US1171153A - Mine and torpedo guard. - Google Patents

Description

J. A. STEINMETZ.

MINE AND TORPEDO GUARD.

APPLICATION FILED MAY-l3, I915.

1,171,153. r Patented Feb. 8,1916.

JOSEPH A. STEINMETZ, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

MINE-AND monrnbo GUARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 8, 1916.

Application filed May 13, 1915. Serial No. 27,826.

To all whom 2'2. may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH A. STEIN- METZ, a citizenof the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have' invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mine and Torpedo Guards, of which the following is a specification," reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

The objectof this invention is the protection of ships against mines, torpedoes and the like, and this end is attained by float-carried shields or sheets at a greater distance from the protected vessel than it is practically possible to carry them by means of arms projecting from theves sel itself. Such sheets may be moved by and with the protected vessels themselves; or

may be independently advanced and controlled by small pilot craft of relatively slight value and importance, or by larger protected ships; or may be carried as fin keels by special-boats, the fin-keels being hollow, having two parallel spaced plates, or being single plates as above stated;v or each sheet may be carried by single or alining boats of any desired type, for example, non-submerged submarines, or destroyers,

real, or simulated, so that the guarded ship seems convoyed by small craft capable of dangerous attack, the uncertainty as to the actual character of the small craft efiectively deterring hostile submarines or othe craft from near approach.

In the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a vessel, protected by one form of my devices, which are towed and immediately controlled by a pilot craft. Fig. 2 shows from the front such a vessel and the protecting devices. Fig. 3 is a side view analogous to Fig. 2. Fig. 4 shows in plan a ship protected by devices similar to those shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, but moved and controlled by the vessel which they protect. Fig. 5 isa side view of'the devices seen in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a modification. Fig. 7 is a side view showing shields or guards suspended from two alining boats or floats.

In 'Figs. 1, 2, 3, A represents a battleship or other vessel, B a towing pilot 'vessel at some distance in advance of the same, and C, C floats, shown in these illustrative figures as cylindrical pontoons, at some distance from the sides of the vessel A, respectively, and attached to the vessel B by suit-' able towlines 'D, D. Preferably each pontoon is divided into separate hermetically closed chambers by partitions E and is provided at each end with divergent-rudderlike plates F which tend to force both the forward ends and rear ends of the pontoons apart or away from the vessels path. The

forward ends of the floats preferably extend to some distance in advance of the vessel A. The forward ends of the floats are preferably joined by a strong flexible connection G from which depend, at short intervals,-heavy bars H extending below theplane-of the vessel A. Each float, in this form, should be in length, size, and posh tion, adapted to support a depending plane metal sheet for protecting the vital parts, at least, of the vessel A, and this plate or sheet is usually made up of joined sections, extending substantially from end to end of the float anddownwardly to adepth greater than the draft of the vessel, orfsufficiently to protect the vital belt. The plate I is heavy, but as it passes edgewise through the water it offers very slight resistance to towing, an advantage gained by using smooth 'pla-ne plates. Theplates cannot be penetrated by an ordinary torpedo, they ofler enough resistance to insure the explosion of any contact torpedo which may strike them, and they are at such distances from the protected vessel that the latter will not be injured by such explosion.- The connection G and bars H, which maybe at any desired intervals, offer little resistance to towing, and are adapted to strike and explode any ordinary floating or anchored mines that'inay be met, and are at a safe distance from the protected vessel. Obviously the pilot vessel B may be of any size,

even such a vessel as A, and it may itself be protected by devices hereinafter described. l v

With any vessel A, the floats may be towed by the vessel itself, towlines D D, Fig. 4, of suitable length connecting the forward and rear portions, respectively, of the float to the bow and stern'portions' of the vessel A.' Preferably the forward towline is the longer and is attached to the float at some distance in the rear of its forward .end so that the float is automatically retained at a distance from the-vessel, even without the inclined rudder plates before mentioned. a

As shown in Fig. 6, the pontoons may be replaced by boats K which may, if desired, simulate non-submerged submarines, destroyers, or other craft calculated to deter close inspection by hostile craft. Such boats whatever their apparent character may carry the guard plates as fin keels, either single plates, or hollow, or consisting of spaced parallel plates L, L. Whatever their construction, the floats may be used singly or may be connected at their forward ends by suitable torpedo-engaging or detonating devices, other than those of Fig.- 2, a network M of cables being shown, although various constructions may be used.

Fig. 7 shows guard plates I suspended from alining discontinuous floats or boats N, the same forming guard units whereby any desired length of guard may be secured.

It may be noted further that such heavy plates extending far down in the water and towed rapidly in any desired direction are highly effective in attacking sub-marines.

What I claim is: I

1. The combination with two approximately parallel and vertical sheets sustained and held apart wholly by the water in which they move and adapted in size and character to explode a contact torpedo moving toward the side of a vessel located between the sheets, and means for,towing the sheets in proper position for protecting a moving vessel so located.

2.,The combinationwith two approximately vertical floating metal sheets adapted to be placedon opposite sides, respectively, of a vessel and to protect the vital parts thereof, of means for towing the. sheets at such distance from an interposed vessel as to avoid injury to the latter by the. explosion of a torpedo in contact with either sheet; said sheets being supported and spaced wholly independently of vessel borne arms.

3. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with an approximately vertical float-supported protecting sheet forming a floating unit, of a second like unitalongside the first and at a distance therefrom materially greater than the width of a vesselv to be protected, flexible connections joining the forward portions of said units near their upper limits and lower limits, and means for towing said units and maintaining them in approximately constant position with re-.

spect to a vessel placed centrally between them; said units being supported and urged apart solely by the water in which they move.

4. The combination with two float devices adapted to be arranged at a distance from and on opposite sides of a vessel to be pro tected and supported and urged apart wholly by the water in which they advance, of a flexible connection joining the upper and forward portions of the two floats, a series of heavy bars depending at short intervals from said connection,'and means for towing the float devices in approximately constant position with respect to a vessel centrally located between them.

'5. The combination with a vessel to be protected, of a vertical metal sheet floating freely independently of and alongside the vessel and adapted in size to protect the vital parts of the latter, a like sheet similarly located on the opposite side of the vessel, and lines extending from the vessel to the sheets, respectively,and arranged to tow them in practically constant relative position.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

" JOSEPH A. STEINMETZ.

Images