US1127707A - Shallow-draft submarine boat. - Google Patents

Description

F. B. WHITNEY.

SHALLOW DRAFT SUBMARINE BOAT.

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 24, 1913.

5 1 9 1 9 b B F 1 6 t n ,w a P.

L T E E H JD S T E E H S 3 ammm ;: raw 550m W/V/f/VfX F. B. WHITNEY.

SHALLOW DRAFT SPBMARINE BOAT.

APPLICATION FILED DEG.24.1918.

Patnted F9119, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 F, B. WHITNEIY;

SHALLOW DRAFT SUBMAEINE BOAT.

APPLICATION FILED 1330.24, 1913.

Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

LTQQWVWFD 3 sums-smms.

awumato'c WWII/V5 Y,

as as 39 To all whom it may concern:

FRED BROWN WHITNEY,

SHALLOW-DRAIFT Specification of Letters Patent. 1

or wAUKEGAm LLmoIs.

SUBMARINE BOAT.

Application filed December 24, 1913. Serial No. 805,592.

Be it known. that I, FRED BaowN lvVm'r- KEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of \Vaukegan, in the county of Lake and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shallow-Draft Submarine Boats, of which the following is a specification.

Submarine torpedo boats of the present and accepted types have hulls substantially circular in cross-section amidships, and of about fifteen feet in diameter, so that with the keels and the present construction of superstructures, conning-towers and sightinginstruments, the total heights of the ves- -sel s are brought to upward of thirty five feet, the present diameters of the hulls being made necessaiyowing to the location and arrangement of the water-ballast compartments within the hulls. the location of the engines, and the provision of large battery spaces, this last being necessary in order to receive battery-cells in sufiicient number to provide enough power to attain the required speed for submerged navigation. The extreme heights of this class of vessels render them impracticable in shallow waters. 4

The prime object of the invention is to provide a shallow draft submarine torpedo boat possessing greater stability; greater power and consequently greater speed both for submerged and surface work, and more comfortable living quarters for the personnel than have been possible in submarine boats heretofore constructed.

The invention consists in constructing the. q

main hull of a submarine vessel with an intermediate cylindrical section of about ten feet in diameter, which provides a compartment for the engines and dynamos which are mounted on or directly abovethe keel plate or keelson, thereby locating the weights of these parts well below the center of buoyancy of the vessel, and with tapering how and stern sections providing ballast and storage compartments, the whole being. constructed to withstand the pressure incident to submergence for which the boat is constructed. 7

The invention also consists of a boat of the type described having an outerhull section around the bottom and upon the sides of the said cylindrical section of the main hull and. so separated as to provide waterbailast compartments 0fa capacity sufficient to put the vessel in submerging condition irrespective .of the contents of the ballast compartments in the bow and stern sections of the boat.

The invention also comprises storage-battery compartments arranged within the said cylindrical hull section below the transverse center thereof, the construction of the hull sections, and the arrangement and location of the machinery and batteries within the main hull being such as to afford the fine lines best conducive to speed and to insure greater stability both for submerged and surface operations. 7

The invention further consists in the peculiar and novel arrangement of superstructure to provide comfortable sleeping quar ters for the crew and space forthe storage of tools and extra parts carried by such boats. v

In the accompanying drawings. illustrating the invention, in the several fiszures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is adiac'rammatic side elevation of a submarine torpedo boat const ucted in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar yiew in'plan. Fit. 3 is a diarammatic ertical longitudinal section of the boat. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic hori zontal section drawn on a larger scale on the line w1 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a similar view drawn on the line fI/Z of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a transverse section drawn on alarger scale on the line aa ofF'ig. 3. Fig. 7 is a detail transverse section drawn on a lar er scale on the line bb of Fig. 3.

The main or inner hull of the'boat is constructed of an intermediate cylindrical section 1 from the ends of which extend the bow and stern sections 9- and 3 of gradually decreasing diameters toward the extreme ends of the hull with the tops of said sections arranged substantially parallel with the top of the intermediate cylindrical, section so as to provide upwardly inclined Patented Febfi, i915.

lower surface and gradually tapering sides 'duced scaleon which Figs. 3.' i and 5 are dr'awn I- ;have Ypfirposely' oiiiitted i'showing the ribs or frames in these views but it will be understood that they are arranged and spaced in any usual manner.

The outer hull extends around the bottom and up along the sides of the cylindrical section 1 of the main hull and has its ends connected airand water-tight to the opposite ends of the said section and is spaced from said. main hull to provide water ballast tanks as hereinafter described. The outer hull 6 is constructed of ribs or frames 7 and a covering of shell plating 8 to form a bilge section 9, sides 10 and flat deck sections 11, the latter having their inner longitudinal edges connected to the skin of the main hull airand water-tight. The inner lower ends of the ribs or frames 7 are connected to an I-shape keelson 12 carried by the main hull and arranged between the latter and the bilge of the outer hull section. From amidships toward each end the said outer hull section is of gradually diminishing diameter bcth horizontally and vertically; and at its ends is connected to the main hull so as to provide an even surface throughout the length of the vessel.

The space between the inner and outer hull sections is divided by a plurality of par titions 13 into a central water-ballast com-' partment 1-l,and series of forward and aft \vat-ar- ballast compartments 15 and 16, the

central compartment 14 serving as a final adjusting tank, into which water is admitted after the necessary quantity of water ballast has been admitted to the forward and aft. compartments to put the boat in submerging condition. The admission of water to-the central compartment is controlled by valves 17 operated by hand wheels 18 located within the main hull. A pipe 10. tends from each valve to the bottom of the compartment as shown in Fig. 6, and the water taken in may be forced out through the said pipes and valves by compressed air supplied to the compartment through valve controlled'pipes 20, Fig. 6, or pumped overboard by means of pumps (not shown). The, admission of water to the forward and aft series of compartments 15 and 16 is controlled by valves 21 arranged in the central compartment 14 and from which extend pipes 22 having branches 23 at their lower ends uhich extend into the compartments adiacent to the central. compartment 14. The valves 21 are operated by hand wheels 24 located in the main hull. The compart ments on opposite sides of the main hull are normally in open communication through valve controlled pipes 25, one of which is shown in Fig. (3 so that the water may pass from one side compartment to the other in event of onlyone inlet valve being opened. The cylindrical section 1 of the main hull provides a machinery compartment and located therein, with their combined weight Qhull so that the engines and dynamos are practically mounted on he said keel plate, with the ribs or frames 4 serving as connections forthe cleats 28 to tie the engines and dvnamos in position on tliebed-plate. By this arrangement it will be observed that each engine serves to drive one dynamo and each is operated independently so that if desired one engine and dynamo may be run to furnish power for surface navigation while the other engine and dynamo are used .for recharging the batteries (hereinafter described), or if desired both sets of engines and dynamos may be simultaneously used for surface na vi ation or for rechar 'hv the D D batteries as occasion requires. 3;. designates shaft bearings.

The cylindrical section 1. of the main hull is partitioned off from the end sections by transverse bulk- heads 23 and 33 located ad- .jacent to the ends of said section, and intermediate the ends thereof are transverse bulk-heads34r and 34C which divide the said cylindrical section 1 into a 'central machinery compartment 35 and forward and aft compartments 3?, Figs. 1 and The compartments 37 are divided horizontally by partitions 38 to provide stor'agebattery compartments below said partitions in which are located the battery cells 3?). which as shownin Fig. 7, are mounted directly above the shell plating of the main hull and below the vertical center thereof. Access to the battery-compartments from the upper compartments is bad through openings 40 whichare normally closed airtight by covers 40. The longitudinal edges of the partitions 38 as 'well as the ends thereof are connected, respectively, to the shell plating and to the adjacent bulkheads, airand water-tight to prevent the gases arising from the batteries escaping into the upper compartments of the hull. The spaces in the compartments 37 above the horizontal partitions 38 are employed for living quarters, and for the location of air-compressors, pumps. and other accessories (not shown) carried by this class of boats. Longitudinal girders 41 are arranged in the battery-compartments to provide central supports for the horizontal partitions 38..

As with any type of vessel, the statical stability of a submarine boat on the surface is measured by its metacentric height,

of the main hull. In the prior art construction of submarine boats the main hull 1S divided, throughout the main portion of its length, by horizontal partitions which are usually located above the vertical center of the hull, this location being made necessary in order to provide the necessary space for the water ballast tanks or compartments and the battery coi'npartments, and the en gines, dynan'los. motors and other heavy machinery are mounted on the partitions, and although braced and stayed, they possess a certain amount of resiliency which is detrimental to the efficiency of the boat. since only the slightest vibration of the machinery tends to throw the shafts out of alineinent. which frequently results in the twisting of the propeller shafts and the breaking of the dynamo and engine shafts. Therefore. it will be readily seen that by disposing the weights of the engines, dynamos and batterycells, which are the heaviest elementsin a submarine boat, well below the vertical center of the main hull as in the present invention. I not only increase the metacentric height and hence provide greater stability, but by mounting the engines and dynamos on the rigid hull plating I provide a firmer foundation and consequentl redrce the vibration and the tendency of the shafts being thrown out of alinement and being twisted or broken.

designates propeller shafts journaled in the after end of the main hull and having propeller wheels 46 secured to their outerends, and to the inner ends of these shafts are coupled the shafts of suitable motors 417 wh ch are connected by electric cables 48 with the dvnamos 37 and with the storagebatteries 39. suitable switches 49, located in the machinery compartment and shown diagrammatically in Fig. 3. being interposed in the cables 48 so as to direct the current to either or both motors 4-7 from eitherthe dvnanios or storage batteries as occasion requires. It ma be stated here that the advantages of thus driving the propellers are z First. the engines may be placed amid ships andthe weights thereof and of the di'namos utilized as ballast. Second, finer stream lines aft are possible since the motors are not as large as the engines and drnainos and consequentl take up less room and third. the length of the propeller shafts is crms de ahly reduced. thereby reducing their liabilitv of being twisted and sprung. as when connected direct to the engines or dvnamos or through reversing clutches as is the present practice. a I

The partitions or bulk- heads 33, 33. ZB-l and 34; are provided with door-ways or man-holes which establish communication between the several compartments, and these openings are controlled by doors or covers 51, so that the several compartments may be scaledinthe event of damage to the main hull. surrounding any particular section of the boat.

Built upon the top of the main hull and extending throughout the greater portion of the length thereof is a superstructure 56, which is preferably constructed of shell-plating; and comprising a flat deck 57 and vertical sides 58 which are connected at their.

lower longitudinal edges to the skin of the cylindrical section 1 ofthe main hull. The superstructure is braced by frames 59 in the usual manner as shown in Fig. 6. The space within the superstructure is designed to be opened to the surrounding body of water when the boat is submerged, through scuppers 60 formed in the lower ends ofthe sides 58 to permit of the automatic filling and emptying of the space as the boat is submerged and emerged. The scuppers are provided with covers (31 to prevent ingress of water when the boat is operating on the surface. and it is preferred to'arrange these I covers ins de in order to facilitate their operation. In practice the space within the superstructure will be employed as sleeping quarters for the crew when in port and in pleasant weather v. hen running at sea, and

for the storage of such spare parts of the machinerr usually carried by submarine boats as will not be injured bv water. As

shown in Fig. the-superstructure is fitted for hammocks (i2 and with bunks (34-. and it I will be understood that when the boat is to be submerged the hammocks and mattresses of the bunks wilLbe remo ed and stored in main hull l. amidships. is (37. wh ch extends up 57 of the superstructure with sight openings 68 which are closed airand water-tight by glass covers in the usual manner. Access to the conning-tower from the interior of the boat is bad through a hatehwav formed in the main hull wh ch is cont olled b aeover 69 open ng into the eonn ugtower. and from the deck through a hatchwav which is 'controlled bv an outwardly open ng cover 70..

71 designates a sighting instrument slidngl extend ng througlrthe to of th conn ng-tower. The conning-tower is surrouiuled above the deck of the superstructure by a fairwater casing 72.

73 designates hvd oplanes extending from the sides of the outer hull ect on 6. and carried at'the outer ends of shafts 7i journaled 50. ing them upon the keel plate directly over f-the keelson. I provide a firm foundation for the engines. thereby reduc ng vibration and in bearings 74 and 74" secured, respectively, to the inside of the side walls 10 and to the main hull 1, stuffing boxes being formed in the hearings in the usual manner. The inner ends of the shafts 74 are provided with hand wheels by which the shafts are rocked to adjust the planes to present either surface to the passing water to submerge and;

emerge the boat when traveling below the surface of the water.

Within themachinery compartment 35 is arranged a horizontal partition or platform 75 the outer longitudinal edges of which are supported upon brackets 75 secured to the ribs or frames 4, the inner longitudinal edges of the platforms along the sides of the engines being supported upon the base of the latter as shown in Fig. 6. The space thus formed below the platforms is utilized for the location of fuel tanks 76. and supported upon said platforms at the sides of the main hull are compres ed air-bottles in which compressed air is stored for use in blowing the water out of the ballast compartments and for other uses in the boat as will be readily understood. Air bottles are also arranged upon the ho izontal partitions 38 at the sides of the hull in the compart- 4 ments 37. y

The fo wa d and after ends of the main hull are divided by transverse bulk-heads 80 into series of water-ballast or fuel compartments 81. I

89 des gnates torpedo launching tubes, arranged in the how of the boat and having their inner ends extended into a compartment 8? fo med bv the hulk-head 33 and the after bulk-head 80 in the bow.

85 designates a skeg extending from the bot om of and at the after end of the boat and in which is mounted a vertical rudder 86.

87 des gnate-s a horizontal rudder iournaled in b ackets extend ng from the hull. These brackets also pro ide bea rings for the outer ends of the propeller shafts as is usual with this class of vessels.

The advantages of my improved construetion of submarine boats may be briefly set forth as follows: First. Bv arranging the QHQjlI'lGS and dynamos amidships and mount thus decreasing the liability of their being thrown out' of alinement with the dynamos and hence the liability of the shafts being sprung or broken. Second. By arranging the engines. dvnamos, batteries and airbottles well below the vertical center of the main hull I locate the weights of these parts considerably lower than is possible in the present types of submarine boats and, conse- 'quently provide a greater metacentric height and hence'greater stability both for surface and submerged navigation. Third.

- By driving the propeller By locating the engines in the greatest diameter of the hull I am enabled to employ larger and heavier engines than is possible in the'present designs where the engines are located well aft, in parallel relation, and in necessarily restricted spaces, thus not only providing engines of greater power and more dependable design, but also larger working room on' each side of the engines whereby the bearings and working parts of the engine are readily accessible. Fourth. shafts direct from motors located ell aft in the boat I amenabled to employ much shorter, shafts and thus reduce the liability of the shafts being twisted or sprung. Fifth. It is possible to reduce the diameter of the hull aft to providethe fine lines best suited for speed. andfinally, by arranging the water ballast tanks exteriorly of the main hull and locating the engines and dvnamos minds-hips, I am enabledv to construct the main huil of minimum diameters, with more machinery and working space. and of greater strength with given weight of material than has been possiblein shallow-draft submarine boats heretofore constructed.

What I claim is:

1. A shallow-draft submarine boat, comprising an inner hull of sufficient strength to resist the pressure incident to submergence. and having a substantially cylindrical intermediate section constituting a machinery compartment and tapering end sections, and an outer hull partly surrounding said cylindrical section and spaced therefrom, the space thus formed providing water-ballast compartments, propeller shafts journaled in the after end of said main hull having propeller wheels on their outer ends, motors having their shafts connected direct to the inner ends of said propeller shafts, dynamos located in said machinery compartment and mounted on the keel plate of said main hull, and engines also located in said compartment and on said keel-plate,

each engine having its shaft connected direct to one dynamo, the shafts of said dynamos and engines being disposed in a plane substantially parallel with the longitudinal partments, propeller shafts journaled in the after end of the main hull having propeller wheels on their outer ends, motors connected to the said shafts, dynamos mounted on the keel plate of the main hull in said machinery compartment, engines also mounted on said keel plate, each engine having its shaft arrangedin longitudinal alinementwith its eoi 'perating dynamo and geared thereto, s:orage-battei-y-con1partments arranged at the forward and aft ends of said cylindrical hull section, storage-battery cells located in said battery-compartment, and electrical connections between said motors, dynamos and storage-batteries, substantially as shown.

3. A shallow-draft submarine boat, comprising a main hull of sutlicient strength to res st the pressure incident to submergence, and having an intermediate substantially cylindrical section and tapering end sections forming the bow and stern of the boat, and an outer hull partly surrounding the intermediate section of the main hull and connected thereto airand water-tight, said outer hull having its major axis arranged horizontally, partitions arranged in the space formed by said hull sections providing a central water ballast compartment and forward and aft ballast compartments, bulkheads arranged adjacent to and intermediate the ends of said cylindrical hull section providing a central machinery compartment and forward and aft compartments, horizontal partitions arranged in said latter compartments providing storage-battery compartments below and living compartments above said partitions, a superstructure-built upon said cylindrical hull section in which are sleeping quarters, and a conning-tower extending from said cylindrical hu'll through said superstructure.

a. A shallow-draft submarine boat, comprising a main hull of sufficient strength to withstand the pressure incident to submergencc, and having an intermediate substantiallv cylindrical section and tapering end sections forming the bow and stern of the boat, and an outer hull partlv surrounding said cylindrical section of the main hull and connected thereto airand water-tight, partitions arranged in the space formed by said hull sections providing water-ballast compartments, bulkheads arranged adjacent to and intermediate the ends of said cylindrical section of the main hull providing a central machinerv compartmentzand forward and aft compartments, engines mounted in said machinery compartment on the keel plate of said main hull, dynamos also mounted in said mach nery compartment on the heel plate of the main hull and having their shafts arranged in longitudinal alinement with theshafts of said engines, each engine being coupled to one dynamo,

outer hull havin horizontal partitions-arranged in said forward and aft compartment of the main hull providing lower storage battery compartments and upper compartments constitutin living quarters, storage-battery-cells located in said battery-compartments, propeller shafts journaled in the stern of the boat having propeller-wheels at their outer ends, motors connected to the inner end; of said shafts, electrical connections between said motor dynamos, and storage-batteries, switches interposed in said connections, for the purpose specified, a superstructure, mounted on said cylindrical section of the main hull and containing sleeping quarters, and a conning-tower extending from said main hull.

5. A shallow-draft submarine boat, provided with a keel plate and a subjacent keelson, and having its engines and dynamos arranged in tandem and mounted on the keel-plate directly over and in line With the keelson whereby to utilize-theweight of these parts to provide a high center of buoyancy and a low center of gravity, substantially as described.

6. A shallow-draft submarine boat, constructed with a main hull of suliicient strength to withstand the pressure incident to submergence and comprising an intermediate substantially cylindrical section and tapering end sections forming the bow and stern of the boat, and an outer hull partly surrounding the cylindrical section of the main hull and connected thereto airand water-tight, partitions arranged in the space formed by the hull sections providing a central water-ballast compartment and forward and aft ballast compartments, said its major axis arranged horizontally, bulkheads. arranged in the cylindrical section of the main hull adjacent to and intermediate its ends providing a central machinery compartment and forward and aft compartments, horizontal partitions arranged in the said forward and aft compartments providing airtight battery compartments below said partitions and living (piarters above said partitions, storage-batteries arranged in said battery compartments, engines mounted on the keel-plate of and within the machinery compartment ofthe main hull and having their shafts arranged substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the boat and below the vertical center thereof, dynamos mounted in said machinery compartment each having its shaft geared to one engine shaft, propeller shafts journaled in the stern section of the main hull having propeller wheels at their outer ends, motors having their shafts geared to the said propeller shafts, electrical connections between said motors. dynamos and storage batteries, switches arranged in said machinery compartment and interposed in said electrical connections. substantially for the purpos specified, a superstructm-c built upon the cylindrical section of the main hull and provided with sleeping quarters, and a conniaghull section with ballast compartments intervening between the two, and engines and dynamos arranged tandem within the machine-r) compartment and upon and directly over and in line with the keelson.

In test-11110115 whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 20th day of December, A. D. 1913.

- FRED BROWN WHITNEY.

\Vitnesses MARY E. LYDDY, HENRY FERN.

Images