US1207851A - Submarine vessel. - Google Patents

Description

J. C. BUERKE.

SUBMARINE VESSEL. APPLICATIQN FILED 111,111.4. 1916.

Patented Dec. 12, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

atroz/maw J. C. BUERKE.

Patented D@@.12,1916.

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@Vi/Enum JESSE C. BUERKE, OF TAMPA, FLORIDA.

SUBIVIARINE VESSEL.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec.. 12, 1916..

Application led March 4, 1916. Serial No. 82,066.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Jnssn C. BUERKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Tampa, in the county of Hillsboro and State of Florida, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Submarine Vessels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to sublnersibles and more particularly to that type of undersea boat provided with safety appliances by means of which the ballast may be released in order to preserve the buoyancy of the boat in case of leakage or similar accident.

The primary obj ect of this invention is the provision of a submersible of the type described with ballast units adapted to be freed from the boat in such numbers as the necessity calls for in order to preserve the buoyancy of the craft, to prevent the sinking of the same, or to cause its return to the surface of the water.

A further object is the construction of means adapted to operate to cause the releasing of the ballast units either entirely or in sufficient numbers to produce the desired result.

A further object is the provision of ballast units of such relative weights as to enable the trimming of the Ship and to restore the same to an even keel.

A still further object of this invention is the construction of the ballast units in such a manner as to insure at all times their being released upon the operation of suitable mechanism adapted to normally retain such units in proper position upon the boat.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, as will from time to time appear, this invention consists in the various related parts and coperating elements of a submersible as herein described and more particularly set forth in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a portion of this specification and illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention and in which the same reference characters indicate the same parts wherever used, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a submersible embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detail perspective of one of the unit keys; Fig. 4L is a perspective view of the ballast units and the releasing device; Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. l; Fig. 6 is a section of line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

8 designates as a whole a submersible of any suitable type having a usual lower deck 9 spaced from the boat bottom 10. At proper intervals the boat bottom 10 is provided with stuliing boxes 11 through which pass shafts 12 provided exteriorly of the boat with heads 13 having oppositely extending bayonet slots 15 formed therein.

Upon the exterior of the submersible shell is a keel formed of units. The units 15 amidship are large in comparison with the units 16 at the bow and stern. Each unit comprises preferably a solid metal block having a pointed end 17 and a recessed end 18, the adjacent ends of each keel unit being adapted to engage to form a keel extending the proper distance upon the boat bottom.

In the upper face of each unit is a depression 19 carrying a transverse pin 20 having rollers 20-20 thereon, the larger units 15-15 having a plurality of such depressions and their attendant mechanism. The rollers 20--20 are adapted to engage the slots 11 of the projecting heads 13 and to rest upon the edge 141 thereof, it being necessary to turn the member 13 slightly to permit the rollers to move upwardly into proper position upon the edges 14. By these means the units are supported adjacent the boat bottom and when all in proper position to form an unbroken keel for the boat.

Each shaft 1.2 extends from its stuffing box upwardly into the interior of the ship where it is provided with a crank arm 21 keyed thereon and held in place by a nut 22 and having an eye 23 adapted to receive a pin 24 engaging a rod 25 running lengthwise of the boat, preferably to the stern thereof. This construction is the same for each of the units 16-16.

Each pair of units 15-15 have a common rod 25 engaging the cranks 21 for a purpose hereinafter explained.

The rods 25--25 terminate at the stern of the vessel and have extensions 26 thereon adapted to seat behind a transverse bar 27 normally forced up against the extension 26 by a spring 28. Above the bar 27 is a rod 29 upon which is rigidly mounted a lever 30 by means of which the rod 29 may be rotated to cause thecam members 31 carried thereby to engage the bar 27 to depress the same against the action of the spring 28.

Each of the rods 25-25 carries a spring 32 adapted to exert a pull on said rods to cause the extensions 25 to be held against the bar 27. l

Adjacent the springs 32 is a rod 33 pivotally carrying a plurality of levers 3-1 having arms 35 provided with yokes engaging the rods 25 or 25 insuch manner that movement of the lever 34 will cause the companion rod 25 or 25 to be raised to permit the extensions 2G to pass freely over the bar 27 under the action of the spring 32.

In order to properly support the weight of the keel the submersible is provided with brackets 33 supporting, by means of ball bearings 39, the shafts 12.

Upon the exterior of the boat, should it be desirable, there may be provided a casing 40 covering a portion of the keel.

' The operation of the mechanism above described is as follows: Should the buoyancy of the vessel become impaired at any time from accident or other cause and it becomes necessary to lighten the vessel to prevent sinking yor to return to the surface the proper lever 34 is depressed to raise the extension 26 over the bar 27 when the rod 25 or 25 under the action of the spring 32 Will move rearwardly, operating the crank 21 to Vrturn the shaft 12 which releases the rollers 20-20 from the edges 14 of the slot 14, freeing the unit supported thereby which falls 'by its own weight, thus lightening the ship. Should it be desired in case of emergency to lighten the vessel as much as possible the lever 30 is depressed to cause the cams 31 to engage the bar 27 to depress the same against the spring 28, thus freeing the extensions 26 and all of the rods 25-25 are supported from following the motion of bar 27 by a bar V27, but allows'them to move back under the tension of the springs 32 and release vall of the keel units as before explained foi` the single unit. The rods oper- 25 are used to regain the equilibrium if lost by accident or otherwise, and are however designed to balance corresponding units on opposite ends of the ship in order to maintain equilibrium in case all units were tripped as by lever 30.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of my invention could be'made, without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

That I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a submersible, a keel comprising ballast units adapted to releasably inter-engage one another, means for holding the units in place, and means for releasing the units independently or as a whole.

2. In a submersible, a keel comprising detachable units, attaching means carried by each of said units, means on the vessel for releasably engaging the unit attaching means, and means adapted to operate the engaging means to release the units in the desired proportion.

3. In a submersible, a keel comprising detachable units, attaching means carried by each of said units, said means comprising pins, rollers spaced apart on the pins, means on the vessel for releasably engaging the unit attaching means, and means adapted to operate the engaging means to release the units in the desired proportion.

L1. In a submersible, a keel comprising detachable units, means for removably securing said units to the vessel, a plurality of transverse levers on said means, longitudinally extending rods on said levers, and

means for operating the reds and levers to cause the units to be detached in proper proportion.

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

JESSE C. BUERKE. Titnesses E. F. CAMP, F. L. BROWNE.

Uopies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

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