IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MOUNTING AND WORKING GUNS USED IN SHIPS AND OTHER PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Augustus Inglefield, of Her Majesty's Ship
Majestic, now lying off Rock Ferry, Cheshire, Captain in the Royal
Navy, F.R.S. and F.R.G.S., for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR MOUNTING AND WORKING GUNS USED IN SHIPS AND OTHER
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Augustus Inglefield
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st December 1863.
I, EDWARD AUGUSTUS INGLEFIELD, of Her Majesty's Ship Majestic, now lying
off. Rock Ferry, Cheshire, Captain in the Royal Navy, F.R.S. and F.R.G.S.,
do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPA-
RATUS FOR MOUNTING AND WORKING GUNS USED IN SHIPS AND OTHER FLOATING
VESSELS, AND IN FORTIFICATIONS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for mounting
and working guns used in ships and other floating vessels, and in fortifications..
In constructing apparatus for mounting and. working guns. I employ a plat-
form, by preference of a circular form, on which the gun is worked. The gun
carriage is arranged to work on suitable ways, which are arranged to turn
centrally on the platform. The platform is graduated or has a graduated scale
thereon, and the ways on which the gun carriage works are capable of being
fixed in any position on the platform. The platform is capable of being raised,
and lowered, and it may be more or less counterbalanced, by preference by the

page_text: use of thick plates of iron arranged to offer additional protection to the men
below the upper deck, and in its upward and down movements between its
lowest and highest positions it is guided by uprights, which insure its rising
and falling correctly. Below the platform there is a steam engine, of a length
of stroke corresponding with the distance between the highest and lowest
positions of the platform, by which, when steam is admitted to the lower part
of the cylinder, the platform will be raised to its highest position, where it may
be fixed and retained till the gun has been fired.
The arrangements for elevating the gun on its carriage are such as have
been usually employed, and by preference an elevating screw is used. The
correct elevation and pointing of the gun is obtained by apparatus applied at
the side of a ship or vessel or other fortified structure without looking along
the piece. For this purpose a tube (whether provided with lenses or not) is
applied to a small-aperture in the side of the ship or vessel or other structure;
this tube is combined with two graduated scales, the one to shew the elevation
and the other the. horizontal angle of the tube. These angles of the tube
being ascertained, the gun is set according thereto when the platform is at its
lowest position, and it is when the gun is in this position that it is reloaded,
hence the men employed in working a gun will be under cover and in com-
parative safety. When the gun has been loaded and pointed, the platform is
raised to its highest position and the gun then fired. The gun, in rising into
this position, passes through an opening in the upper deck or floor; this
opening is provided with sliding shutters, which are slid under the opening
when the platform is lowered.
Apparatus for laying and pointing guns such as is above described may also
be used for pointing guns mounted in other ways to that above described, the
apparatus being arranged within a look-out turret or other protected part of
the ship, and the requisite pointing communicated by telegraph or otherwise
to the man working the guns.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 3
filed by the said Edward Augustus Inglefield in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 1st June 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
AUGUSTUS INGLEFIELD, of Her Majesty's Ship Majestic, now lying off Rock
Ferry, Cheshire, Captain in the Royal Navy, F.R.S. and F.R.G.S., send 3
greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Edward Augustus Inglefield, Her special licence that I, the said Edward
Augustus Inglefield, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Edward Augustus Inglefield, 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 APPARATUS FOR MOUNTING AND WORKING GUNS.
USED IN SHIPS AND OTHER FLOATING VESSELS, AND IN FORTIFICATIONS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edward Augustus Inglefield, 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 per-
formed, 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 Edward Augustus Inglefield, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, 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 apparatus for mounting
and working guns used in ships and other floating vessels, and in fortifications.
In constructing apparatus for mounting and working guns, I employ a
platform (by preference of a circular form) on which the gun is worked. The
gun carriage is arranged to work in an inclined slide or suitable ways, which
are arranged to turn centrally on the platform. The platform is graduated or
has a graduated scale thereon, and the ways on which the gun carriage works
are capable of being fixed in any position on the platform. The platform. is
capable of being raised and lowered, and it may be more or less counter-
balanced, by preference by the use of thick plates of iron, arranged to offer
additional protection to the men below the upper deck, and in its up and down
movements between its lowest and highest positions, it is guided by uprights
which insure its rising and falling correctly. Below the platform there is a
steam engine of a length of stroke correspónding with the distance between

page_text: the highest and lowest positions of the platform, by which, when steam is
admitted to the lower part of the cylinder, the platform will be raised to its
highest position, where it may be fixed and retained till the gun has been
fired.
The arrangements for elevating the gun on its carriage are such as have
been usually employed, and by preference an elevating screw is used. The
correct elevation and pointing of the gun is obtained by apparatus applied at
the side of a ship or vessel or other fortified structure without looking along
the piece. For this purpose a tube (whether provided with lenses or not) is
applied to a small aperture in the side of the ship or vessel or other structure,
this tube is combined with two graduated scales, the one to shew the elevation,
and the other the horizontal angle of the tube. These angles of the tube
being ascertained, the gun is set according thereto when the platform is at its
lowest position, and it is when the gun is in this position that it is reloaded,
hence the men employed in working a gun will be under cover and in com-
parative safety. When the gun has been loaded and pointed, the platform.is
raised to its highest position, and the gun in rising into this position passes
through an opening in the upper deck or floor; this opening is provided
with sliding shutters which are slid under the opening when the platform is
lowered.
Apparatus for laying or pointing guns such as is above described may also
be used for pointing guns mounted in other ways to that above described, the
apparatus being arranged within a look-out turret or other protected part of
the ship or fortification, and the requisite pointing communicated by telegraph
or otherwise to the men working the guns.
I propose an improved method of mounting and fighting heavy ordnance
on board ships of war, and consider that my plans bave special advantages for
fortified works on sea-coast and other land batteries.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shews a transverse section of a ship having my Invention
applied thereto, and Figure 2 shews a plan of part of the deck of such ship.
a, the gun; b, the carriage; c, the slide; d, the platform; e, the elevating
pointer; f, the directing tube; g, the directing arc; h, the orifice in the ship's
sides; i, the falling bulwark; k, the recess for the falling bulwark; 1, the
counterpoise; m, the directing lever; n, the cast-iron mantelet; o, the guide
stanchion; p, the piston rod; 9, the cylinders; r, the spring; s, the steam
er water pipe and valve; t, the saddle; v, the trigger line; w, the iron

page_text: shutters; ✗, the axis for the gun slide and platform; Y, the plated upper
deck; 2, the rollers for the pendant and tackle.
: 3
The gun having been loaded, its pointing is accomplished in the following
manner :-A tube f mounted on gimbles with or without lenses at a small
opening. The lateral direction of the ship, fort, or other object is attained by
a graduated arc g, and the elevation by means of a vertical bar g', which is
graduated. The angles thus obtained are transferred to the gun by the
employment of a ratchet wheel and pinions moving the entire piece with its
carriage (and, mantelet if one is used) to the point on the circular graduated
platform d, which corresponds with the angle observed on the telescope arc.
The elevation of the gun is afterwards effected by an ordinary breech screw or
otherwise, and the angle of elevation is taken by observing the pointer e,
which is firmly fixed to the trunnion of the gun, and moves in a recess in the
carriage over a graduated arc, which corresponds with the elevating bar in the
ship's side. The gun being now loaded and pointed, it is raised through a
circular aperture in the upper or fighting deck by means of steam or
bydraulic power.
In the arrangement shewn five cylinders of area sufficient for the work
required are used, and these are placed in the hold of the ship, and they are
to have an arrangement by which steam or water can be supplied for moving
the pistons, as will be readily applied by an engineer. If water is the power to
be employed, I admit water through such an aperture in the ship's bottom,
provision being made for the water to get away from below the pistons when
the platform is to be lowered. The gun being elevated to the desired height,
the platform may be further secured by any suitable means.
I would here state that I am aware that it is not new to raise a gun
platform from a lower to an upper deck of a ship, or floor of a fortification, I
do not therefore claim the same.
When the gun is sufficiently high to fire it clear of the upper deck, the
piece is run out on the inclined platform by means of a centre pendant and
tackle which is worked by the screw on the main deck; all the palls which
held the gun securely whilst being lifted are held up by a tripping line. As
there may be some difficulty in readjusting the piece from below when the
gun is in the firing position, I propose that one gunner should ascend with
the gun platform, and for that purpose a small saddle is fitted on the left of
the gun on the pinion beam, and from thence he can look along the piece
training horizontally with his left hand (assisted by the screw below), and with
his right elevating or depressing it by the elevating screw. The gun may
then be fired by this man or from below, as most convenient.
..)
1

page_text: If it should be found necessary to have a gunner with the piece, I propose that
a semicircular wrought-iron mantelet should form a portion of the traversing
carriage, thus affording protection to the man.
To prevent the concussion of firing from injuring the glands of the steam or
water cylinders, I employ a framework of cast iron, which connects the piston
rods, and is a counterpart in shape, though not in thickness, of the circular
platform, and this is quite independant of the carriage platform, merely sup-
porting its weight, and in no other way connected with it. It will be seen in
Figure 1 that the whole shock of the recoil is received first on a powerful
spring r in the rear of the gun carriage. When the gun has been fired and
recoiled up the incline plane c, it is held firmly in its place by means of pails
and a pall plate 6', the valves of the cylinders are then opened and the steam
is allowed to escape to a condenser or otherwise.
At long ranges guns fitted as above described may be fought entirely as
upper deck guns, when the shield is used and only lowered to the main deck
when not in use; the gun and platform aperture may on ordinary occasions be
used as the hatchways of the ship and have skylights fitted. The apertures in
the side may be converted by a simple arrangement to carry glass scuttles for
the admission of light. The platform is retained in its true position whilst
being raised and lowered by means of strong iron stanchions o, o, on the fore
and aft sides of it, the platform having shoulders d', shewn in Figure 2, which
'act as guides and prevent any tendency to oscillate with the motion of the
ship. I propose that in fighting these guns in a seaway, two or other moveable
'stanchions should be placed at the other quadrant of the circular platform,
but these would seldom be required. I use sliding iron shutters to close the
aperture through which the gun is raised, so as to protect the screw whilst
reloading and pointing the gun from the effects of a bursting shell or a
vertical fire.
I also employ counterpoises to decrease the lifting weight of the gun and to
form an extra protection for the gun and gunners whilst the gun is being
loaded; these consist of long wrought-iron two-inch plates at a short distance
from the ship's side, suspended by three or more chains. These chains are
carried along the beams by suitable rollers, and thus to the platform, and by
this plan they are made to rise and fall with the gun, being at their highest
point when the gun is at its lowest.
For land batteries and fortifications the directing tubes do not, of course,
apply, as the ramparts and walls are too thick; the other fittings would be
identical with those employed on board ships. The gunner would ascend with
gun and platform, and he would be only exposed for the few seconds
the

page_text: necessary to train the gun, which would have been roughly laid before
lifting it.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Augustus Inglefield, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
E. A. INGLEFIELD. (L.B.)