US1137131A

US1137131A - Life-buoy for submarine or submergible boats.

Info

Publication number: US1137131A
Application number: US79518913A
Authority: US
Inventors: Hugo Grieshaber
Original assignee: Electric Boat Corp
Current assignee: Electric Boat Corp
Priority date: 1913-10-15
Filing date: 1913-10-15
Publication date: 1915-04-27
Anticipated expiration: 1932-04-27

Description

H. GRIESHABER. LIFE BUOY FOR SUBMARINE 0R SUBMERGIBLE BOATS APPLICATION FILED OCT. 15, I913.

Patented Apr. 27, 1915.

t I l I? boat by the HUGO GRIESHABER, OF NEW LONDON,

C0NNECIICFlIlClL, ASSIGNOR TO ELECTRIC BOAT COMPANY, OF'NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

Application filed October 15, 19 13.

To (1/! w'lzom it may mare/'11 7 Be it known that I. lluoo Gmnsnnunn, a citizen oi the l nitcd States, residing, at and whose post-ollice address is New London, courty of New London, and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Life-Buoys for Submarine or Submergible Boats; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to man-can rying life-buoys for submarine'or submergible boats, and particularly to one normally held in an exterior launching pocket in the pressure of the sea in such manner as to permit the discharge of the buoy from the launching pocket at will by mechanism within the boat, or within the buoy, or in both places, said buoy having a substantially Water-tight compartment with means for the passage of a man thereinto from the interior of the boat when the buoy is in its place in the launching pocket, and also having means for egress therefrom when the buoy is floating at the surface of the sea. In the preferred construction, the buoy is provided with a float to kee) it buoyant even when the compartment is illed With Water, and is associated with a drum operable from the interior of the'boat and connected to the buoy by a flexible connection so that the buoy may be drawn back from the surface of the sea within the launching pocket after each member of the crew reaches the surface. In this way, facility is ailorded for the escape of all members of the crew, including the last man, and by mechanism which ma 1 if desired be operated by hand independent of the power driven mechanism in the boat.

he preferred form of construction for carrying out the idea: embodied in my in vention in application to asubmergible torpedo boat, as an example, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a section through the aunching pocket of the boat and through and Fig. 2 reprc buoy at right anthe buoy seated therein; sents an elevation of the gles to Fig. 1.

The launching pocket 1 of substantially circular outline and having the outwardly Specification of Letters Patent.

'in the launching Patented Apr. 27, 1915. Serial No. 795,189.

diverging end portion 2, is formed on the exterior of the boat 3 at any suitable place, but preferably at the top thereof so that the buoy may rise vertically from the pocket without obstruction. The circular member 4 has a groumlbereled seat at5 adapted to co-act with the ground beveled seat (3 on the buoy, so that the jointiormed between their: is substantially water-tight. 'lhe'laduchihg pocket extends below the buoy and iorn'is a substanthill y water tight space T'f'rom which the water may be removed at will through the pipe 8 by means of a hand-operatedor a: power-driven pump within the boat.

The lifesbuoy is made of suitable material as metal and comprises a con'ipartment 5) suitable for holding a man, and an air tank 10 forming a float capable of keeping' the buoy buoyant even when the compartment 9 is filled with water. Thedoors 11 and '19 open outward from the top and spectlvely ofthe ,con'ipartment 9 and are fit. The conduit .13 havmgthevalve 14 within the compartment 9 leads from a. place above the seat 5, 6 to a place below it, so that a man within the com 'iartment may admit water from the sea to the space 7. n this way, the pressure of the sea on the buoy may be equalized and the buoy allowed to rise to the surface. The drum 15 is connected to the buoy by a suitable flexible connection 16, and it is operable from within the boat by means of the hand crank 17.

Normally the space 7 is maintaiiual free of water by pumping the water out through is thereby subjected to the pipe 8. The buoy the pressure of the sea to hold it in place pocket and to maintain a substantially water-tight joint at 5, (i. If it now becomes necessary for the crew to leave the submerged boat, the door 18 is opened to allow a man to pass through the compartment 7 and into the buoy through the door 12. After the doors l2 and 18 are closed, the space 7 is filled with water either through the pipe 8 or 13. The pressure of the sea on the buoy becomes equalizcd soon as the. space 7 is tilled with water, and the buoy then quickly rises to the surface of the water and floats there in an upright position as a result of the buoyancy of the air tank 10. The man within'the com 'iartment then opens the door 11 and climbs out of the buoy, whereupon bottom" rc-I the conduit the door closes. The buoy is pulled back into its place in the pocket and the operation is repeated for each of the remaining members of the crew, the water first being pumped ,out of the space 7 after each operation. this Way all the members of the crew of the submerged boat may escape in with said seat to form therewithia closure, and to form a substantially water-tight spacein the lower portion of the pocket,

zs' m'eans operable from within the boat for removing water from said space to subject the buoy to the pressure of the sea and thereby force it onto the Valve seat, means for admitting water to said space to equalize the pressure and permit the buoy to rise to the surface, and means for retracting the buoy from the surface into the pocket, substantially as described. I

2. Asubmarine or submergible boat having a launching pocket constituting a guide- I way'andreceptacle for a'life-buoy, a conical valve seat in said pocket a man-carrying life-buoy having' a member coacting with u said said seat to form therewith a closure, and to form a substantially water-tight space in the lower portion of the pocket, means operable from within the boat for removing Water from said space to subject the buoy to the pressureof the sea and thereby force it onto the valve seat, means operable from within the buoy for admitting water to said space to equalize the pressure and permit the buoy to rise to the surface, and means for retracting the buoy fromthe surface into the pocket, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a submarine or submergible boat having an exterior launching pocket, of a man-carrying life-buoy having a substantially Water-tight compartment and adapted to seat in the pocket in such manner as to form a substantially Water-tight space therein, means aifording passage from the interior of the boat, to the compartment, means for removing water from said space'to subject the buoy to the pressure of the sea to hold it seated in position, a valved-conduit within the compartment adapted to admit water from the sea to space to equalize said pressure and thereby allow the buoy to rise to the surface of the sea, and supplemental means operable from within the boat for admitting water to said space, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, in presence of two Witnesses.

HUGO GRIESHABER.

Witnesses:

F. L. BRAKE, LEON W. ROSENTHAL.