US1281413A - Gunboat. - Google Patents

Description

G. H. PEGRAM.

GUNBOAT.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 14. 1917.

Patented Oct. 15, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I Gf H. PEGRAM.

GUNBOAT.

APPLICATION FILED APR.

Patented Oct. 15, 1918..

Y lowing is a specification.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEioE.l

GEORGE H. PEGRAM, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

GUNBOAT.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, GEORGE H. PEGRAM, a citizen of the United States, and resident of -New York city, county of New York, and State of New York, have invented an Improvement inrGunboats, of which the fol- My invention relates to gunboats for coast defense, and is designed to provide boats of shallow draft having suitable motive power and capable of carrying two naval guns of large caliber and adapted.v to be otherwise equippedwith guns of smallercaliber, torpedo tubes, etc., as found desirable, the same providing a vessel of comparatively inexpensive construction having a larger factor of safety against destruction than is now usual in naval vessels.

' It is recognized that the present types of battleships and cruisers have proven very vulnerable to attack, especially by torpedoes, and the enormous financial loss in the destruction of a large battleship or cruiser, makes the division of the same gun Afire equipment of such a ship into several separate units desirable. These large ships are moreover relatively weak against the eXplosive force of a torpedo on account of their shape, more particularly as to their length, the force of the explosive tending to break the ship amidships similar to the action of a blowV on a lono` beam. VSuch ships are also liable to self-destruction by grounding, as the hull cannot be lifted at one point without breaking the plates or opening the seam.

In embodying my invention in practical form, I provide the ship with a circular or oval shape in plan which may be formed with an internal bracing construction sulliciently strong that the ship may be lifted at any point of the circumference without injury, `because of the great andjpracticallv uniform moment of resistance across the'diameter in any direction. Instead of relying upon heavy armor (which is now readily pierced), I divide the boat into a great number of water-tight compartments and provide for special 'immunity through the curved and inclined surfaces which tend to deflect shots, and by reason of the low visibility which may be enhanced by provision to sink the boat for action to any desired degree, by flooding some of the compartments, to be later-pumped out. By the radial -girder and other strong bracing of rolled girder shapes and plate construction,the explosion of a Specification of LettersA Patent. Patented Oct, 15, 1918, Application led April i4, l'cll?. Serial No. 161,943.

torpedo is resisted in all points of attack, andthe injury, if inflicted, eectually localized. i

The boat is propelled by taking the water 1n at the bow and discharging it at the stern through conduits or channels, the resistance of the bow wave and stern draft, which would be great in body of circular shape propelledin the ordinary way, being thus reduced. Various known propelling appliances for moving water might be applied, but screw propellers areshown for illustration and are perhaps the most effective. Two screw propellers are used, one on each side of the center of the boat and inclosed within the conduits of the Structure, each one operating on a draft conduit or tube eX- tending from thebow to the stern through whichwater .is propelled. These draft conduits or tubes are preferably tapered from near the middle to the ends in order to lessen friction; and in the tapered conduits are placed substantially balanced rudders for steering the boat. It is also obvious that the ship can be steered by the relative operation of the two propellers in conjunction economy of space 1s desired.

VThe duplicating of parts for propelling l and steeringthe boat and theirprotection from injury are special advantages ofthe design,

V'My improved coast defense ship constitutes a floating battery having adequate Vmotivepower for self-propelling purposes, `steering means, andY preferably provided with the general equipment of a large battle shipV in so far as is necessary for the lesser armament and motive power, such details however forming no part of my invention.

For-the purpose of illustrating `my invention, I have shown in the accompanying drawings the embodiment thereof which is. at present preferred by me, since the same' is in form to give satisfactory and reliable results, but it is to be understood that the several features or structures of which my invention consists, can be variously arranged, organized and modified and that my invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of the structures herein shown and described.

Referring to the drawings: Figure A1 shows a vertical longitudinal cross section of the boat on the plane z-z of Fig. 2 3; Fig. 2 is a horizontal cross section onthe plane .fr-fc of Fig.' l; Fig. 8 is a similar horizontal cross section on plane r/-g/ of Fig. l; and Fig. a is a sectional plan of a modification.

A is the continuous steel plate bottom of the boat, and B is the continuous steel plate lower deck on the entire hull of the boat. The bottom A and deck B are connected by a grillage of vertical plate webs a and riveted between them and forming a very strong bottom of girder construction. EX- tending across the hull and through the grillage between the bottom plates A and deck plates B, I provide two conduits or tubes H, H, arranged substantially parallel at a distance apart and respectively upon opposite sides of the center.

These conduits H iiare or widen at the ends, as indicated; and said conduits may be stiifened by the vertical plates 7L in said flared or widened ends. At the ends these conduits are provided with balanced rudders J, J, said rudders to be operated in any suitable manner, as is customary in ship construction. These conduits at their middle portions are preferably given an upward curve as at I in which the screw propellers K are arranged, with their shafts extending obliquely upward through suitable stuffing boXes and connected with engines L, which may be-of any suitable construction. These propellers are preferably 4driven by independent Diesel engines using crude oil fuel, requiring no furnaces and reversible or having reverse gear m, but they may, if desired, be operated by turbines or electric turbine drive, in which cases some of the outer lcompartments Z may be employed for boiler room equipment. Such obvious vand wellknown appliances are not shown, as specifically they form no part of my invention. rlfhe propellers K in thetwo conduits H, H, may be independently operated in the same or in opposite directions for the purpose of not only propelling the boat, but also toassist in rapidly turning it.

Thegeneral design of the ship in plan is circular or oval, the outer walls being vertical as at K. T hese may be Yreinforced with armor plate P, if so desiredyE 4is the upper or hurricane deck and is preferably curved, rising to the center at which place the large turret G is fitted. The location of the turret is over the center of gravity of the boat. This hurricane deckis preferably provided With suiiicient armored protection e to resist aerial bombs.y Gis a conical plate bulkhead, extending from the hurricane deck near the sides of the hull to the lower deck B, thereby separating the inner compartments (Z, el', and outer compart- .ments Z of the hull. D is the mezzanine deck. F is the citadel and Gr the gun turret having a suitable complement of guns g according to usual practice in battleship design. The compartment N may be employed as a magazine.

The water-tight compartments l may be used for various purposes, some for torpedo tubes S, others for machinery, stores and quarters for the men when not in action, and still others Vmay be fiooded to aid submergence. In the case of these latter, sea cocks T may be employed to admit water and pumps t employed to discharge it, as re quired.

In respect to the compartments IV in the hull at the lbottom and formed by the grillage, the same may be connected in clusters by pipes w and employed for storage of oil fuel and for water ballast, as may be de sirable.

In Fig. l, the vessel is shown at its normal water line; but when in action, the vessel may be submerged by admitting water into the compartments until only approximately one half of the normal exposure of side walls is provided; the extent of this submergencc may, however, be varied to suit the conditions which have to be met.

Aside from the general construction of hull and equipment described, there may be employed a mast O of light and strong construction preferably carried upon and rotating with the turret G so as not to interfere with the guns in action. This mast may be provided at its upper end with an observatory or fighting top O whereby it constitutes a military mast. Atits top, this mast is provided with a flag staff Q which also acts as a support for the upper end of a wireless antennae equipment It, the lower' end being connected with the deck of the ship -near its side. The cable -for connecting the said wireless antennae at the top is attached to a swivel 'support r journaled on the upper end of the-flag staff, so that the mast may rotate with the turret and at all times maintain a vsuitable connection with the wireless antennae R.

It will'now be apparent that I Vhave devised a novel and useful construction which embodies the features of advantage enumerated as desirable, and while I have in the present instance shown ,and described the preferred embodiment thereof which has been found in practice to give lsatisfactory and reliable results, vit is to be understood that I do not restrict myself to the details, as 4the same are susceptible of modifications in various particulars Without departing froml the spirit or scope of the invention.

partments of large size having inclined upper walls extending from the upper rportion ofthe outer wall and sloping inwardly and downwardly and terminating adjacent to the bottom of the central compartment, a floor extending from the wall of the central compartment to the middle of the sloping upper portions of the water-tight compartments a gun turret arranged over the central compartment above the center of gravity of the boat, and propelling devices at the lower part of the boat for propelling it.

2. A gun boat having a circular shape in plan and with its bottom strengthened by a grillage of vertical plates, the space above the bottom divided by an inverted conical wall extending from the central portion of the bottom obliquely upward and terminating at the deck adjacent to the sides of the vessel to provide compartments on opposite sides of said inverted conical wall the space below the said conical wall divided into a plurality of water-tight compartments by radial division walls, and means for admitting water to a plurality of said last mentioned compartments and ,discharging it therefrom, combined with a gun turret arranged abovethe deck and adjacent to a vertical line through the center of gravity of the boat.

3. A gunboat of substantially circular Y means arranged at the lower part of the boat and adjacent to its central portion, and a military mast supported upon and rotating with the turret.

4.. A gunboat of substantially circular shape in plan havingan upwardly curved upper deck and a substantially flat bottom of grillage construction to give great strength, the space between the deck and bottom being provided with an inverted conical partition, central compartments within the boundary of the conical partition and outer compartments between the space below the conical partition and between it and the sides and bottom of the boat said space being divided by a plurality of radial division walls to provide a great number of radial compartments, and a gun turret arranged centrally above the inner compartments.

5. A gunboat having a substantially circular shape in plan and provided with an inverted conical division partition forming inner and outer compartments and a plurality of radial division plates for dividing the outer compartment into a large number of radial compartments, and means for admitting water to a portion of the radial compartments and discharging it therefrom at will, combined with a gun turret at its middle upper portion and substantially over the center o gravity, and propelling devices arranged at the lower part and protected by the radial compartments.

In testimony of which invention, I hereunto set my hand.

GEORGE H. PEGRAM. lVitnesses:

O. D. I-IoLMAN, JOI-IN W. MCCORMACK.

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

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