IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING SHIPS, VESSELS, AND OTHER STRUCTURES INTENDED TO RESIST SHOT
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Watney, of 55, Upper - Berkeley Street,.
Portman Square, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING SHIPS, VESSELS, AND OTHER STRUCTURES
INTENDED TO RESIST SHOT."
Sealed the 11th November 1862, and dated the 15th May 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Watney at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th May 1862.
I, ALFRED WATNEY, of 55, Upper Berkeley Street, Portman Square, in.
the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CONSTRUCTING SHIPS, VESSELS, AND OTHER STRUCTURES
INTENDED TO RESIST SHOT," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in constructing ships, vessels,
and other structures intended to resist shot. In constructing ships and
vessels intended to resist shot, it is common to attach slabs of iron by means
of bolts to the sides of the ships or vessels. These slabs of iron lend little or
no strength to the frame of the ship or vessel, on to which, indeed, they hang
as a dead weight. Many endeavours have been made so to apply the thick-
ness of iron necessary to resist shot that it may form an effective portion of

page_text: the ship or vessel, and strengthen in place of weaken it. As far as I am
aware no practical way of doing this has yet been devised.
According to my Invention I form the side of a ship or vessel intended to
resist shot in the following manner:-I build up the structure of a series of
iron (or it may be steel) plates which may be of any convenient length and
thickness. It is preferred, however, that the latter should not be great. These
plates I lay one on the other, so that their edges only are exposed, and I
connect each plate by means of rivets to the plates in contact with it on either
side; one-half of the rivets which pass through each plate being for the
purpose of connecting it to the plates on one side, and the remainder to those
on the other side of it. Each plate is prepared by punching a number of rivet
holes through it, and these holes are countersunk one-half on one side of
the plate, and the other half on the other; the holes in all the plates are
accurately placed so that they may correspond the one with the other. Each
plate before it is attached to the portion of the work already completed, has
one-half or thereabouts of the holes in it filled by rivets placed through them;
the heads of these rivets all lay in the countersunk holes on one side of the plate,
and the ends of the rivets project out from the plate on the other side. The
plate with the rivets in it is then applied to the already finished portion of the
work, the side from which the ends of the rivets project being outwards. From
the side of the already finished work the ends of rivets project, and these when
an additional plate is applied, pass through the previously unoccupied holes in
the plate, and the plate is then secured by clenching these ends over the plate.
The ends of the rivets placed through the plate previous to its application to
the work then project from it to receive other plates in a similar manner.
The plates are arranged so as to break-joint the one with the other.
Structures formed by building together plates of iron or steel in the manner
above described, may be employed for resisting shot in land fortifications.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by, the said Alfred Watney in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th 30
November 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
WATNEY, of 55, Upper Berkeley Street, Portman Square, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters 35
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord

page_text: One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Alfred Watney, Пer special licence that I, the said Alfred
Watney, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such otliers as I,
the said Alfred Watney, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no 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 CONSTRUCTING SHIPS, VESSELS, AND OTHER STRUCTURES INTENDED
TO RESIST SHOT," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alfred
Watney, 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 Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alfred Watney, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in constructing ships, vessels,
and other structures intended to resist shot. In constructing ships and
vessels intended to resist shot it is common to attach slabs of iron by means
of bolts to the sides of the ships or vessels. These slabs of iron lend little or
no strength to the frame of the ship or vessel, on to which indeed they hang as
a dead weight. Many endeavours bave been made so to apply the thickness
of iron necessary to resist shot that it may form an effective portion of the ship
or vessel, and strengthen in place of weaken it. As far as I am aware no
practical way of doing this has yet been devised.
According to my Invention I form the side of a ship or vessel intended to
resist shot in the following manner:-I build up the structure of a series of
iron (or it may be steel) plates, which may be of any convenient length and
thickness. It is preferred, however, that the latter should not be great.
These plates I lay one on the other, so that their edges only are exposed, and
I connect each plate by means of rivets to the plates in contact with it on
either side; one-half of the rivets which pass through each plate being for
the purpose of connecting it to the plates on one side, and the remainder to

page_text: those on the other side of it. Each plate is prepared by punching a number
of rivet holes through it, and these holes are countersunk, one-half on one side
of the plate, and the other half on the other. The holes in all the plates are
accurately placed, so that they may correspond the one with the other. Each
plate before it is attached to the portion of the work already completed, has
-one-half of the holes in it filled by rivets placed through them. The heads of
these rivets all lay in the countersunk holes on one side of the plate, and the
ends of the rivets project out from the plate on the other side. The plate,
with the rivets in it, is then applied to the already finished portion of the
work;
the side from which the ends of the rivets project being outwards.
From the side of the already finished work the ends of rivets project, and
these, when an additional plate is applied, pass through the previously un-
occupied holes in the plate, and the plate is then secured by clenching these
ends over the plate. The ends of the rivets placed through the plate previous
to its application to the work, then project from it to receive other plates in a
similar manner. The plates are arranged so as to break-joint the one with
the other.
Structures formed by building together plates of iron or steel in the manner
above described, may be employed for resisting shot in land fortifications.
Figure 1 is a side view of a portion of a ship, vessel, or other structure built
up in the manner above described; Figure 2 is an edge view of the same. In
these Figures one face of the work is shewn as it appears when in progress,
with the rivets to receive the next plate projecting from it. The width of
these plates is equal to the thickness required to be given to the side of the
ship, vessel, or structure. They may be of any convenient length and thick-
ness. They are all similarly punched with holes, which are afterwards
countersunk. The holes are conveniently arranged in four rows, as the
Drawing shews, but this may be varied. The holes are countersunk at one
end only, half of them on one side of the plate, and half on the other. It is
convenient in the arrangement shewn to countersink two of the rows of holes
from one side, and two from the other.
Figure 3 is a transverse section of a plate prepared for being added to the
work, the holes in it being suitably bored and countersunk, and rivets being
placed in all the holes of two of the four rows. When this plate is added to
the work, the rivets projecting from the face of the work, as is shewn at
Figures 1 and 2, are caused to pass through the holes in the plate not already
occupied, and these rivets are then clenched. This may either be done cold,
or the rivets may be heated by a gas jet directed on their ends. When the

page_text: structure requires to be supported by a frame at the back, I connect it to the
frame by employing at intervals plates exceeding the others in width, so as to
project beyond them, and to these projecting plates the frame is rivetted.
The plates may be applied either vertically or horizontally in the structure.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Watney, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
ALFRED WATNEY. (L.E.)