Iм- PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RAISING SHIPS AND VESSELS OUT OF THE WATER
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Joseph Bramwell, of Great George Street,
Westminster, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RAISING SHIPS AND VESSELS OUT OF THE
WATER." Partly a communication from abroad by Messrs. Miers
Brothers and Mavlor, of Rio de Janeiro.
-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Joseph Bramwell,
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 23rd May 1859.
I, FREDERICK JOSEPH BRAMWELL, of Great George Street, Westminster, in
the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR RAISING SHIPS AND VESSELS OUT OF THE
WATER," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for raising ships
and vessels out of the water. For this purpose I employ on each side of the
vessel to be raised, a float or pontoon of about the length of the longest vessel
I propose to lift with that particular apparatus, and of such depth and width
as will give for the sum of the two pontoons a buoyancy capable of sustaining
the weight of the vessel when raised out of the water, with that of the girders
to be described, and also that of the pontoons and the apparatus on them, with

page_text: an amount sufficient for safety inimmersed. The pontoons I prefer to make
in wrought iron, and closed upon the top; and also to make them with
water-tight bulkheads at intervals, but they may be made of other materials,
may be open topped, and may be without water-tight bulkheads. They
may either be in one piece, or they may be divided into two or more
sections in length, which sections may be used independently for shorter
vessels, or may be coupled together for longer ones.
Below the pontoons I have a number of girders placed at a convenient
distance apart from each other, and extending transversely from under one
pontoon to under the other poutoon. These girders I prefer to connect together
by one or more longitudinal girders, on which I carry suitable supports and
blocks for receiving the vessel to be raised. The transverse girders, however,
may be unconnected by any longitudinal girder, in which case the blocks or
supports will be on the transverse girders. The transverse and longitudinal
girders I prefer to make of wrought iron, and to make them of such pro-
portions and form that the whole or a portion of them being water-tight,
will cause the system of girders, with the blocks, &c. upon them, to be of
such weight as will just allow them to sink; but these transverse and longi-
tudinal girders, or any portion of them, may be made of other materials,
and may be made not water-tight.
The system of girders being lowered to the requisite depth, and the vessel
drawn over the blocks, I prefer to raise the whole by the following means:-I
attach to the ends of the transverse girders, chains, which I pass through
tubes in the pontoons and over pullies placed near the upper end of those
tubes; the chains which pass through the pontoons I fasten to traction bars
extending to about the same length as the pontoons, and carried on rollers.
These traction bars I cause to move in the direction of their length by two
or more hydraulic presses acting upon them; by the motion of the bars the
chains are drawn up, and the girders and vessel are thereby raised. Ratchets
with pawls are employed to hold up the vessel when lifted; the pumps for
the hydraulic presses may be worked by a steam engine, which, as also the
pumps, may be carried on the pontoons, or in an independent vessel; or
on shore they may be worked by hand or other power.
Although I prefer to raise the girders in the way above described, other
modes may be employed, such as giving motion to the traction bars by gearing
or screws in lieu of hydraulic presses, by dispensing with the traction bars,
and by having hydraulic presses, screws, or gearing to each transverse girder,
or to each two or more transverse girders. In some of these arrangements the
transverse girders might be suspended by rods instead of chains. These

page_text: suspending rods or the chains instead of being taken through tubes may
be carried outside the pontoons.
The pontoons may be independent of each other, or may be connected
by transverse pieces at one or both of their ends; if at both ends, one of
these pieces should be capable of removal, to admit the passage of the
vessel; these transverse pieces may be made to float, or may be mere con-
necting girders. The pontoons may either be anchored or may be attached
by moorings or by girders or other attachments to the shore.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Frederick Joseph Bramwell in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 23rd November 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
JOSEPH BRANWELL, of Great George Street, Westminster, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Frederick Joseph Bramwell, Her special licence that I, the said
Frederick Joseph Bramwell, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Frederick Joseph Bramwell, 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 RAISING SHIPS AND VESSELS OUT OF THE
WATER," partly a communication from abroad by Messrs. Miers Brothers
and Maylor, of Rio de Janéiro, upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Frederick Joseph Bramwell, 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 Frederick Joseph Bramwell, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to

page_text: 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 raising
ships and vessels out of the water. For this purpose I employ on each side of
the vessel to be raised a float or pontoon of about the length of the longest
vessel. I propose to lift with that particular apparatus and of such depth and
width as will give for the sum of the two pontoons a buoyancy capable of
sustaining the weight of the vessel when raised out of the water, with that of
the girders to be described, and also that of the pontoons and the apparatus on
them, with an amount sufficient for safety unimmersed. The pontoons I prefer
to make in wrought iron, and closed upon the top, and also to make them
with water-tight bulkheads at intervals, but they may be made of other
materials, may be open-topped, and may be without water-tight bulkheads;
they may either be in one piece or they may be divided into two or more
sections in length, which sections may be used independently for shorter
vessels, or may be coupled together for longer ones.
Below the pontoons
1
I have a number of girders placed at a convenient distance apart from each
other, and extending transversely from under one pontoon to under the other
pontoon. These girders I prefer to connect together by one or more longi-
tudinal girders, on which I carry suitable supports and blocks for receiving
the vessel to be raised. The transverse girders, however, may be unconnected
by any longitudinal girder, in which case the blocks or supports will be on the
transverse girders. The transverse and longitudinal girders I prefer to make
of wrought iron, and to make them of such proportions and form that the
whole or a portion of them being water-tight, will cause the system of girders,
with the blocks, &c., upon them, to be of such weight as will just allow them
to sink; but these transverse and longitudinal girders, or any portion of them,
may be made of other materials, and may be made not water-tight
The system of girders being lowered to the requisite depth, and the vessel
drawn over the blocks, I prefer to raise the whole by the following means:-
I attach to the ends of the transverse girders chains, which I pass through
tubes in the pontoons, and over pullies placed near the upper end of these
tubes. The chains which pass through the pontoons I fasten to traction bars
extending to about the same length as the pontoons, and carried on rollers;
these traction bars I cause to move in the direction of their length by two or
more hydraulic presses acting upon them. By the motion of the bars the
chains are drawn up, and the girders and vessel are thereby raised. Ratchets
with pawls are employed to hold up the vessel when lifted. The pumps for
the hydraulic presses may be worked by a steam engine, which, as also the

page_text: pumps, may be carried on the pontoons, or in an independent vessel, or on
shore; they may be worked by hand or other power.
Although I prefer to raise the girders in the way above described, other
modes may be employed, such as giving motion to the traction bars by
gearing or screws in lieu of hydraulic presses, by dispensing with the traction
bars, and by having hydraulic presses, screws, or gearing to each transverse
girder, or to each two or more transverse girders. In some of these
arrangements the transverse girders might be suspended by rods instead of
chains. These suspending rods or the chains instead of being taken
through tubes, may be carried outside the pontoons.
The pontoons may be independent of each other, or may be connected
by transverse pieces at one or both of their ends; if at both ends, one of
these pieces should be capable of removal to admit the passage of the
vessel; these transverse pieces may be made to float, or may be mere con-
necting girders. The pontoons may either be anchored or may be attached
by moorings or by girders or other attachments to the shore.
Having explained the nature of the Invention, I will now proceed to
describe the four Sheets of accompanying Drawings illustrative of it. The
same letters refer to the same parts in all the Sheets.
Sheet 1 shews an end view (the part on the left hand being in section) of
an apparatus for raising ships and vessels out of the water constructed and
combined according to this Invention.
Sheet 2. Figure 1 shews a side view, and Figure 2 a plan of the same, to
a scale of one-half the size of the view in Sheet 1.
Sheet 3 shews, to a scale four times as large as Sheet 2 and twice as large
as Sheet 1, certain parts in detail, namely, Figure 1, side view of a portion of a
pontoon, with hydraulic press and traction bar, part being in section;
Figure 2, plan of the same; Figure 3, transverse section of traction bar,
shewing that which will be described as the "hinged packings."
Sheet 4.-Figures 1, 2, and 3, shew arrangements of the lifting apparatus
varying from that in the other Sheets; the description of them will therefore
be reserved until the completion of that of Sheets 1, 2, and 3.
a,a,are the two floats or pontoons (which in this instance are shewn jointed to
and lengthened by two others b,b,) attached to each other by a transverse float
or pontoon c. The pontoons are shewn made with angle iron frames, covered
on the bottom,sides, and top with wrought-iron plates,and further strengthened
by two internal longitudinal ribs d, d, and by transverse ribs or bulkheads e,e,
which I prefer to make water-tight; above the plates forming the top is f, a
wooden floor, at convenient distances apart tubes g, g, are formed in the

page_text: pontoons, through which pass h, h, chains, which at their upper ends are
attached to i, i, the traction bars, having bolted joints in their length at x,and
supported onj,j, friction :ollers, over which pass also the chains h, h. The
lower ends of the chains h, h, are connected to the ends of,k,k, the transverse
girders, which are furnished with 1.1, projecting pieces, to fit into the bottoms
of the tubes g: g; these pieces are made pointed, and the tubes are formed
bell-mouthed, so that the pieces, may be sure to enter when the girders k,k,
are lifted up. On the transverse girders k, k, are placed m, m, m, longitudinal
girders, which connect the transverse girders together, and which support n,n,
packing blocks, and o, o, adjustable beams to receive the vessel to be lifted,
and also, if needful,p,p,intermediate packings without the adjustable beams.
The girders m, m,m, are shewn hollow, and formed of wrought iron; they are
made water-tight, and of a capacity to displace a bulk of water, which added to
the bulk displaced by the transverse girders k, k, and the blocks n, », and p,p,
shall not quite equal the collective weight of the longitudinal girders m,m,m,
the transverse girdersk, k, k, and the blocks m, n, and p, p, so that these may be
able to sink in the water, but not so greatly to exceed in weight the bulk of
water they displace as to require much power to lift them. Water-tight bulk-
heads are placed at convenient intervals across the girders m, n, m. 2, 4, are
hydraulic presses supported on the pontoons, and firmly attached to the same;
the rams of these presses, by means of r, , blocks at their ends, press against
either s, s, projections on the traction bars i, i, or against t, t, hinged packing
pieces, which in their turn press against the projections s. s. on the traction
bar,, the hinges upon which the packing pieces turn, being made with
sufficient.clearance end ways to ensure that the pressure of the hinged packings
shall be taken by the projections s, s, and not by the hinges. To the inner
end of the rams of the hydraulic presses are attached v, v, piston rods, which
pass through w, w, water-tight stuffing boxes, and carry x, x, pistons fitting in
y, y cylinders. z, z, are houses, containing pumps such as are usually
employed for charging hydraulic presses, and steam engines or other suitable
machinery to work them, all which are well understood. From the pumps in
these houses proceed a', a¹, pressure main pipes, 61, 6¹, are valves, by which
water from these pipes can be admitted into or stopped off from the hydraulic
presses; and c', c', are valves, by which the water from these pipes can be
admitted into or stopped off from the cylinders y, y. d¹, a¹, are discharge
valves from the hydraulic presses; and e¹, e', discharge valves from the
cylinders y, y; g', g', are ratchet plates, fixed on the traction bars, into which
catch g2, g², pawls attached to the pontoons by h', h', straps; 2, i, are tapered
projecting pieces or dowels on the ends of the portion of the pontoons b, b,

page_text: which fit into jj, suitable recesses in the other portions of the pontoons a, a;
,, are hooks on the top and bottom of the portions a of the pontoons, which
do not hook into but lie alongside other hooks A, 1, on the top and bottom of
the pontoon b. On the pontoon a are carried m',mi, brackets, which support
n',n,spindles, terminating in right and left-hand screws, which work in nuts
in o, o', horizontal locking bars. On the heads of the spindles n¹, n', are p¹, p¹,
bevil wheels,which are driven by q', q', bevil pinions on 7, r, shafts, on which
are fixed sl, s, hand wheels for working the same.
The
The way in which a vessel can be raised out of the water by this apparatus
is as follows: Assume the rams of the hydraulic presses q, q, to be in their
cylinders, and the hinged packing pieces t, t, to be thrown back on the top of
the traction bars i, i, as shewn by dotted lines in Figure 3, Sheet 3, so that
the projections, s, bear against the blocks r, r, at the ends of the rams, the
traction bars will then be in such a position as will cause the chains h, h, to let
down, to the fullest extent for which the apparatus is designed, the whole
system of girders and blocks k, l, m, m, n, n, 0, 0, and p, p, as shewn by the
dotted lines in Sheet 1; at this time the water line will be in the position
relative to the apparatus indicated by the dotted line on that Sheet.
vessel to be lifted will then be floated over the blocks n, n, and p, p. The
pumps for the hydraulic presses will then be put to work, so as to charge and
keep supplied the main pipe a', a¹, the discharge valves d,,of the hydraulic
presses, and the supply valves c¹, c¹, of the cylinders y,y,will be closed, and
the discharge valves e¹, e', of the cylinders y, y, and the supply valves ¹, b¹, of
the hydraulic presseswill be open, by which arrangement the hydraulic presses
will force their rams outwards, and with them will, by the blocks r, r, pressing
against the projections s, s, move the traction bars i, i, and draw up the chains
h, h, and the girders, &c., attached to them, until the blocks n, n, and, P, P,
begin to lift the vessel. At this time the adjustable packing pieces o, o, will,
by means of ropes attached to them for that purpose, be brought against the
vessel, and the pawls which are attached to them falling into gear with the
racks on which they bear will retain these packings firmly against the vessel,
so as to render her steady when lifted out of the water; in the meantime the
presses will have continued drawing up the vessel, and will draw it up until
their rams are driven out to the limit of their stroke. The various valves
b', b', c', c', d¹, d', e', e', will then be altered, so that those which were shut
will be open, and those which were open will be shut, by which means the
water from the mains a¹ will be admitted into the cylindersy, y, and will press
on the pistons x, x, which by the rods u, v, will draw in the rams of the
hydraulic presses q, q. While this is being done the traction bars i, i, and

page_text: the vessel will be retained in their places by the pawls g², g³, catching into the
ratchet plates g¹, g', on the traction bars. When the rams are drawn in, the
hinged packing blocks t, t, will be let down, as shown in Sheet 3, Figure 3:
The supply and discharge valves will then be altered back to their original
state, and the rams of the presses will again be pushed outward, until by the
time they have reached their limit they will have driven the traction bars i a
sufficient distance to raise the vessel out of the water, and to immerse the
pontoons to a depth sufficient to displace water enough to support the weight
of the apparatus and that of the vessel. This immersion of the pontoons will
vary with the weight of the vessel to be raised, but the maximum will be such
as would put the pontoon relatively to the water line in about the position
shewn by the full line on Sheet 1. In this position the vessel will be held up
by the pawls locking into the ratchet plates on the traction bars i as long as
may be required. When it is intended to lower it into the water again, the
rams are forced out of the presses until they take the weight of the pawls;
these latter are then pulled back out of gear with the ratchet plates, and the
supply valves b', ', of the hydraulic presses being shut off, the discharge
valves d', d', are opened to such an extent as to allow the rams to be slowly
driven in, and thus to lower the vessel quietly into the water. When the
rams are nearly in, the pawls are again put into gear with the ratchet plates,
the hinged packing blocks are thrown back on the top of the traction bars,
and the rams are driven out until the pieces », r, on their heads bear against
the projections s, s, on the traction bars, when the pawls are again thrown out
of gear, and the rams slowly driven in, until the vessel is lowered into the
water, so as to float off the blocks.
When it is required to lift only a very short vessel, the two portions of the
pontoons b, b, may be disconnected from a, a. This is effected by working
the spindles n', n', by the bevil gearing attached to them for that purpose, so
that by the right and left-hand screws on their ends the horizontal locking
bars o',o', may be made to approach each other until they are nearer together
than the space between the points of the upper and lower hooks j¹, j¹, 11, 11.
When they are in this position the portions b, b, of the pontoons may be
detached from the portions a, a, the traction bar having also been separated
at the joints X.
Although the pontoons a, a, are shewn connected together by the transverse
pontoon c, which is a convenient arrangement, as giving stability to the whole
apparatus, and affording a convenient place for the engine houses z,2, it is not
necessary that such a connection should be made, as the two side pontoons
may be eutirely disconnected from each other, except such attachment as is

page_text: given by the transverse girders k, k, as these in being drawn up will, by the
bevilled pins, l, on them entering into the tubes 9,7, sufficiently secure the
apparatus. In this manner the two portions b, b, removed from the portions
a, a, may, by being supplied with suitable pumps to charge the hydraulic
presses, be used to raise vessels independently of the portions a, a.
Although only two lengths of pontoons are here shewn coupled together on
cach side, it is obvious that for long vessels three or more lengths might be
used, as required. In some cases it may not be desirable to incur the trouble
of uncoupling the two lengths of pontoon; or the pontoon may have been
made in only one piece on each side, so that it cannot be uncoupled ; under
either of these circumstances it will be desirable to have the power of destroying
a portion of the buoyancy of those portions of the pontoons which have not to
sustain the weight of the vessel. The most convenient way of effecting this
will be by the admission of water into the pontoons between such of the water-
tight bulkheads, and in such quantities as may be necessary. When the
vessel is lowered into the water, some portion of that which has been let into
certain parts of the pontoons will run out as they rise, and the remainder may
be pumped out either by hand, or by main pipes having branches with stop-
cocks or valves to each water-tight compartment of the pontoons, and a
connection to pumps in the houses z, z, worked by the engine. Neither the
arrangement for letting the water into these compartments, nor for removing
it, is shewn in the Drawings, as these details are too well understood to need
further explanation than that above given. I am aware that in the sectional
dock, and in other Inventions for raising vessels out of the water, tanks have
been filled with water and sunk, and then the water has been pumped out to
render the tanks buoyant, and thereby to raise the vessel; and I mention this,
in order that it may be distinctly understood that I do not raise nor contribute
to raise the vessel by this means, for it will be seen by the above description,
aided by the Drawings, that I only allow the water to go into the com-
partments of the pontoon under certain circumstances, and not at all times;
that in cases where I do admit water, instead of pumping out, while the
vessel is being lifted, I let it in at that time, and take it out when the vessel
is being lowered or has heen lowered into the water.
Although the hydraulic presses are shewn to have a stroke only half that
required for the raising of a vessel of the greatest draft of water this apparatus
is designed to raise, and thereby some arrangement is necessary by which
their operation may be repeated during the lifting of the vessel, this, although
a convenient, is by no means a necessary arrangement. As for vessels of light
draft, it may be better to make the press long enough to lift the vessel without

page_text: requiring a repetition of its stroke, or the press may be made shorter, and..
instead of pressing directly against projections on the traction bars, may be
connected to them by chains, which chains by being passed over suitable
pullies may be made to multiply the motion of the presses, so as with a single
and comparatively short stroke of the press to get the full lift on the vessel, or
if a press acting directly on the traction bars be used, and the stroke be less
than the motion required for the traction bars, other plans may be adopted as
is well understood, in lieu of the hinged packing blocks, to enable this stroke
to be repeated. In may be desirable for vessels of great draft of water to
make three or more strokes of the press before the traction bar is moved to its
full extent, this may be done by a repetition of the hinged block arrange-
ment, or by other plans well known to mechanics. Although four presses are
shewn on each side of the apparatus, and are placed nearly in the middle of
the sectious a and b of the pontoons, which is a good arrangement, as it
distributes the strain on the traction bars, and also on the pontoons, this is, by
no means an essential feature of the Invention, as the presses may be more or
less in number, and may be placed atother parts of the traction bars. Although
the mode of attaching the two portions a and b of the pontoons together is
a very simple and a very effectual one, it is not essential to the Invention, as
there are various means well known to.mechanics to accomplish such a pur-
pose. While the pontoons a, a, are shewn united by the cross pontoon c, the
pontoons b, b, are left without any such connection, but, in some cases it
might be desirable to join them at their outer ends by a similar cross pontoon;
in this mode of construction the pontoons will require to be separated when
ever a vessel is to be lifted, the vessel will then be floated in the pontoons,
brought together and locked, and then the vessel raised; after the vessel is
lowered into the water, the pontoons should be separated to float her out.
Another mode of connecting the pontoons on each side, is by an end pontoon,
which, instead of being rigidly attached to the two pontoons which it is to con-
nect, may be fastened to the one by a moveable joint, and attached to the
other by a locking apparatus, so that by unfastening this locking apparatus,
the connecting piece might be turned round on its joint on the other pontoon
and a vessel drawn in, and then the connecting piece might be brought back
to its place and the locking apparatus made fast again, so as to connect the
two side pontoons firmly together before the vessel is. raised.
Sheet 4, Figure 1, shews a side elevation, partly in section, to the same scale
as that of Sheet 3, of a portion of a pontoon a or b with h the chain, this
chain going up through.g the tube in the pontoon; and then, instead of passing
over the friction roller, and being attached, to i.the traction bar, it is passed

page_text: over A a pulley carried on the top end of B the ram of C an hydraulic press,
and attached to D an eye on the pontoon; by this arrangement the traction
bars and rollers are dispensed with, and the transverse girders are raised
double the distance of the stroke of the press. Figure 2 shews a transverse
section of one of the pontoons a or b; and Figure 3, a plan of the same, with
the chains h worked by hydraulic presses placed horizontally on the pontoon,
but similar in other respects and in its mode of working to that shewn in
Figure 1 of this Sheet.
The vessel when lifted, as shewn in Figures 2 and 3, may be held up by
retaining the presser in the presses, or a stopper may be applied to the chain,
or the transverse girders maybe provided with vertical pins rising up through
the pontoons, having ratchets, on which pawls may gear, or through which
pins may be put; but these means are so well known that it is not necessary
to further describe, nor to shew them, neither is it necessary to shew the
supply and discharge valves and pipes for the presses.
Although the arrangement of the chain and pully A is shewn such as will
produce a motion in the chain double that of the press, it is obvious that other
well known arrangements of pullies may be used, by which the lift of the
presses may be multiplied in reference to the action on the chains three,
four, or more times.
Although in the view in Sheet 3 a separate hydraulic press is shewn to each
transverse girder k, it is obvious that by increasing the power of the press,
and arranging the chains h in a proper manner, one press might be made
to raise two or more girders.
Having now explained the nature of the Invention, and having described
the Drawings illustrative of the same, I would have it understood that 1 do
not claim separately any of the parts so described or shewn, but what I
claim is the combination herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Joseph Bramwell, have here
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of November, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
F. J. BRAMWELL. (L.S.)