IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING, RAISING, LOWERING, AND DISENGAGING SHIPS' BOATS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Donovan, of West Hartlepool, in the County of
Durham, for an Invention of 46
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND
APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING, RAISING, LOWERING, AND DISENGAGING SHIPS'
BOATS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Donovan at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th July 1880.
" IMPROVE-
JOSEPH DONOVAN, of West Hartlepool, in the County of Durham.
MENTS IN THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING, RAISING, LOWERING,
AND DISENGAGING SHIPS' BOATS."
The object of my Invention is to improve the mode of and apparatus for
supporting, raising, and lowering ships' boats, and disengaging such boats from the
tackles when they have been lowered, and also to accelerate the raising, lowering,
and disengaging of the said boats.
For this purpose I use ordinary boats' davits placed about a foot clear of each end
of the boat, and connect the davit heads to each other by means of a bar, so that
both the davits are moved together, and may be freely worked in and out,
the tackles for raising and lowering the boat being suspended from the said
bar.
To support the boat when on board I use fixed chocks, the outside halves of
which are made with hinges and sliding quadrants, so that they may be let down
or set up at will, the outside halves being secured when up by means of catches
worked by a lever.
The boat lashings I arrange with two turning bars fitted in bearings fixed to the
deck and actuated by a single lever, so that by moving the lever up or down the
lashings are let go or made fast.
In the bottom of the boat I also fit a similar turning bar, which is actuated by a
lever, for making fast and disengaging the tackles when required, the lower blocks
of the tackles being fitted with through pins for belaying.
The lowering of the boat is effected as follows:-The crew having got into the
boat the lashings are let go as before described; the outside halves of the chocks are
then let down, the catches being disengaged by moving the lever provided for that
purpose. The boat then swings out over the ship's side, and is lowered by her
crew. As soon as the boat is lowered into the water, the lever in the bottom of the
boat is turned over, and the tackles are immediately disengaged and the boat is
left free.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Joseph Donovan in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 29th
January 1881.
JOSEPH DONOVAN, of West Hartlepool, in the County of Durham. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING, RAISING, LOWERING,
AND DISENGAGING SHIPS' BOATS."
The object of my Invention is to improve the mode of and apparatus for
supporting, raising, and lowering ships' boats, and disengaging such boats from the
tackles when they have been lowered, and also to accelerate the raising, lowering,
and disengaging of the said boats.
For this purpose I use ordinary boats' davits placed about a foot clear of each
end of the boat, and connect the davit-heads to each other by means of a bar, so
that both the davits are moved together and may be freely worked in and out, the
tackles for raising and lowering the boat being suspended either from the said bar
or from the davit-heads.
To support the boat when on board I use fixed chocks, the outside halves of which
are made with hinges and sliding quadrants, so that they may be let down or
set up at will, the outside halves being secured wlien up by means of catches worked
by a lever.
The boat lashings I arrange with two turning bars fitted in bearings fixed to the
deck and actuated by a single lever, so that by moving the lever up or down the
lashings are let go or made fast.
In the bottom of the boat I also fit a similar turning bar, which is actuated by a
lever, for making fast and disengaging the tackles when required, the lower block
of the tackle being fitted with a through pin for belaying.
The lowering of the boat is effected as follows:-The crew having got into the
boat, the lashings are let go as before described; the outside halves of the chocks
are then let down, the catches being disengaged by moving the lever provided for
that purpose.
The boat then swings out over the ship's side, and is lowered by her
crew. As soon as the boat is lowered into the water, the lever in the bottom of
the boat is turned over, and the tackles are thereby immediately disengaged and
the boat is left free.
Having described the nature and object of my Invention, I shall now proceed to
ascertain more particularly by the aid of the accompanying Drawings in what
manner my said Invention may be performed or carried into practical effect.
Figure 1 is an end view, and Figure 2 a front view of a boat fitted with apparatus
in accordance with my Invention. In Figure 3 is shown to an enlarged scale one
of the semi-tubular ends of the turning bars and the jointed pins for securing
the tackles and lashing books. Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of the boat,
showing the detaching gear for disengaging the boat from the tackles.
The reference letters apply to the same parts in all the Figures. A, A, are the
davits; B, the bar connecting the davit-heads together. The upper blocks C, C, of
the tackles may be suspended from the davit-heads, as shown, or the bar B may be
made stronger, and the blocks C, C, suspended from it at any suitable distance from
the davit-heads.
D, D, are the chocks for supporting the boat when on board. These may be made
in any well known and suitable manner. By preference I make them of cast tee
iron, with flanges for fixing to the deck, as shown in the Drawing. The outside
halves of the chocks E are connected to the fixed parts of the chocks by means of
hinges below the keel of the boat, and are fitted with sliding quadrants F, which
are secured when up by catches worked by two levers b, b¹, and fitting into notches

page_text: in the sliding quadrants, as shown at a in Figure 1. The levers b, b¹, are connected
by the rod c, so that both catches are released simultaneously by one movement
of the lever b', and the outside halves of the chocks will then fall clear of the
boat.
Two turning bars G, G, are fitted in bearings fixed to the deck below the boat,
and are actuated by two levers d, d, which are connected by the rod e, so that the
two turning bars are worked simultaneously by a movement of the lever d¹. These
turning bars are made with semi-tubular ends f, which cover and secure the jointed
pins g, as shown in Figure 3, until the bars are turned half a revolution, when the
said pins are immediately released; the rings of the boat lashings are then placed on
these pins, and are secured by turning the bars back to their original position. It
will therefore be seen that all the boat lashings can be let go by a single movement
of the lever d'.
A similar turning bar H is fitted in bearings fixed to the bottom of the boat in
any well known and suitable manner, jointed pins being fitted at each end as before
described for detaching or disengaging the boat from the tackles. The arrange-
ment of this turning bar is shown in Figure 4, in which Figure one tackle is shown
loose, and the other as it would appear when the boat is in the chocks and the
tackle hauled tight. This turning bar is worked by a single lever h, so that it is
impossible to disengage one tackle without at the same moment disengaging the
other likewise. The two jointed pins at the ends of the turning bar are made with
hooks i, i, for convenience in attaching the tackles to the boat under ordinary
circumstances.
The lashing hooks may be connected together by light moveable bars or stays k, l,
to prevent the strain coming upon only one side of the boat when the boat is swung
out of the chocks before the lashings are let go:
In some cases the bulwark rails may be carried through the inside legs of the
chocks, which will then act as staunchions for them, thus leaving a clear space
above the deck for swinging the boat out of the chocks; by this means the height
of the davits may be considerably reduced.
The operation of lowering the boat may be performed in various ways. One
method I have already described. Another method is as follows:-By a single
movement of the lever b¹ both the catches shown at a, in Figure 1, are withdrawn
from the notches in the sliding quadrants F; the outside halves of the chocks E then
fall clear of the boat, and the boat swings out over the ship's side, but is prevented
from swinging too far by the lashings. The crew having got into the boat, all the
lashings are simultaneously let go by a single movement of the lever d', and the
boat is lowered by the crew, the lashings being either taken into the bout or thrown
upon the deck. As soon as the boat touches the water, or, by preference, before the
boat touches the water, one of the crew turns over the lever h, and thereby
disengages the boat from the tackles.
I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise details herein-
before described and shown in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, which may be
varied to suit any design of vessel to which the apparatus is to be fitted, but what
I claim is,
Firstly. The arrangement and construction of apparatus for supporting, raising,
lowering, and disengaging ships' boats, substantially as herein before described and
shown in the Drawings hereunto annexed.
Secondly. The application and use of the levers, catches, and sliding quadrants for
letting go and securing the outside halves of the chocks, substantially as herein before
described and shown in the Drawings hereunto annexed.
Thirdly. The application and use of the bar for connecting the davit heads,
substantially as herein before described and shewn in the Drawings hereunto
annexed.
Fourthly. The application and use of the turning bars and levers for letting go
and securing the boat lashings, substantially as hereinbefore described and shown in
the Drawings hereunto annexed.

page_text: Fifthly. The application and use of the turning bar and lever for attaching the
boat to and detaching it from the tackles, substantially as herein before described and
shown in the Drawings hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Donovan, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
JOSEPH DONOVAN. (L.S.)