Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 30th Nov., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 30th Nov., 1898-Accepted, 8th July, 1899
I, GERONIMO CASTELLÓ Y ELIAS, of No. 8 and 10, Rambla del Centro, Barcelona,
in the Kingdom of Spain, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
-
This invention relates to means for the discharge of torpedoes, and consists of
an apparatus intended to serve as an agent between the person who orders a
torpedo to be launched (either from the coast or from a vessel) and the enemy
that has to receive it.
The drawing shows a vertical section of my apparatus.
As will be seen this apparatus has the shape of a cigar, and is termed by me
an anthro-torpedo," and is adapted to float as a self-propelled boat, carrier, or
torpedo ejector, under the guidance of one man,, to carry the torpedo to a certain
distance within an easy range of its object, and to launch the same under the
guidance of certain sights, the torpedo being preferably of the self propelled type,
so as to complete its flight under water by its own propulsion, when once it has
been launched from the boat or carrier.
On the main axis of the boat or carrier is placed the torpedo tube A, which is
closed, although not hermetically, on the fore part, by means of the cone B,
which is the prolongation of the apparatus, & which cone B may be open or closed
at pleasure, or automatically, whenever the torpedo K has to go out. At the stern
there is the cone C, which is always closed and contains in its inside, part of the
compressed air cartridge D, which is used for the purpose of expelling the torpedo
by means of the pistons E and F connected by the rod G.
The entire torpedo tube A is full of water both before and after the launching
of the torpedo K, as we have already said that on the fore part the cone B is not
closed hermetically. and on the back end there are some openings J, that com-
municate with the outside water, which fact facilitates the impulsion of the
torpedo and does not change the stability of the apparatus, as before the discharge
there was the torpedo that weighs kilograms less than the water that it dis-
places, and afterwards the tube will be full of water there being lost therefore
only 3 kilograms of weight.

page_text: The "anthrotorpedo" is divided by the horizontal steel plate L into two bodies,
one above and the other below. This plate L is a tangent to the top side of the
torpedo tube A. On the top and in the centre of the apparatus there is a hatch-
way I, inside which the man that operates the apparatus is seated on the top of
the torpedo tube A, that crosses the said hatchway, the bottom of which is closed
by a steel plate M, a tangent to the bottom side of the torpedo tube A.
There would be some advantages in closing this hatchway I, but I leave it open
for the sake of more freedom for the sailor, who may row should he think fit,
and swim with the help of a life belt, should he think this to be necessary.
In order to prevent the water in the hatchway from having a different level
to that of the water in the sea, there are in the lower part two openings J that
lead to the outside, through which the water may pass in and out. The man
who steers the apparatus is dressed in a driving dress, such as the Fleuss patent,
or any other similar to it, so that he may breathe for many hours without air being
administered to him.
For the purpose of giving more stability to the apparatus, I place on the bottom
the heavy materials that are required. On the top there is a frame that retains and
fastens some sheets or blocks, of cork Q or of any other material suitable for the
purpose, which always serve as a protection both to the apparatus and to the man,
should the former collide, with any floating body, or be hit by a rifle bullet from
the enemy. In the fore part and on the top there are two ranging poles PQ that
are used for aiming. The one that is nearer to the man, that is to say the pole P,
has a central groove, and when it is not in use it slides towards the inside of the
hatchway I.
The pole Q, which is the farther one, is formed by a metal tube with a central
groove in its length, which groove allows the phosphorescence produced by a
Geissler tube placed inside it to pass, such phosphorescence being produced by a
small pile and a Ruhmkorff coil, or the like. The pole Q turns on Q' so that
when not in use it may rest on the body of the boat. This aiming apparatus is
a powerful auxiliary of the anthrotorpedo," as it allows a precise aim to be
taken both in the day and night time.
..
The particulars of this aiming. mechanism do not appear in the drawings
because they may be constructed in various ways and as simply as it may be
desired; I will only add that this aiming mechanism can be put in action by
means of the feet of the sailor, who presses on a treadle acting on a key, the pur-
pose of which is to put the two posts P and Q in a position perpendicular to the
axis of the anthrotorpedo" the pole Q becoming illuminated automatically.
"
The lower part of the anthrotorpedo" has one central and two lateral compart-
ments. On the top of the central compartment is placed the motor N of the
Brotherhood pattern or of any other that may be deemed more suitable. There
is always a regulator S for the pressure of the compressed air.
On the bottom of the central compartment, underneath the motor, there is an
empty chamber T, which is utilized to maintain the buoyancy of the boat constant
by the admission of water therein, as weight is lost by the discharge of compressed
air through the motor, and this is done when water is required to be admitted
by putting the plunger U of the pump V in connection with the shaft Z, or in
a similar manner by which the pump V will be caused to regularly pump in water to
the compartment T compensating exactly for weight lost. The small circle m indicates
a valve which opens from the inside whenever the air pressure in the chamber T
is above the tension of a spring that bears upon the valve m, and once such opera-
tion is performed the said valve closes itself without allowing any water to get
in from the outside. The permanent ballast is in T. In is accumulated a
supply of compressed air stored in tubes of 15 centimetres in diameter, which
discharge by A and B, and from thence into the pressure regulator S, from
whence the air, either warmed up or not, passes into the compressed air motor N.
The line CD is the ordinary water line. It is understood that, at a certain
moment, another line of floatation could be adopted, in order that the "anthro-

page_text: torpedo" should not project so far, or not come at all above the surface of the
water, by using the known processes: -such as by filling a chamber with water
with pumps or bellows:-or even by horizontal rudders or vertical propellers, and
the like.
From the hatchway I, and whilst seated, the sailor can perform all the opera-
tions required for the purpose.
In front of him and on his right hand side, he may have a crank which acting
on an endless screw geared tangentially to a cog wheel, puts in motion another
wheel of smaller radius concentric with and coupled to the same shaft as the
former. Over the periphery of this second wheel passes a flat link chain that
transmits its motion to the pinion N¹, situated on the end of the stem of the
rudder H.
On the left hand side and in front of him, he may have a crank and cog wheel,
which acting on a toothed rack opens or shuts the valve that admits the compressed
air. With his feet resting on a treadle he may work the aiming apparatus, and
with his left hand on a key placed behind him he may open the valve of the cart-
ridge 1 of compressed air for the purpose of launching the torpedo.
The main ideas of the apparatus having been clearly set forth, the possibility
of its stability as well as its working can be easily understood.
With this apparatus there may be launched Whitehead torpedocs of 60 kilograms
of gun-cotton, giving great increase to their range and with the certainty of hit-
ting, which up to the present does not exist. In the annexed drawing there is
represented the smaller type that has an action radius of 50 kilometres, with
about two cubic metres of compressed air at 100 atmospheres approximately.
It weighs 4 tons. With these details the advantages offered by the apparatus
are:-
1st. Those due to its small weight, as a large number of them could be placed
on board any vessel, and would only be used when the war should require it.
2nd. That if special vessels were built with discharge compartments having
inclined floors situate on the starboard and port sides, each of such vessels could
contain more than 200 anthrotorpedoes" owing to their small size & weight
for the purpose of launching them in due course into any part of the sea.
3rd. That owing to its small area of exposure and to other conditions, it could
guarantee the torpedo against injury from gun fire more than any usual torpedo
boat.
4th. That it does not produce smoke, light, or noise, and the launching of a
torpedo is simplified, as it is well known that at least ten men are required to do
it from a torpedo boat.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1st. A torpedo boat or floating torpedo ejector of cigar shape, adapted by
buoyant material or air spaces controllable as to their contents for adjustment,
to float awash, or slightly projecting from the surface of the water, having an
open hatchway communicating below the surface with the sea, adapted for the
accommodation of one man, and provided internally with means for steering the
boat, controlling its speed and direction, and for discharging and putting in action
a self propelled torpedo, from an ejecting tube situated in the axis of the boat,
the boat being filled with compressed air storage, a motor and propelling appli-
ances, and a torpedo ejecting appliance, substantially as described.
2nd. In a torpedo boat or floating torpedo ejector, double sight poles coincident
with the axis of torpedo discharge, one of which is adapted to be electrically
illuminated for use at night time substantially as described.
3rd. In a torpedo boat or floating torpedo ejector, an open hatchway above the
torpedo ejecting tube, connected below the surface with the water, and adapted
for the accommodation of one man sitting above the torpedo ejecting tube, with

page_text: two sight poles aligned in the axis of the torpedo ejecting tube and of the sight
line of the man sitting thereon, substantially as described.
4th. The construction and combination of parts of a torpedo boat or floating
torpedo ejector, substantially as described, and illustrated herewith.
Dated this 30th day of November 1898.
FELL & JAMES,
Agents for the Applicant.