MEANS OF AND APPARATUS FOR RAISING SHIPS AND OTHER SUNKEN VESSELS
Year: 1878

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Howe at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 14th August 1878.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
WILLIAM HOWE, of Bath, in the County of Somerset.
MEANS OF AND APPARATUS FOR RAISING SHIPS AND OTHER SUNKEN VESSELS."
According to this Invention I construct pontoons made to bulge in on one side,
so as to correspond with the contour of ship, and that they may fit close to the
sides and under the bottom as much as possible and the ends of the ship, taking
advantage of all parts where firm grip can be obtained. Their length may be
regulated according to circumstances, and they are so constructed that they may
be brought together by means of powerful screws with heads to fit a handle like
that of a crane to obtain power and quickness.
Each pontoon is fitted with a valve or valves to admit water, and also with an
appliance to screw on pipes, and may be pumped dry when required; they can be
fastened together, and towed to the wreck.
I propose having two divers, and when the wreck is reached the first thing to be
done is to pass steel wire ropes, flat, like those used at colleries, under the ship,
notwithstanding the ship being sunk several feet in sand or clay. This is accom-
plished by the use of curved pieces of iron, sharp at one end, so that it or they may
be pushed through the sand or other soft bed on or in which the ship may be
resting. The ends are provided with loops, to which ropes are attached, so that
when the curved piece has been passed under the ship and through the material in
which it is embedded the curved piece acts as a needle and enables the rope to be
drawn under. This done the curved piece is disconnected from the rope, when
another rope or chain may be connected, and in this way the same may be drawn
under the ship as required.
The introduction of the needle is facilitated by preparing a trench for the same,
and provision is made for guiding or cutting the way for the larger rope or chain
by means of cutters, shares, or other equivalent devices connected to the points of
the curved pieces, the said cutters being connected to the curved metal pieces by
wire ropes, and they are forced forwards by tackle and pulleys operated from above,
so that the cutters on encountering obstacles, such as the keel of the ship, are caused

page_text: to be depressed by the chains and tackles until they are carried clear of the obstruc-
tion and below same.
The ropes should be long enough to reach the sides of the pontoon, where there
are plenty of strong rings and chains to make them fast and strain them up, as the
closer the pontoons are kept up to the sides of the ship the less strain there will be
on the bolts and screws. The next thing to be done is to close the ports and repair
the holes.
I may here add, if there is a doubt, canvas with a wide hem filled with sand may
be placed round the sides of the ship, with cords at a convenient distance apart,
which may be made fast on deck, and the canvas may cover the deck and be strained
tight with cords and packed with sand and clay or other suitable material where
found desirable or necessary. When all is ready below the valves are raised, and
just sufficient water is let in to sink the pontoons, one on each side of the ship,
which may be lowered by ropes; they are then placed in position, and screwed up
at the ends.
I prefer to use hydrogen gas to fill the pontoons, but other gas or compressed air
may be used, and thereby a great saving is effected, as the pontoons need not be so
large.
By my experiments every 100,000 gallons the pontoon holds is capable of raising
250 tons, so that if I can increase this power with gas I have a lifting power nothing
can resist.
The decks are made water-tight by stopping the funnels and other open parts
with bags filled with sand and sawdust, and I prefer to make these bags of conical
form; this done hundreds of tons of water may be pumped out by pipes carried
down for that purpose, and so I look on the raising of large ships as only a matter
of a little time and expense.
Apparatus constructed according to my Invention may be altered to fit smaller
ships, as the Invention is intended to be applicable to other than one size of
ships.