom will be sheathed as a ship.
And for the better illustration of this my Specification, I have added the
several characters and figures referring to said Plan, which are as follows (viz*):
, dead flat is the widest part; 7 ✗ is a frame timber; 8, ditto; the next,
ditto; 16, ditto, ditto; 24, ditto, ditto; 28, ditto, ditto, is the foremast ditto;
Gis the first frame in the fore body; F ditto is the next before; M, ditto,"
ditto; R, ditto, ditto; X, ditto, ditto; Z, C, ditto, foremost ditto; 1, 2, 3,
are scuttles in the gates; 4, 5, 6, a port, a helm ditto, and a scuttle in counter;
11, transomes; 12, three keells; 13, keelsons; 14, the inside, shewing the
space or bigness; 15, bulg ways; 16, 17, 18, thick planck inside, and
shoreing ribband; 19, ridder timbers inside; 20, main wales; 21, knee under
gunwales; 22, gunwales to stand to shore on; 23, timber heads; 24, three
beams, after-part; 25, ridding bitts; 26, spur beam; 27, knee to ditto; 28,
wing transome; 29, transome knee; 30, inner post; 31, stern knee; 32, dead
wood; 33, blocks for ship keel to stand on; 34, cell under gates; 35, gates.
Dimensions, 245 feet long, 58 feet wide, twenty-two feet nine inches deep on
the block will dock a 74, 90, 100 gun ships. The utility of a floating dock

page_text: is, to dock ships in foreign parts where there is no flowing of tide by pumping
out the water to repair the bottoms of ships in a judicious way, to prevent the
great expence of heaving down, besides the risque of springing their masts
and straining the hulls to a considerable degree, and saving a great deal of
time also. In many parts of this kingdom floating docks would be useful,
and might be sent from port to port in case of ships meeting with damage,
and could not be moved. Ships losing spring tides often in other docks may
undock at all times of tide, and any time in the springs, by undocking in the
deep water as soon as finished. I try'd that experiment with the dock I
invented to my great satisfaction, as the ship was to load with gunpowder and
shot to relieve the garrison of Gibralter, which she did. N.B. The Mercury.
In witness whereof, I, the said Christopher Watson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this First day of December, in the twenty-sixth
year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third, by the
grace of God of Great Britain, France, and Ireland King, Defender of
the Faith, and so forth, and in the year of our Lord One thousand
seven hundred and eighty-five.