US1202713A - Boat. - Google Patents

Description

E. E. HEDGES.

BOAT.

APPLICATION men JAN. 15. 1916.

1 02,? 1 3. Patented Oct. 24,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

dwmzzfiays TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD E. HEDGES, OF WELLESLEY HILLS, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN SUBMARINE BOAT DESTROYER COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

BOAT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 24, 1916.

Application filed January 15, 1916. Serial No. 72,306.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD E. Hnnons, a citizen of the United States, residing at IVellesley Hills, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in 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, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specifi cation.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in boats and particularly to the construction of the hull of the boat, whereby the resistance of the water against the sides and bottom thereof, while moving through the water, is reduced to a minimum.

In the ordinary construction of boats of various shapes, the hulls have a tendency as they are driven forward to draw down into the water, thus increasing the displacement and throwing the water from the immediate locality of the propellers.

In the present invention, my aim is to produce a boat having a peculiarly constructed hull, whereby the boat is caused to glide over the surface of the water without displacing it to any appreciable extent, and having a tendency to be raised, rather than to be drawn down as the speed of the boat is increased.

Another and essential feature of the invention resides in? the construction of the hull of a boat in such a manner that solid, una'gitated columns of water will be presented to the propeller blades on either side of the keel, thus forming a better hold for the blades of the propeller.

An essential object of the invention resides in the construction of a boat hull embracing the advantages mentioned and in addition thereto the provision of a keel extending a considerable distance below the bottom of the hull, which keel may be constructed of steel or other suitable material adapted to the purpose, the keel being of rocker shape and designed especially for use in the destruction of submarines, the cantaliver construction of the hull being such as to render the keel rigid and peculiarly adapted to this purpose.

More specifically, my invention consists 1n forming the bottom of a boat with depending bilge-portions, between which is the keel, whereby solid columns of water are presented to the propeller blades, the forward and rear bilge portions being reduced, curved and merged into the prow and stern of the hull, so as to cause little or no ripple at the sides of the boat when it is drlven at great speed through the water.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a side elevation of a boat constructed in accordance with my invention. F g. 2 is a bottom plan view of the boat. F lgs. 3, l, 5 and 6 are transverse sections taken on the lines 38, 4-4:, 55 and 66 of F 1. Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the boat, and Fig. 8 is a rear view of the boat.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by numerals, 1 designates the hull of a boat constructed in accordance with my invention, which may be constructed of any suitable material adapted to thepurpose and may be of any desired size or, in general outline, any of the well known forms. The boat is provided with a keel 2 which I have shown in the drawings as of rocker form, being of the greatest depth at its longitudinal center and extending from the bow to a point adjacent to the stern of the boat. Said keel extends along the longitudinal center, curving upward slightly toward the prow where it merges into the stem 3. Upon either side of the keel 2 at equal distances therefrom are provided bilge sections 4L, 4, the said bilges extending parallel with and upon opposite sides of the keel and tapered at locations slightly in advance of the longitudinal center of the boat, each bilge at, 4 gradually decreasing in size from this point fore and aft, the ends of the bilges curving upward and merging into the body of the boat at points adjacent to its bow and stern. The forward ends of the bilging portions merge into the prow at a short distance back of the stem and adiacent to the load water line of the boat, while the portions of the bilges extending toward the stern, from their lowest dip, rise gradually above the keel and merge into the stern at a point adjacent to the propeller.

The keel 2 extends a material distance below the lowermost points of the bilges, as seen in the different views. By the provision of these bilge portions, constructed as shown and described, channels 5, 5 are provided upon opposite sides of the keel, as will be clearly seen upon reference to the bottom plan view of the boat shown in Fig, 2 and the cross sectional views shown in Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6.

It will be noted that, when the boat is loaded and in trim for sailing, the water line should be in a plane coincident, or substantially coincident, with the upper margins of said channels 5, so that, when the boat is in motion, it will have a tendency to ride upon, glide or skip over the water without displacing a large weight of water as is common in boats of ordinary construction.

As the boat glides forward over the surface of the water, the water is not broken, very few ripples being formed, as two solid parallel columns of water are presented to the blades of the propeller, these columns having been displaced by the sides of the boat and the space within the bilges may be utilized for coal bunkers, ballast or other material. It will be noted that, by the construction which I have described, the parallel bilge portions extending substantially the length of the hull provide a construction which materially strengthens the boat and renders it particularly adapted for each of the special uses for which it is designed. It will be noted that the drop keel, disposed as it is between the strengthening bilge portions, will be rigidly and firmly held in position and, while it serves to render the boat far more staunch than it otherwise would be, the keel itself may be subjected to violent contact with objects with which it encounters below the surface of the water without injury to itself or to the boat to which it is attached.

It will be noted that the keel extends a considerable distance below the bottom line of the bilges, thus presenting a formidable weapon when the boat is used for destroying submarine vessels. This will be at once apparent when it is understood that the construction of a submarine is necessarily such as to render it peculiarly subject to injury which might be sustained by contact with other moving objects. The rocker form of the keel, as well as its being disposed between the strengthening bilge portions of the boat upon opposite sides, serves to cause the cutting narrow bottom of the keel to impart to the submarine with which it contacts an oblique cutting motion which would not be imparted were it not for the peculiar form of the keel and it will be at once evident that an impact of this character would be far more destructive to the object with which it is moved into contact than would a direct impact.

In the accompanying drawings, I have shown a boat which is entirely inclosed and provided with turrets 7, 7 of suflicient height to render the same available for observation purposes as well as for carrying suitable guns. 8 is a hatchway providing entrance to the interior of the boat.

It will. be at once evident that torpedo tubes or other attachments adapted to the use to which the boat is intended can be included but such construction forms no part of the present invention. It will be at once evident also that, in case the boat is designed for a pleasure boat or other uses than that of a submarine destroyer, the upper works shown may be dispensed with and any form of cabin or deckage may be used if desired, the essential objects of the invention residing in the construction of the hull with its bilges and keel so interposed between the bilges as to conduct solid channels of water directly to the blades of the propeller. In case the boat is built for pleasure purposes, the form of the keel may be modified to adapt the boat to the particular use for which it is intended.

What I claim to be new is 1. A boat having drop bilges extending longitudinally thereof and a keel intermediate said bilges to form channels extending substantially the entire length of the boat at the water line, said keel extending a ma terial distance below said bilges throughout the length thereof and to the upper margin of said channels, said upper margin being designed to be substantially in a plane coincident with the surface of the water.

2. A boat having a rocker keel and drop bilges upon opposite sides thereof, said keel extending along the longitudinal center below said bilges from stem to stern and curving upwardly toward the prow, each bilge gradually decreasing in size from the center of the boat toward each end.

3. A boat having a rocker keel and drop bilges upon opposite sides thereof, said keel extending along the longitudinal center below said bilges from stem to stern and curving upwardly toward the prow, each bilge gradually decreasing in size from the center of the boat toward each end, the ends of said bilges curving upwardly and merging into the body of the boat at points adjacent the bow and stern.

4:. A boat having a rocker keel and drop bilges upon opposite sides thereof, said keel extending along the longitudinal center and curving upwardly toward the prow, each bilge gradually decreasing in size from the center of the boat toward each end, the ends of said bilges curving upwardly and merging into the body of the boat at points adjacent the bow and stern, said keel extending materially below the bottom edges of said bilges from stem to stern.

5. A boat having a rocker keel and drop bilges upon opposite sides thereof, said keel Li gg mama; :1 Mil its??? extending along the longitudinal center point rising gradually above the keel and 10 from stem to stern and curving upwardly merging into the stern at a point adjacent toward the prow, each bilge gradually dethe rear end of the boat. creasing in size from the center of the boat In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my 5 toward each end, the ends of said bilges signature in presence of two witnesses.

curving upwardly and merging into the EDWARD E. HEDGES. body of the boat at points adjacent the bow Witnesses:

and stern, the portions of the bilges extend- FRANKLIN H. HOUGH,

ing toward the stern from their lowest A. R. F OWLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the commissioner of l'atentl, Washington, D. G.

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