IMPROVEMENTS IN ANCHORS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Sterne, of Cork, in the County of Cork,
Ireland, Commander in the Royal Navy, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ANCHORS."
Sealed the 10th August 1869, and dated the 26th April 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Sterne at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th April 1869.
I, ROBERT STERNE, of Cork, in the County of Cork, Ireland, Com-
mander in the Royal Navy, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ANCHORS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a novel conformation and construction of
ships' anchor stock, which is constructed in such a manner as to ensure
the certainty of the anchor canting the right way immediately any strain
is brought on the cable.
My improvement also gives very much greater holding power to the
anchor, and greater facility for cable clearing the stock should the

page_text: anchor by any possibility remain in the wrong position. The stock is
also so fitted that a sheet anchor can be stowed flush with the ship's
side and anchor stocks ready for letting go in a few minutes. To this I
construct the stock in a curved or crescent form and heavy at the centre,
which gives the anchor unstable equilibrium when in the wrong position.
When the stock bites the ground in that position it becomes a powerful
lever, which cants the anchor immediately any strain is brought on the
cable. If by any possibility, such as muddy bottom, the anchor remains
on its stock without canting the improved construction of stock then
becomes a good anchor, and will bear sufficient strain to part the cable.
When the anchor is in the right position the improved construction of
stock causes both end and centre to hit the ground, and thus gives
much greater holding power than other anchors. For a sheet anchor
the curved stock is secured to the shank by means of a taper pin, half
of which passes through a half hole in the shank. No other fastening is
necessary, and the anchor is not weakened when the anchor is stocked.
The reason for fastening in this manner is to allow the anchor to lay
flush with the ship's side, and it may be got ready for letting go quickly.
For other anchors the curved or crescent shaped stock could be fitted
with a square (instead of round) hole and provided with the ordinary
fastenings.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robart Sterne in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 26th October 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
STERNE, of Cork, in the County of Cork, Ireland, Commander in the
Royal Navy, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Robert Sterne, Her special licence
that I, the said Robert Sterne, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert Sterne, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no

page_text: 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
ANCHORS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Robert
Sterne, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands 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 Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Sterne, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to. the Drawing hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say):
This Invention relates to a novel conformation and construction of
ship's anchor stock, which is. constructed in such a manner as to
ensure the certainty of the anchor canting the right way immediately
any strain is brought on the cable.
My improvement also gives very much greater holding power to the
anchor, and greater facility for cable clearing the stock should the
anchor by any possibility remain in the wrong position, the cable will
either clear the stock or cant the anchor right. The stock is also so
fitted to the shank that a sheet anchor can be stowed flush with the
ship's side, and be made ready for letting go in a few minutes.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is a plan view looking down
from above on one of my improved anchors; Fig. 2 is an elevation of the
same; Fig. 3 is another elevation taken at right angles to Fig. 2; Fig. 4
is a section of the shank of the anchor in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 3; and
Figures 5 are sections taken through the arms at points indicated by the
dotted lines in Fig. 3.
The stock a, a, is constructed in a curved or crescent form, and is
made heavy at the centre, as seen best at Fig. 1, in order to give the
anchor unstable equilibrium when it is dropped in the wrong position.
When the point of the stock a rests on and bites the ground in that
position it becomes a powerful lever, which cants the anchor over

page_text: immediately any strain is brought on the cable, and thereby causes one
of the flukes to bite or enter the ground. If from any circumstance,
such as the existence of a muddy bottom, the anchor should remain on
its stock without canting, the improved construction of stock then
becomes a good anchor, and will bear sufficient strain to part the cable.
When the anchor is in the right position, that is, with one of the flukes
or palms biting or entering the ground, the improved construction of
stock causes both ends and centre of the stock to bite the ground and
throw up a mound or pile of sand or shingle in front of the stock, and
thus give much greater holding power than that possessed by other
anchors.
For sheet anchors or anchors which require to be stowed snugly the
stock a is secured to the shank 6 by means of a taper pin c, half of
which passes through a half hole in the shank. No other fastening is
necessary, and the shank is not materially weakened when the anchor is
stocked. The reason for fastening the stock in this manner is to allow
the stock to be turned round on the shank, as indicated by dots in
Fig. 3, so that the stock and the arms d, d, may be brought into the
same vertical plane, in order that the anchor may be laid flush with the
ship's side. The anchor may be got ready for letting go very quickly,
as it will only be necessary to turn the stock on the shank one quarter of
a turn, and then secure it by the transverse pin c.
For other anchors in which the stock does not require to be turned
round for convenience of stowage the curved or crescent-shaped stock
could be fitted with a square (instead of round hole), and provided with
the ordinary fastenings. The stock would then be a fixture until the
fastening is removed.
If it be desired to fit an ordinary anchor with my improved
construction of stock I take a piece of ordinary Tiron of suitable section,
as shewn at Figures 6 and 7, and after forging out the sides of the
central part, as shewn in the Drawing, and drawing down the ends into
the required form, I cut out in the T iron a hole the size and shape of
the end of the shank, and the stock is then dropped over it, and is
secured in place by short pieces i, i, of half round iron, which will
fill up the hole made in the shank for the ordinary stock to pass
through; these pieces i, i, are held in place by cross bolts and nuts j, j.
The improved form of stock enables the shank to be shortened, and

page_text: the weight of the shank thereby lessened. The metal thus saved in the
shank may with advantage be employed to strengthen the stock.
Having now described my Invention of "Improvements in Anchors."
and having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I
claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid,
constructing and adapting the stocks of anchors to the shanks in the
manner and for the purposes herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Sterne, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Twenty-sixth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
ROBT. STERNE. (L.S.)