US1139239A - Torpedo-guard. - Google Patents

Description

E. R. TRAMMELL. TORPEDO GUARD.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20,1915.

Patented May 11, 1915.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

R- TRAMMELL.

TORPEDO GUARD,

APPLICAHON FILED FEB. 20, 1915,

Patented May 11 1915 3 SHEETSSHEET z.

S 1: 1 fog lhzmmell,

arl'ozuc u ERASMUS R. TRAMMELL, LAKELAND, FLORIDA.

TORIPEDO-GUARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 11,

Application filed February 20, 1915. Serial No. 9,662.

I To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ERASMUS R. TRAM- MELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lakeland, in the county of Polk and State of Florida, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Torpedo-Guards; 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, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in devices for protecting vessels at sea from injury resulting from contact with mines or torpedoes and it has for its object the provision of an eflicient means whereby contact mines or torpedoes will be exploded by contact a sufficient distance from the vessel to prevent injury to the vessel which would result from contact with the hull of the vessel itself.

The invention has for a further object the provision of sectional curtains so positioned with reference tothe hull of the vessel to which they are so attached as to admit of their being carried, when not in use, in contact with the upper portion of the hull of the vessel where they will not obstruct the free movement of the vessel and yet so positioned as to render it possible to project the curtains from the vessel and dispose the same in "vertical position at a sufficient distance from the hull of the vessel to present a continuous netting suflicient to protect it from possible injury resulting from contact either with mines or torpedoes, the wall or netting being of suflicient stability to insure the explosion of either mines or torpedoes, and which would otherwise contact with the hull of the Vessel.

To these ends and to such others as the invention may pertain, the same consists in protected by sectional netting, constructedand' attached in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the vessel. Fig. 4 is a detail plan view showing one of the sections and its connections. Fig. 5 is a detail side view showing the curtain removed and Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of one of the curtains connected.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by numeral, 1 represents the hull of a battleship or cruiser. A series of sectional curtains 4 is provided, each curtain consisting of a series of rectangular frames 5, 6 and 7 each of the frames being provided with a 'filling or screen 8, preferably constructed of heavy steel wire, the upper section along its lower edge having hinged connection with the next adjacent section and the central section being in turn hinged at its lower edge to the upper edge of the lower section of the curtain, the hinges connecting the two lower sections being disposed upon the side of the frame opposite that on which are disposed the hinges connecting the upper sections.

, The construction and relative arrangement of the sections of the curtains are clearly illustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawings. These sectional curtains are arranged in series extending along both sides of the hull of the vessel, each curtain slightly overlappingat its ends the adjacent curtains of the series at either end thereof. 9 is a lazy-tong connection, one end of which is provided with interiorly threaded eyes or loops 10 to engage the screw-threaded bar or shaft 11, the lower end of which screwthreaded shaft 11 is seated within a concaved aperture provided for its reception in the upper face of the slightly outwardly extending lug or stub bracket 12 provided upon the .outer face of the hull of the vessel. The said shaft 11 extends upwardly and is inclined outward from the hull of the vessel and is passed through the outwardly extending bracket arm 13 and at its extreme upper end is prov ded with a suitable operating crank 14. 15 is a beveled pinion, the teeth of which pinion mesh with lid folded against or adjacent to the hull of the vessel, is thrown from the vessel to the limit of its outward throw, the turning of the crank 14 serving, through the medium of the transverse connecting shaft 17, to cause "the opposite ends of the screen to move in unison. The curtain having been thus moved to the required distance to prevent injury to the hull of the vessel, it is lowered by the slacking of the cord or cable connection 20, which cable extends over a suitable pulley 21 provided upon the upper edge of the upper screen 5 at its longitudinal center and extends across the face of the upper sections Sand 6 of the screen and its lower end is attached at the longitudinal center to the outer face of the intermediate frame 6;

This construction serves to permit the twolower sections of the screen to fall by gravity so as to present the-full width of the protecting curtain which, when thus in position, cxtends to a sufficient distance below the surface of the water to effectually curtains from their operative positions, it

will be noted that the reversal of the movement of the crank 14 will serve to cause the folding of the lazy-tong connection 19, the folding of which against the inclined shaft 11 will draw the series of curtains still held in their vertical positions to the inward limit of the folding lazy-tong connection. The drawing in upon the cable 20 will cause the lower edge of the intermediate section 6 of the sectional curtain to be drawn upward and fold against the outer face of the upper section. The upward movement of the lower edge of the intermediate screen section 6 will, as will be noted upon reference to Fig. 6, cause the hinged lower section '7 of the curtain to be folded by gravity in the opposite direction so that, when the two upper sections are folded, the lower section will be automatically folded against the opposite face of the first and upper sections, thus, when folded, the several parts willassume the positions indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings, in which figure the posi tions of the parts, when the curtains are in the positions which they assume when thrown into operative connection with the hull of the vessel, are indicated upon the left side of the figure, and the-position assumed by the curtains and the lazy-tong connection therewith, when in normal position and not in use, is indicated upon the right side of the hull of the vessel.

It will be understood that the several sections are identical in construction so that the foregoing description of a single sectional curtain and means for operating the same will apply to all of the curtains, each curtain being operated independently of the others in the series.

it will be noted upon reference to Fig. l of the drawings that sectional curtains, such as above described, are provided upon both sides of the vessel and in the equipment of the vessel, the curtains, when in their protecting position, may be disposed at such distance from the hull of the vessel as may be found necessary to effectually prevent injury to the vessel resulting from explosion of either torpedoes or mines with which the curtains may come in contact. As this distance may be varied, I do not in this application propose to limit myself to any specific distance.

In order to complete a protecting wall surrounding the entire vessel, thus protecting both the bow and stern of the vessel as well as the sides as described, I provide both the bow and stern of the vessel with sectional curtains 23, which at the apex formed by the meeting edges of the curtain,

are pivotally connected as shown at 24. Secured at the pivotal point of connection between the curtains 23 is one end of a cable 25, the opposite end of which cable is wound about a vertically disposed drum or capstan 26 at the bow and stern ends of the vessel Said capstans or drums, each has a crank 27 secured thereto which, when being operated,

will cause the cables to wind about the same when it is desired to raise the curtains, it being noted upon reference to Fig. 2 that lazy tongs 28 are connected to the forward ends of the curtains while their rear ends have bearings in which,said crank shafts are mounted.

From the foregoing description, it will be at once evident that by my invention I have provided an effectual protection to vessels which are exposed to possible attacks at sea either by floating or fixed contact mines as well as torpedoes, the apparatus being so connected with the vessel as to admit of its being thrown into or out of operative position quickly and easily. It'is my purpose to construct the sectional curtains of such size and material as will effectually prevent contact of either mines or torpedoes with the hull of the vessel to which they are attached, the curtains being of sufiicient rigidity to serve to cause an explosion of any of the Various types of torpedoes or contact mines which are used in modern warfare whether the projectile exploding levers or triggers extending out-,

' or mine be of a type which is designed to explode by direct contact or by means of ward from. the projectile.

It will be at once evident that the connections between the sectional curtains and the vessel to which they are attached may be of such a character as to permit of the ready detachment of the curtains from the vessel at any time the vessel may be withdrawn from the war zone or localities in which danger is anticipated from either torpedoes or mines.

It is my purpose to provide extra curtains upon the vessel which can at any time be substituted for curtains that may be injured or destroyed by explosions or from other causes.

What I claim to be new is 1. The combination with a vessel, of a series of folding curtains, a lazy-tong connection interposed between the vessel hull and curtain whereby the distance between the curtain and vessel may be adjusted.

2. The combination with the hull of a vessel, of a series of folding screens of outward or return it to proximity of the vessel hull above the water line.

3. A series of curtains, each comprising a series of hinged sections of suflicient rigidity to cause the explosion of mines or torpedoes, lazy-tong connections interposed between the curtains and the hull of a vessel whereby the-screen may be thrown outward and suspended a suflicient distance from the hull of the vessel to cause the explosion of mines or torpedoes a sufficient distance from the vessel to protect the same against injury resulting from the explosion.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ERASMUS R. TRAMMELL.

Witnesses:

FRANKLIN H. HoUGH, A. L. HOUGH.

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