apparatus for controlling torpedo
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Jan., 1887
Complete Left, 10th Oct., 1887
Complete Accepted, 11th Nov., 1887
I, EDWIN DONN of the London Ordnance Works, Bear Lane, Southwark, in the
County of Surrey, Assistant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
. This invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for controlling
torpedoes.
In order to maintain a torpedo at a constant depth beneath the surface of water
notwithstanding rise and fall of tide I employ an hydraulic cylinder mounted on a
suitable stand beneath the water and in the vincinity of the torpedo. A piston and
rod work in this cylinder and the piston rod is connected with the torpedo in such
manner that as the piston rod passes out of the cylinder the torpedo rises towards the
surface of the water and as the piston rod retires into the cylinder the torpedo
descends. At a distance from the torpedo, on shore or on a suitable foundation, I
provide another hydraulic cylinder, also with piston and piston rod. The piston rod
is connected with a float. This cylinder communicates with the submerged cylinder
by small pipes and the whole system being charged with water or liquid the two
pistons move in accord and as the float rises so also does the torpedo. In place. of
providing at the controlling station for each torpedo a distinct cylinder, piston and
Hoat I may have one float operating in connection with a group of cylinders or I may
have but one cylinder of sufficient capacity.
In the latter case I lead each controlling pipe from the single cylinder to a box
conveniently placed near the group of torpedoes and from the box I conduct a separate
pipe to each torpedo gear. In order to ensure simultaneous movement of the whole
of the torpedoes forming a group I provide in the box a cylinder and piston for each
torpedo.

page_text: Connecting pipes passing from these cylinders to the torpedo gear form a series of
separate closed systems. The pistons however are all coupled together mechanically
and they are all actuated by the single cylinder at the controlling station. In soine
cases I rely on the weight or the floatation of the torpedo and parts connected with it
to cause movement in one direction whilst the fluid pressure in the cylinders produces
the movement in the contrary direction; with this arrangement but one pipe con-
necting the two cylinders is required. I sometimes provide a pump in connection
with the system by which liquid may be forced through the pipes at will; by this
means I can raise the torpedo to the surface at low water for examination.
Pumps may be used in like manner where there is no rise and fall of tide to raise
the torpedo to the striking position and to withdraw it when it is not required.
1° 011
T
1627
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Controlling Torpedoes.
I, EDWIN DONN, of the London Ordnance Works, Bear Lane, Southwark, in the
County of Surrey, Assistant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :---
This invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for controlling
torpedoes.
In order to maintain a torpedo at a constant depth beneath the surface of water
notwithstanding rise and fall of tide I employ an hydraulic cylinder mounted on a
suitable stand beneath the water and in the vicinity of the torpedo. A piston and rod
work in this cylinder and the piston rod is connected with the torpedo in such manner
that as the piston rod passes out of the cylinder the torpedo rises towards the surface
of the water and as the piston rod retires into the cylinder the torpedo descends.
At a distance from the torpedo, on shore or on a suitable foundation, I provide
another hydraulic cylinder, also with piston and piston rod. The piston rod is con-
nected with a float. This cylinder communicates with the submerged cylinder by
small pipes and the whole system being charged with water or liquid the two pistons
move in accord and as the float rises so also does the torpedo. In place of providing
at the controlling station for each torpedo a distinct cylinder, piston and float I may
have one float operating in connection with a group of cylinders or I may have but
one cylinder of sufficient capacity.
In the latter case I lead each controlling pipe from the single cylinder to a box
conveniently placed near the group of torpedoes and from the box I conduct a separate
pipe to each torpedo gear. In order to ensure simultaneous movement of the whole
of the torpedoes forming a group I provide in the box a cylinder and piston for each
torpedo.
Connecting pipes passing from these cylinders to the torpedo gear form a series
of separate closed systems. The pistons however are all coupled together mechanically
and they are all actuated by the single cylinder at the controlling station.
In some
cases I rely on the weight or the floatation of the torpedo and parts connected with
it to cause movement in one direction whilst the fluid pressure in the cylinders
produces the movement in the contrary direction; with this arrangement but one
pipe connecting the two cylindersjis required. I sometimes provide a pump in con-
nection with the system by which liquid may be forced through the pipes at will;
by this means I can raise the torpedo to the surface at low water for examination.
Pumps may be used in like manner where there is no rise and fall of tide to raise
the torpedo to the striking position and to withdraw it when it is not required.
In the annexed drawings Figure 1 shows the arrangement of the gear for a single
torpedo and Figure 2 shows the arrangement for a set of torpedoes.
a is a frame planted upright on the bottom and securely fixed. is the hydraulic
cylinder which it carries and the length of this somewhat exceeds the rise of the tide.

page_text: The cylinder contains a piston of which c is the rol; it carries at its upper end the
torpedo d. is a firing cable which may if desired be provided or torpedoes which
are fired by impact may be employed. ee are pipes passing from the ends of the
cylinder to the ends of another hydraulic cylinder mounted in any convenient
position and at any suitable distance from the cylinder ; this cylinder also contains
a piston and the rod of this piston is attached to a float y and moves with the float.
The entire system of cylinders and pipes being charged with liquid the rise of the
float causes a like rise of the torpedo and vice versa. In Figure 2 the piston rod of
the hydraulic cylinder h (or that which is in direct connection with the cylinder)
does not itself carry a torpedo but it gives movement to pistons working in other
hydraulic cylinders ii. These cylinders and are mounted in a frame fixed beneath
water in the vicinity of a group of torpedoes d d and each cylinder is connected
with a corresponding cylinder b. Thus the movement given by the float to the piston
in the cylinder produces a movement of the piston in the cylinder h and of the
pistons in the cylinders i. Finally the movement of the piston in each cylinder i
results in a movement of the piston in the corresponding cylinder 6 the rod of which
carries the torpedo.
By closing the cocks on the pipes the torpedoes can be held at any desired level
and by attaching a pump to the pipe the torpedos can be forced up or down if
required.
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 :-
:-
1. Controlling the position of a torpedo or torpedoes beneath the surface of the
water by the tidal rise and fall of a float at a distance through interposed hydraulic
gear substantially as described.
2. Controlling the position of a torpedo beneath the surface of water by attaching
it to the rod of a piston working in an hydraulic cylinder and connecting the said
cylinder with pipes by which liquid is conveyed to it to produce the desired movements
substantially as described.
3. Apparatus for controlling torpedoes substantially as described and illustrated by
the annexed drawings.