IMPROVED UNSINKABLE BOATS AND SHIPS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Gedge, of No. 11, Wellington Street,
Strand, London, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for an Invention
of "IMPROVED UNSINKABLE BOATS AND SHIPS." A communication from
abroad by Paul Duval, of Paris, France,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Gedge at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th August 1880.
WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE, of No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand, London, in
the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent. "IMPROVED UNSINKABLE BOATS AND
SHIPS." A communication from abroad by Paul Duval, of Paris, France.
This Invention relates to an improvement whereby boats and ships, or vessels of
any size, may be rendered insubmersive or unsinkable.
Heretofore life boats have been constructed either upon the principle of using
air chambers or a water tight hold.
These boats are costly to build and yet unsatisfactory, as they do not really
The difficulty of attaining
fulfil their purpose unless completely water tight.
this is well known, and a collision or the shock of a wave may break one of these
air chambers, rendering their aid perfectly illusory, and jeopardizing the lives of
the crew.
Boats and other craft have also been fitted with a pad or belt composed of light
material, cork being the substance usually employed, but here again a great
difficulty was encountered; the belt, which was necessarily bulky, rendered the
management of the boat difficult, and deprived it of valuable nautical qualities,
such as speed and quick working.
The manifest difficulties attending the construction of an insubmersive or
unsinkable boat or other craft, as above set forth, have led me to adopt another
means.
Cork being certainly the most suitable material for this purpose by reason of its
density, I considered that if I made a boat of cork with special arrangements
ensuring sufficient strength I should attain the desired object by producing a boat
the outer shape or proper lines of which would not be altered, and which would
not have the fragility of an air chambered vessel,

page_text: On the contrary cork is a body affording protection from blows, and no matter
what may happen will always remain upon the surface of the water, thereby
making of the boat a real floating buoy.
My Invention is therefore entirely based upon the application of cork in super-
posed pieces or planks outside of the planking or sheathing of the boat or vessel,
which application being made without alteration of the exterior shape of the boat
or vessel this latter will preserve all its nautical qualities.
On the accompanying Sheet of Drawing,―
Fig. 1 is an elevation of a boat embodying this Invention.
Fig. 2 being a half sectional plan, and
Fig. 3 a cross section of same.
As shown on the Drawings the cork planking L is applied outside of the ordinary
planking of the boat, from immediately under the gunwale A down to the float
line B, and in order that this application may not in any way alter its primitive
outer form I may make the frame or carcass of the boat from the careening or float
line up to the gunwales with an inward curve, as shown at Fig. 3, to receive the
planks or pieces of cork, which countersunk into the planking at the float line go
on increasing in thickness until they attain the level of the gunwales.
Thus there is upon the sides of the boat a sort of armour plating of cork, which
increasing in thickness more and more as it approaches the gunwale, at the same
time increases the resistance to submersion in proportion to the sinking of the boat
or ship under the weight of its load or cargo.
A boat constructed in this way may therefore be entirely filled with water, and
will not only still float, but will at the same time carry its crew, as proved by
experiment. In such case it is only necessary to open the bottom valves to enable
the boat to empty itself and rise to its normal float line.
This arrangement of the cork also gives perfect stability to the boat or ship, and
it can never remain on its beam ends or turn over, for if an overload of any kind
should cause it to lean on one side, the resistance to submersion increasing upon
this side as it decreases on the other side, it will quickly regain its centre of
gravity.
For the purpose of increasing this power of righting itself, I have arranged
planks or pieces of cork C inside of the boat.
The cork may be protected on the outside by any suitable kind of covering, such
as canvas, wood, or metal coated with any suitable preparation for preserving it
from the effect of sea water and of accidents.

page_text: •
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Edward Gedge in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd
February 1881.
WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE, of No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand, London, in
the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent. "IMPROVED UNSINKABLE BOATS AND
SHIPS." A communication from abroad by Paul Duval, of Paris, France.
This Invention relates to an improvement whereby boats and ships, or vessels of
any size, may be rendered insubmersive or unsinkable.
Heretofore life boats have been constructed either upon the principle of using
air chambers or a water tight hold.
These boats are costly to build and yet unsatisfactory, as they do not really
fulfil their purpose unless completely water tight. The difficulty of attaining this
is well known, and a collision or the shock of a wave may break one of these air
chambers, rendering their aid perfectly illusory, and jeopardising the lives of the
crew.
Boats and other craft have also been fitted with a pad or belt composed of light
material, cork being the substance usually employed, but here again a great
difficulty was encountered; this belt, which was necessarily bulky, rendered the
management of the boat difficult, and deprived it of valuable nautical qualities,
such as speed and quick working.
The manifest difficulties attending the construction of an insubmersive or
unsinkable boat or other craft, as above set forth, have led me to adopt another
means.
Cork being certainly the most suitable material for this purpose by reason of its
density, I considered that if I made a boat of cork with special arrangements
ensuring sufficient strength, I should attain the desired object by producing a boat
the outer shape or proper lines of which would not be altered, and which would
not have the fragility of an air chambered vessel.
On the contrary cork is a body affording protection from blows, and no matter
what may happen will always remain upon the surface of the water, thereby
making of the boat a real floating buoy.
This Invention is therefore entirely based upon the application of cork in super-
posed pieces or planks outside of the planking or sheathing of the boat or vessel,
which application being made without alteration of the exterior shape of the boat
or vessel this latter will preserve all its nautical qualities.
On the accompanying Sheet of Drawing,-
Figure 1 is an elevation of a boat embodying this Invention.
Figure 2 being a half sectional plan, and
Figure 3 a cross section of same.
As shown on the Drawings the cork planking L is applied outside of the ordinary
planking of the boat from immediately under the gunwale A down to the float-
line B, and in order that this application may not in any way alter its primitive
outer form, I make the frame or carcass of the boat from the careening or float
line up to the gun-wales with an inward curve, as shown at Figure 3, to receive
the planks or pieces of cork, which counter-sunk into the planking at the float line
go on increasing in thickness until they attain the level of the gunwales.
Thus there is upon the sides of the boat a sort of armour plating of cork, which
increasing in thickness more and more as it approaches the gunwale, at the same
time increases the resistance to submersion in proportion to the sinking of the boat
or ship under the weight of its load or cargo.
A boat constructed in this way may therefore be entirely filled with water, and

page_text: will not only still float, but will at the same time carry its crew, as proved by
experiment. In such case it is only necessary to open the bottom valves to enable
the boat to empty itself and rise to its normal float line.
This arrangement of the cork also gives perfect stability to the boat or ship, and
it can never remain on its beam ends or turn over, for if an overload of any kind
should cause it to lean on one side, the resistance to submersion increasing upon
this side as it decreases on the other side, it will quickly regain its centre of
gravity.
For the purpose of increasing this power of righting itself I have arranged
planks or sheets of cork C inside of the boat.
The cork may be protected on the outside by any suitable kind of covering, such
as canvass, wood, or metal coated with any suitable preparation for preserving it
from the effects of sea water and of accidents.
To sum up, this Invention consists in the application to vessels from the smallest
boat to the largest ship of superposed plates, pieces, or planks of cork fitted outside
of the planking of the boat or ship in such a manner as not in any way to alter
its primitive form.
Having now described and ascertained the nature of the Invention, communicated
to me as aforesaid,
I claim as secured to me by the hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent,-
The application of cork in plates, sheets, planks, or suitable pieces superposed
along the planking or sheathing of a boat or ship without modification of the
proper shape or lines of the vessel, as constituting the principle of insubmersiveness
or unsinkableness above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Gedge, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty second day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.