Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Feb., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 15th Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 21st Dec., 1888
I, JOSIAH VAVASSEUR of the London Ordnance Works, Bear Lane, Southwark in
the County of Surrey, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
Modern breech-loading guns are now usually mounted at a port-hole or embrasure,
in such a manner that a considerable length of the muzzle projects therefrom and is
thus exposed to the weather, and in the case of ships is inconvenient when at anchor
or going alongside a quay; it is also very difficult to make the port shutters close
around the exposed port tight enough to exclude water entering when the ship rolls.
The object of this invention is to provide convenient means for withdrawing the
gun from the port hole or embrasure by running it inboard. I fix an over-head
railway consisting of a rail or rails to the underside of the ship's deck above, or to the
roof of the fort upon this railway I provide a trolley running on wheels. Pivotted
to the underside of the trolley is a lever, the rear end of which can be raised or
lowered by a screw, hydraulic jack or other suitable appliance, the other end of the
lever carries an attachment by which it can be connected to the gun above the centre
of gravity of the latter. This connection may conveniently be a swivelling lug on the
lever engaging with a double eye on the gun but the gun may be slung to the end of
the lever in other ways.
When it is desired to withdraw the gun from the port hole or embrasure the trolley
is run forward and the end of the lever is connected to the gun, the other end of the
lever is then depressed by means of the screw and the gun is thereby lifted off its
bearings so that the trolley with the gun attached to it can be run inboard.
The trolley may be actuated by a tackle, rack screw or other convenient means.
This arrangement is equally applicable whether the gun only be run inboard or in
cases where the gun is without trunnions and is carried in a frame or cradle the
attachment can be made to the latter which can be disengaged from the mounting
and run in with the gun in it—the lower or standing part of the mounting being kept
in position.
n
1
T1
1000 1

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Moving Guns on Board Ship, in
Forts, and other Places.
I, JOSIAH VAVASSEUR of the London Ordnance Works Bear Lane Southwark in the
County of Surrey Engineer 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 :-
Modern breech loading guns are now usually mounted at a port hole or embrasure
in such a manner that a considerable length of the inuzzle projects therefrom and is
thus exposed to the weather and in the case of ships is inconvenient when at anchor or
going alongside a quay, it is also very difficult to make the port shutters close around
the exposed port tight enough to exclude water entering when the ship rolls.
The object of this invention is to provide convenient means for withdrawing the
gun from the port hole or embrasure by running it inboard. I fix an over head
railway consisting of a rail or rails to the underside of the ships deck above or to the
roof of the fort upon this railway I provide a trolley running on wheels. Pivotted
to the underside of the trolley is a lever the rear end of which can be raised or
lowered by a screw, hydraulic jack or other suitable appliance the other end of the
lever carries an attachment by which it can be connected to the gun above the centre
of gravity of the latter. This connection may conveniently be a swivelling lug on the
lever engaging with a double eye on the gun but the gun may be slung to the end of
the lever in other ways.
When it is desired to withdraw the gun from the port hole or embrasure the trolley
is run forward and the end of the lever is connected to the gun the other end of the
lever is then depressed by means of the screw and the gun is thereby lifted off its
bearings so that the trolley with the gun attached to it can be run inboard. The
trolley may be actuated by a tackle, rack screw or other convenient means.
This arrangement is equally applicable whether the gun only be run inboard or in
cases where the gun is without trunnions and is carried in a frame or cradle, the
attachment can be made to the latter which can be disengaged from the mounting
and run in with the gun in it, the lower or standing part of the mounting being kept
in position.
In order that my said invention may be more fully understood and readily carried
into effect I will proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
Figure 1 is a side elevation and
Figure 2 a rear elevation of an apparatus constructed according to my invention.
The gun mounting indicated in these Figures is of a well known form consisting of 35
a cradle A in which the gun can slide, its recoil being checked by hydraulic
compressers B. The cradle A is provided with trunnions C which are supported by a

page_text: fixed stand which is not shewn in the drawings, my invention is however applicable
to any mounting, provided that the gun can be lifted, for example the trunnions C
might be fixed to the gun and be supported by a sliding carriage in the ordinary
manner.
The apparatus shewn for moving the gun consists of a trolley a provided with
wheels b6 which run upon the rails or girders c which are fixed to the underside of
the deck of the ship or to the roof of the fort. Pivotted to the trolley a is a lever d
one end of which carries the split link d¹ which when the apparatus is to be used is
made to embrace the lug e upon the gun or the cradle in which the gun is mounted
and is secured to it by the pin f. The other end of the lever d is provided with the
screw whose end is free to turn in a bearing on the underside of the trolley. By
turning this screw the gun can be raised into the position shown in dotted lines in
Figure 1. j is a link the upper end of which is pivotted to the trolley and whose lower
end can be secured to the rear end of the gun in a similar manner to the lever d.
This link serves to steady the gun whilst it is being moved.
The trolley a is connected to the wheels by means of the pivots a¹ al so that it
together with the lever d screw h and link j can be turned up when not in use into
the position shown by dotted lines in Figure 2. k k are links fixed to the trolley to
which tackles can be attached so as to draw the trolley with the gun to the rear.
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 :-
1 A trolley or carriage free to move upon supports on the underside of the deck
of the ship or of the roof of the fort and provided with mechanism for raising the gun
from the fixed part of its mounting.
2 A trolley or carriage supported by wheels running upon a rail or rails or upon a
girder or girders fixed to the underside of the deck of the ship or of the roof of the
fort and having pivotted to it a lever one end of which can be attached to the gun the
other end being provided with mechanism by which it can be depressed to raise the
gun.
3 In apparatus such as is referred to in the preceding claims the steadying link j
substantially as described.
4 The apparatus substantially as described and shown in the drawings.