US1240317A - Torpedo-net. - Google Patents

Description

E. A; CLARK.

TORPEDO NET.

APPLlCATlON FILED DEC. 15. 1914.

1,240,31 7. Patented Sept. 18, 1917.

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To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Ewnn A. CLARK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Revere, in the county of Suffolk and Commonwealth ofMassachusetts, have in vented certain new and useful. Improvements in Torpedo-Nets, of which the foland exact specification.

Many warships are provided with nets suspended about them for the purpose of entangling and stopping any torpedoes which may be launched against them. The di'fliculty with such nets is, however, that in the case of the modern high-speed torpedo, they the progress of the same, and the torpedo passes through the nets into engagement with the warship. The purpose of this invention is the effecting of improved means for preventing such penetration of the nets. To this end, my invention consists in providing each mesh of the net with a resiliently tightening slip-noose adapted to be entered by a torpedo striking such point, and to'give such a frictional retardation to the progress of'the missile as to cause it to be brought to a stop before its nose can meet the ships side.

Referring to the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a face view of a section of a guard net provided with my improvements. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one 'of the resilient nooses alone. Fig. 3 is aside view of a torpedo penetrating a net and engaged by a noose. Fig. 4 is a detail view of one of the noose-holding clips. Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating several ships towing booms carrying my improved netting. Fig. 6 is an elevation of a section of a boom having the netting suspended therefrom. Fig. 7 is a cross section of a boom and netting supported thereby. Fig. 8 is a cross section of a boom having the netting partially wound thereon. Fig. 9 is a cross section of a boom provided with a turning rope.

Although I do not illustrate a war ship,

.nor the net-supporting arms usually employed for the suspension of the protecting netting, yet I show a means for supporting the same, which comprises a floating boom,

and a portion of the net provided with my resilient noose in its set and gripping conditions.

Looking trated as composed of vertical ropes l and corner of the mesh for posed first at .Fig, 1, the net is illus Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 18, 1917. Application filed December 15, 1914. Serial No. 877,445.

horizontal ropes 2 fastened together at their intersections, and uniformly spaced, the ropes being preferably about eighteen inches apart. While ropes are thus shown, I do not restrict myself thereto, as chains, rods and the like may be used for suchreticulat'ed members. I r

WVithin each mesh of the portion'of the net normally beneath the water, and closely positioned beside the vertical and horizontal members 1, 2, is a slip noose formed of powerful rope of wire or fiber, said rope 3 having one end strongly fastened to a ring 4 slidable on thebodyof the rope. The other end of the rope 3 is suitably attached to the net, preferably to the lower horizontal memher 2 about midway of the adjacent mesh, as at 5.

Upon the portion of the rope 3 between the ring 4 and the fastening 5, is a strong helical spring 6 of the open type and hence fitted for'expansion. As illustrated in Fig. 1. this spring is compressed to its limit, and if released would quadruple in length.

To keep the spring 6 compressed and the loop widely open, and so in a condition to receive a torpedo, a catch 7 is fixed in each 7 the reception of the loop, said catch being preferably a spring clip adapted to grip the rope 3 with sufficient strength to insure against the loops being dislodged by the waves, but not enough to hold it against the tripping devices employed. The tripping devices preferably comprise a wire 10 passed about the loop within the clips, so that when said wire is strongly pulled inward loop out W it will draw the from the clips and permit it to be drawn about the torpedo penetrating it.

The means for thus pulling upon the wire 10 consists of a pair of diametrically diswires 12 terminally attached. to the wire 10, said wires or ropes 12 being fastened together at their intersection. When the nose of a torpedo shoots into any one of the four spaces inclosed by the wires 10 and 12, it gives such a pull thereon as instantly to jerk loose both the wires and the loop 3entirely free of-the clips 7 and so drops the loop upon the torpedo.

One of said clips 7 preferably the one at the lower right hand corner of each mesh, is positioned in a plane parallel with the ropes 1 and hence adapted to have the ring 4: pressed against it by the helical spring 3. and as hold the latter in its compressed;

condition. Consequently, the instant the pull upon the wire net 10, 12' has withdrawn the rope or loop 3 from all the clips 7, said spring is no longer held back but forces the ring 4 along the rope 3 until the loop has been drawn tightly about the torpedo. i Y

This spring 6 being made quite powerful, it gives to the loop such a tightigrip upon the torpedo as to form in effect a friction brake upon the latters progress, so that even if it has not fully brought the torpedo to rest before the loop has been left hehind, yet. the loop will engage the propeller 15 and by that means stop further advance of the torpedo.

Further, since the torpedo is held back by a'p'ull at one side thereof, as shown in i Fig. 3, the steady drag thereonwill cause the torpedo to swing about until it is substantially parallel With the net and hence incapable of reaching the ships side evenv if the slip noose should failto stop itentirely. Should the torpedo have been provided with a time-fuse, instead of a per cussion head, it would thus be held so far from the ship as to be incapable of harming the latter when the explosion occurs.

As illustratedin Fig. 4-, the clips 7 are notiparallel with the; ropes 2, but are deflected inward therefrom at an angle of approximately forty-five degrees, in order that the pull toward the ship given by a torpedo to the net 10, 12 will act to with draw the wires and rope 3 from the clips.

While this netting may be suspended from arms projecting from the warships, I prefer to'attach it to aboom 16, as shown in F igs. 6 and 7. A series of these nettingcarrying booms being trailed behind a war vessel, as 17, in Fig. 5, a second war vessel somewhat behind and to one side of the boom will be protected by the netting on the boom; and the second vessel 18 being :madeto trail another series of booms16 v behindit, a third vessel 19 will be similarly protected, and so on for any desired length of fleet.

' Then the booms are to be stowed away on deck'or elsewhere, the netting is rolled up thereon, as partially shown in Fig. 8; and

to do this readily, I prefer to. coil a rope 21 upon the boom, as shown in Figs. 6 and 9, so that by pulhng upward on said rope,

"the boomis rotated in a--d-irection to wind the netting thereon. By pulling the rope 22, which is wound in .the opposite direction, the boom is turned to unwind-and let down the netting. Although I have described this net as designed for the capture of torpedoes, it is evident that itcan be also employed for catching large fish.

Further, by making the netting sufficiently large and strong, and the loops of netting, each slip noose being supported to a 4.. The combination witha netting having powerful cables or chains, the same can be used for entangling submarines.

In addition to theprotection of war ships, the booms carrying the netting and entangling loops can be fixed across the'mouth of harbor or river for the purpose of securing the same against the admission of sub marines, torpedoes and the like. Hard projections 20 may be made in the loop to increase its grip. l

What I claim is:

1.. The combination with a netting comprising ropes or .the like, secured together at their intersections, of a slip noosesupported in each mesh of the netting with one end attached to the-netting.

'2. The combination witlra netting, of a slip noose supported ineach mesh of the netting and haying one end. attached to'the closely coincide withgthe sides of the mesh containing it. 7 1 v 3. The combination with a netting com- 7 prising ropes secured together at their in I tersections, of a slip noose supported in each mesh of the netting and having one end: at tached-tothe netting; resilient means for tightening each slip noose, and means temporarily holding said means-from acting upon each noose.

meshes of a material size, of, aslip noose supported in each mesh of the netting and attached to the netting, resilient means for tightening each noose, and easily releasable means holding said tightening means inactive.

5. I The combinationjwith a netting having meshes of a material size, of a slip noose supported ineach mesh of thenet-ting and attached atone end thereto,a helical spring mounted on each noose between its attached end and the movable end thereof, means for holding said springs compressed, and means for releasing said springs.

Y r 1,1 6. A rope or thelike having one end. an-

. chored and the other formed into a slip noose, in combination with. a helical spring mounted upon the rope between the an chored endand the noose, and easilyreleased means for holdingthe spring com pressed.

7.. The combination of a netting comprising spaced horizontal and vertical members, clips at the intersections of saidmembers,,a section of netting held in said clips, a rope having one end attached. tothe firstnamed netting and its other end "formed into a slip noose, the latter being held in said clips, and a helical spring mounted on 2 the rope between the attached. end and the nearest clip, the section of netting being disposed in said clips to pull the loop out from the clips when said section is drawn out therefrom.

8. The combination with a netting, of a In testimony that I claim the foregoing loop fastened in each of certain openings invention, I have hereunto set my hand this 10 th1e1'eiI11, each 1600p being constlrucgzed tofre- 14th day of December, 1914;. si ient y resis expansion an eing as- 5 toned to one side of the opening, whereby EWEN CLARK a torpedo penetrating one of the loops Will Witnesses:

be given aresistanoeto further progress A. B. UPHAM, eccentric to its longitudinal line. JOSEPH W. DOWNS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. c.

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