US1309120A - Appafiatus for destroying submarine boats - Google Patents

Description

G. E. ELIA.

APPARATUS rm: oasmoyme SUBMARINE sous.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 31119.11

Patented J uly 8, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

G. E. ELIA.

APPARATUS FOR DESTROYING SUBMARINE BOATS! APPLICATION FILED JULY 3!. 19H.

'1 ,309, 1 20. Patented July 8, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

G. E. ELIA.

APPARATUS FOR DESTROYING SUBMARINEBOATS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 31,1911.

1 ,309, 1 20. Patented July 8, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

4 UNITED STATES PATENT e es.

egcovnnnrnmanunnn ELIA, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

arrmamus ron. nrsmovine SUBMARINE BOATS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GIOVANNI IEMANUEELE ELIA, a subject of the King of Italy, residing at the Hotel Ritz-Carlton, New York city, in the-county of New York, State of New York,-have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Destroying Submarine 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 aplpertains to make and use the same.

's invention is directed to the provision of an apparatus for destroying submarine boats and involves the use of a barrier adapted to be placed in position in the sea where it may be engaged by a submarine boat and a mine associated with the barrier and provided with automatic firing mechanism such that when the barrier is engaged and ruptured by a submarine boat the mine will be automatically exploded.

' matically operated when the barrier is- It has been proposed heretofore to place nets in the sea where they may be engaged v by a submarnie boat, the net being relied upon to arrest the boat or havin automatic signaling devices associated with it such that when the net is propelled through the water by a submarine boat, the signaling devices will be actuated automatically to indicate the fact that the net'has been engaged. The utility of such nets, whether they are provided with the si aling devices or not, is greatly decreased 1f the submarine boats are able to disengage themselves from the nets, as by being provided with cutting devices which sever the cables of the net.

The present invention contemplatesthe use of a barrier which is intended to be broken by the submarine boat and involves the application of charges of an explosive and firing devices therefor which are autobroken. The barrier may be in the form of a single cable which is positioned by means of suitable anchoring devices below the surface of the sea and across a path which is apt to be traveled by submarine boats. A single cable may be employed or two or more cables may be arranged one below another. The charges of the explosive are connected to this cable and the automatic firin mechanisms therefor are under the contro of the cable so that when the cable is broken, the firing mechanism is set in operation. Each mine Specification of Letters Patent.

preferably consists of a casting containing the explosive, a float which is normally held submerged by the cable, and a firing mechthe water dueto its buoyancy and by its up.

Patented July 1919. 7 Application filed July31, 1917. Serial No. 183,665.

ward movement operates the firing mechanism. The firing mechanism may be actuated by a reel on which a cable is wound, the other end of the cable bein connected to the float so that the ascent of the flbat causes rotation of the reel and thereby actuates the firing mechanism.

The invention will be readily understoo by reference to the following description taken 1n connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of one embodiment of the invention; Figs. 2 and 3 are views similar to Fig.

1 illustrating slight modifications of the construction illustrated in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a central sectional, view of the charge and its firing mechanism; Fig. 51s a View in elevation showing the float held in its normal position on the mine casing by the cable: and Figs. 6, 7 8 and 9 are detail sectional views showing v features of construction" which may be employed in the construction of the mine and the cable.

Referring first to 1, the cable which constitutes the barrier adapted to be engaged and broken by a submarine boat is in dicated at 10. It is held in position submerged below the surface of the sea by means of suitable anchoring devices. These may consist of cables 11 connected at their upper ends to the horizontal cable 10 and at their lower ends to anchors 12. When the anchoringdevices 11 consist of flexible cables, these ma extend up to the surface of the sea and ave buoys 13 connected to their upper ends, the function of which is to maintain the horizontal cable 10 at the selected depth and in a horizontal position. If desired, when the depth of the water permits, the anchoring devices 11 may consist of long poles driven into the sea bed and having the horizontal cable 10 affixed thereto.

Between each pair of adjacent anchoring cables or poles 11 is a mine or a plurality of mines, each provided with afiring mechanism which is automatically operated when the cable 10 is broken. Each mine referably consists of a casing 14 for e exmechanism for the charge in the casing plosive and a float 15 normally held toether bythe cable 10 and an automatic. flrin i1 mechanism for t e charge of ex'plo sive 1n the casing 14. actuated by the upward movement-of the Heat 15 when 1t.1s

- released from the cable 10. The section of v the cable 10 at the right of Fig. 1 1s shown as broken by a submarine boat 16. Its

breaka e results in release of the float 15 from t e casing 14 and the upward movement of the float 15 to or toward the surface of the sea causes actuation of the firing 14 by drawing out a cable 17 ft'or'n the casing 14 and thusactuating the firing mechanism within the casing. The casing 14 and float 15 are'normally' held together by having the cable 10 pass through openings in overla pin portionsof these two parts and when 51c cable 10 is broken by the boat 16,

- the end of one of the two parts of the broken cable is drawn out of the opening in these two parts by its own weight so as to release the float from the casin The breakage of the cable 10 would usual y occur at the point where the cable is engaged by the stem or other portion of the submarine boat.

Fig. 2 indicates a modification of the construction indicated in Fig. 1 consisting in the provision-of means for determining at what point the cable 10 will break, so as to effect the release of the float 15 more reliably. and with less chance of a delay which might result in allowing the submarme boat 16 to proceed on its course out of the ran e of the charge in the casing 14 before t e charge is ex loded; In the Fig. 2 construction the cab e 10 is weakened attwo points, indicated at 18, onopposite sides of and close to the mine. For this purpose the cable 10 may have sections 18 of relatively soft metal inserted therein so that when the cable is subjected to strain by being engaged by a moving submarine boat, the cablewill part at one of these two weakened sections, leaving but a short end of the cable to be withdrawn from the mine in order to release the float from the casing for the explosive charge.

In Fig. 3, but a single weakened portion is provided in each length of the cable 10 between a pair of adjacent anchors 11, and

this single weakened portion is at the point where the cable passes through the openings in the mine as shown at 19. In other re-,

spects the constructions shown in Fi 2 and 3 are like that shown in Fig. 1. 1g. 4 illustrates the construction which I prefer to employ for the mine. In this fi re the casing for the explosive charge is s own at 14 and the float at 15. -Within the'casing 14 is a central tube containin the primer 20 and directly above this is it e firin pin 21 carried by a vertically movable cad 22. Within an upper compartment of the casing the naoaigo 14 is a reel 23 mounted for rotation on the central t'ube'of the casing. This reel has'a cable'24 wound thereon and the free end of the cable is connected to the float as shown at 25. Near the end which is connected to the float, the cable 24 is connected to 'a pin 26 which passes through an arm 27 on the in a block 28 w ich is secured to the rec 23. When casin 14 and enters anopenin inv the position shown, the pin 26 prevents the first part of the u ward-movement causes withdrawal of the pin 26 from the block 28 soas to free the reel for rotation and thererotation of the reel 23; when the float 15 is detached from the casing and begins'to rise,

after the drawing oil of the cable from the reel 23 by the upward movement of the float causes rotation of the reel.

The hub 29 of the reel is extended up- Y wardl and near its upper; end is interiorly threa ed to coact with a t the lower end of which is contracted somewhat to forman interior shoulder adapted to enga e a head on a rod 31 which lies within t e tube The lower end of this rod is exteriorlythreaded and engages threads and normally this spring is not under tension.. The construction of these parts is such that when thereel 23 is rotated by the drawlng off of the cable 24 therefrom, the

and the tube 30 cause upward movement of the tube;when the tube is thus moved upward, the shoulder thereon engages the lower end of the head on rod 31 so that thereafter the rod moves with the tube and hreaded tube 30, I

coacting threads on the hub 29 of the reel as the rod moves upward, it carries with it the shaft 32 and head 22, resulting in compression of the s ring 34. When the upward movement 0 these parts has continued so far that the outer ends of the keys 33 come opposite a circumferential oove 35 on the interior wall of the tube 0 the easing, the keys 33 move-outwardly, due to the tapered coaction of the interior ends of the 'keys with the circumferential groove in the lower end of the shaft 32. This outward movement of the keys 33 projecting their ends into the groove 35 releases the head 22.

from theshaft 32- and the head is then 'driven downward forcibly by the exp nsion of spring 34 driving the firing pin2 into primer 20 and exploding the charge Withm the casing 14. The threaded connection of the rod 31 to the shaft 32 afl'ords a ready means-for adjusting the apparatus for firing the charge after the desired length of the cable 24 has been drawn ofl from the reel 23; by turning the .rod 31, the distance through which the tube 30 must be raised float 15 and extends beyond the top wall of the float. In the projecting end of the tube 37 is a transverse open1ng.' It is through this opening that the cable forming the barrier extends to normally hold the float and the casing for the explosive char e together. Fig. 5 shows the end of the tu e 37 projecting above the upper end of the float 15 and the cable 10 passing7 through the transverse opening in tube 3 These same parts are shown in section in Fig. 6.

If desired, the construction employed at the upper end of tube 37 may be such as to facilitate the movement of the broken end of the cable 10 through the transverse opening in tube 37 -so as to release the float from the casingfor the explosive. Thus, in Fig. 8, the upper end of the tube 37 is shown as having a roller 38 mounted therein and on the top of the float 15 two similar rollers 38 are mounted. The cable 10 passing through the transverse opening in the tube 37 is en aged on one side. by the roller 38 within t e tube'and on the other side by the two rollers 38 mounted on the float. These rollers turn freely so that when the cable 10 is broken, the resistance to move- 'ment of the broken end of the cable out Figs. 7 and 8, the cable 10 is shown as having a section 39 of metal therein provided at its central portion with a circumferential groove such that the strength of the cable at-this groove is less than at any other point. Metal inserts 39 may be provided in the cable 10 on opposite sides of the tube 37, as indicatedin Figs. 2 and 8, or a sin 1e such. insert may be provided at the polnt 19 where the cable 10 passes through the tube 37. Another construction which may be employed is indicated in Fig. 9 where the ends of the cable 10 are secured to metal pieces 40 which fit together by a tongue and groove connection, and a pin 41 passes transversely through the overlapping parts of the tongue and groove. When this construction .is employed, the straining of the cable 10 results in shearing of the pin 41 and the ends of the severed cable are drawn out of the transverse opening in the tube 37 so as to release the float from the mine casing.-

. The construction described therefore in -volves the combination of a barrier adapted to be positioned in the seat below the surface so that it may be engaged and broken by a submarine boat, and a charge of explobroken by having the breakage of the barrier release a float whose ascent under its own buoyancy operates the firing gear of the explosive charge. The anchoring cables for the horizontal cable which is to be broken sive provided with an automatic firing device which s actuated when the barrier is by the submarine boat may be placed as 3' close together as-conditions warrant and a mine placed between each pair of anchoring cables. If desired, cables 10maybe provided at diiierent depths and a mine maybe connected to each one of the several parallel cables. When the cable is broken and the float thereby released, the ascent of the float takes place quickly so that the-firin of the explosive charge occurs after such a s ort interval of time as to preclude the possibility that the submarine boat willhave proceeded on its way far enough'to be out of the zone of dange Iclaim:

1. Apparatus for destroying submarine boats comprising the combinatlon ofa barrier of substantial length dapted to be anchored in the sea extending between substantially fixed points in position to be engaged by a submarine boat, an explosive charge connected to the barrier, a firing mechanism for the charge and means for maintaining the firing mechanism normally under tension to operate it to fire the charge,

said firing mechanism being normally held against operation by the anchored barrier whereby'when the barrier is broken by being engaged by a submarine boat the firing mechanism is released and is operated by said force to fire the charge.

2. Apparatus for destroyin submarine boats comprising the combinatlon of abarrier adapted to be submerged in the sea in position to be engaged by asubmarine boat, an explosive charge, a firing -mechanism therefor, and a fioat'for operating the firing mechanism held submerged by the barrier and released when the barrier is broken.

3. Apparatus for destroying submarine boats comprising the combination of a barrier adapted to be submerged in the se in position to be engaged by a submarine boat,-

a casing containing an explosive and a float held together in a submerged position by the barrier and released from each other when the barrier .is broken, and a firing mechamsm for the explosive in the casing connected to the float and operated thereby when the float is released from the'cas in'g; sub-- stantially as described. v v

4. Apparatus for destroying submarine boats comprislng the combination of a barrier adapted to be submerged in the sea inv position to be engaged by a submarine boat, a casing containing an explosive, a firing mechanism for the explosive including a reel which operates the firing mechanism when it is rotated, a float which with the casing is -held submerged by the barrier the breaking of the barrier operating to release the float casing for an explosive charge havin ,adapted tobe submerged in the'sea in position to be engaged by a submarine boat, a

bular extension thereon, an annular float through which the tubular extension passes, the .end of the tubular extension beyond the float being provided with transverse opena tuing through which the cable-extends, a firmg mechanism for the explosive charge, and

a connection from-the float to the firing mechanism through which the float operates the firing mechanism when the float ascends in the water after being released from the casing by the withdrawal of the cable from i the transverse opening in said tubular extension; substantially as described.

In testimony whereofI affix my signature,

GIOVANNI 'EMANUELE ELIA.

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