IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS OR APPLIANCES FOR ARRESTING OR ANNULLING THE ACTION OF TORPEDOES UPON IRONCLAD SHIPS AND OTHER STRUCTURES
Year: 1878

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Frederick William Heinko and William
Griffin Davis at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th April
1878.
FREDERICK WILLIAM HEINKE and WILLIAM GRIFFIN DAVIS, both of the City of
London, Submarine Engineers. " IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS OR APPLIANCES
FOR ARRESTING OR ANNULLING THE ACTION OF TORPEDOES UPON IRONCLAD
SHIPS AND OTHER STRUCTURES."
Various means have been proposed for rendering ineffective the action of tor-
pedoes, particularly upon armour-plated ships, but hitherto the appliances proposed
therefor have been cumbersome and difficult of operation, whereas by our Invention
we believe that we have provided a means whereby these inconveniences aro
avoided.
According to our Invention we provide a series of wrought-iron or steel bars or
tubes of any suitable size or form, which are connected or braced together either by
welding, mortising, screwing, or other convenient way, and these form.separate and
and distinct frames; each of such frames is hinged to the side of the structure to be
protected in such manner as to be capable of being raised up or lowered when
required.
The frames are jointed together in sections, and consequently may be made of
any suitable length, according to requirements.
The jointed frames may be adjusted and held rigid when lowered to any suitable
angle, as practice may dictate, for most effectually resisting or diverting the torpedoes,
and the frames may extend to such a depth in the water as to afford protection to
the bottom of the largest ironclads.
The angles at which the frames are placed are adjusted by means of wire ropes
or other suitable tackle working over arms or brackets or other suitable appliances,
operated, say, from the deck by steam or hand winches, or by a series of continuous
winch drums worked by special engine or engines.
The apparatus when triced up may be opened or partially opened or extended
to reach above the gunwale, and so to prevent the vessel being boarded or
otherwise.

page_text: Torpedoes may themselves be attached to the frames to protect the vessels fitted
with such apparatus from being approached at the sides, and boarded during the
night or otherwise by launches or other vessels.
The apparatus aforesaid is made, as before stated, in sections, each section being
independent of each other, and in this way portions may, if desired, be left out or
raised up for affording better means of working the guns, or for other causes, for
we wish it to be distinctly understood that we do not claim the encircling of a ship
with protectors, but, on the contrary, with a series of protectors or frames, cach
consisting of parts hinged or jointed to one another and to the structure, capable of
being raised or lowered separately and distinctly from one another. In this way
onc section or frame being injured another can be easily substituted without reference
to the others.
Angle bars, or cheveux-de-frise, or additional stoppers are sometimes applied to
the frames, so that even supposing the torpedo to pass the outer points or angles,
these inner parts placed at another angle cannot fail at some point or other to arrest
its progress.
Spars or air-tight compartments may be placed at ends of apparatus for
" catamarans or outriggers, and so to steady the vessel or other structure.
"