US1318687A - Pijukxiraph co - Google Patents

Description

T. K. NORTH.

SUBMARNE MINE.

APPLICATION FILED ocT.30, |917.

Patented Oat. 14, 1919.

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T. K. NORTH.

suMAmNE MINE. APPLICATION FILED 0C'L30, 19|?.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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` Patentd 0015.14-, 1919.

THOMAS KEPPEL NORTH, or WnsTMINsTER, LONDON, ENGLAND, AssIGNoR To VYIOK'ERS LIMITED, OF'WESTMINSTER,ENGLAND., Y..

SUBHARINE MINE.l

Specicationof Letters Patent.'

Application filed October 30, 1917. Serial No. `l99,3 8'8.' Y

T 0 all 'LU/1,0m t may] Concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS KEPPEL NORTH, a subject of the IKing of Great Britain, residing at Vickers House, Broadway, Westminster, in the county of London, England, .have invented' certain new and useful Improvements 'in' or Relating to Submarine Mines, of which the following is aspeciiication.

This invention relates to submarine mines of the kind comprising a iiotation chamber or mine proper and an anchor, sinker,"or the like connected together by a Vrope or cable and adapted to separate by the paying out of the said rope or cable after vlaunching, the flotation chamber being provided with a number of Contact arms Vor members which control the tiring mechanism vand occupy a retracted position Within the flotation chamber until after-*the mine is launched, whereupon, by the action of suitable de-r vices the Contact arms or members are caused to protrude fromthe flotation chamber in o a position inv which they will liberate the firing mechanism contact with -a passing ship. e f

According to this invention the aforesaid contact arms or members are rendered operative by a pull exerted when the flotation chamber separates from the anchor, sinker` or the like -whereupon the contact-arms are caused to protrude from their retracted poSltion by means of springs normally restrained from acting by retaining devices ywhich hold the contact arms or rmembers in their retracted position and which are connectedt'o the anchor by means rof a cord, chain or the like, so that on the flotation chamber separating from the anchor, the cord willbe placed under tension and will exert a pull on the retaining devices, thereby 'releasing them and thus permitting the springs to move the contact'arms or members into their protruded position for contact with a passing ship. Safety devices may be provided for preventing the retaining devices from becoming unintentionally released, the said safety devices being withdrawn by hand i prior to the launching of the mine. Instead of providingsprings for causing the Contact arms or members to be protruded from their retracted position, we may provide lever or other appropriate mechanism er devises adapted t0 be. actuated by thepull exerted on the aforesa1d cord, chain or the like when tllle flotation chamber separates from the anc or.- 1 Y In order that Athesaid invention may be clearly understood andreadily carried into effect the same will now be described more "f1-illy. with reference to the accompanying drawing which shows the preferred embodiment of the inventionand in which -Figure'ly is a cross sectional view of the flotation chamber of` a mine constructed accoi-ding to the invention;

Fig.- 2 is a cross sectional viewon an en.-

larged scaleV of one vof the contaot'armsvor:

members in its extended'lposition.

Figs 3 and 4 Vare d1agrammati'c views showing successive positions taken up by the anchor and flotation chamber prior to and after the release of the contact arms.

` A is the flotation chamber, Bis the anchor, C is vthe mooringV cable, D, D are the contact arms which control the release of the firing mechanism, and f C7, are the retaining deliberate thecontact arms I vices which act to RID-lanI in; 1 In the example shown-the upper portion Patented Oct. 14,1919.

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ofk the' flotation chamber is provided vwith four of the aforesaid contact arms or members D D each of which comprises anl inner extensible spring controlled part d telescopicallylocated within an outer fixed part d',

ythe said inner part d up =to thetime of launching of the mine, beingheldin its Yretracted position within the outerltixed part df by the said retaining devices. "These retaining devices comprise asplit pin c .which engages within-openings c2 in a flange@3 provided' on va casing-F surrounding rvthe outerfixed part d in such a manner that the pin o extends across the face of the spring vcontrolled inner part d and retainsv it in its retracted position.V The hand safety devices vcomprise a wedge-piece c4 which is disposed Within and transversely of one end of the split, portion of the pin c', the said wedgepiece c4 being adapted to be withdrawn from the s lit pin by'meansy of a cord c5, one end of w ich is attached to the said wedge-piece c4 and the other end to a handle or hand grip c6.'- 'Thesplit pin c is connected to the anchor B by means of a connection cf, sa

that; on' the Sep'aiatiea ef the dotation cham:

ber from the lnehogr the split pi-i maticallyiivithdai the tension 'exerted on the connection 07, the Wedge-piecec1 hav-v leased and moves forward under the-influj ence of its spring Z2 until it assumes its eig,y tended position, whereupon it is` lockedin. that position,by'meansof a spring/con? trolled pin (Z3 carried by-SJthe enter"partf'al'44 and engaging ina groove d4 in the inner part` (Z untilit finally? snapsint a' locking- The firing control'mechanism which it preferred to' femployf; may" ycionipriseycords or Wires .fGrj 'G2 Wh-'ichfare lsubjectedStorthefinf luence foffa'ispingf Gr Avwhich maintaiins' this"V same I under;I tension 'throug1i"" the! inter-mer diary I ofy bifurcated or Stirrup-'s-liaped levers g each l of which .is` pivotailyr"mounted onI the casing vld" vsurrounding1v each-'of dierontact arms or 'in-embers Eachfle'verimovement; by 'beafring'- against a kisheaiablemenib erf or" pirng24 on: the inner 'end ofueacli''of theffsaid 'telescopio-s Contact armseffor:inemberstl); one of' the said restrained from cords G2," which" may be"ter`1ned' the tension cord, also zpass'ing-:larbund orbeing attachedto a horizontally-2disposedlrotary memberior pulley g3, which" norn'ially c'onnect's'" 'the l striker actuating Tmec'han"ism*to"'tlieflotation chambergby means of afjintgofithefbayonet typeA andradially displaceable'detents Whic'h latter have? chanii'fered"i edges and engage a beveledl circumferential recess formed in -fthe' striker connecting rod. The arrangement isf such lthat thefordsG, G2 are' normally 'ina'intained inastat'e of tensionandthe'said ro" tary memberr or pulley g3 is prevented.' from beingfy actuated?untilone/ or vother ofi the Y contact arms orv members v iDstrikes a' I pas'singl ship whereupon thef'E shearablff'pi'n'- g2" appertaining? totth-at contact ar1n'"or' mem! ber isI broken andflibratesfoneof"the'bifur# l cated levers gf, thus releasing -the?'tension on the tension'cordGzfandf enablingjthelatter to turn-the `rotary vmember V'or pulley" g3;

The :striker: Whichr'isf-'ofI the' type cocked andA` fired by= buoyancy is then 1 released andl is. auto@ claimand desire to'secure byLetters Patent ofi theI United? States? is l. A. submarine mine comprising a ota- Ation chamber, anchoring means connected to .Said flotation chamber' by' amooring cable,

said contact means normally occupying a retracted or 'inoperative position, and means controlled' by;Y the:- separation of the flota-tion chamber and the anchoring means after the launching of thef-mine- Which-'means' acts to liberate? said' Contact 'means so `tliat"-tlie saine assume an extended Lor operativey position:

2'.' "A yisubiiia'rinef mine comprising a flota tion chamber, anchoringflnieansfconnected'to 70 said` flotation fchainber by 'a n'iooring cable, oon'tactfmeanson the' flotation 'chamber which, When struck hy a "passinig' ship, rbring l'about the actuation of the firing mechanism said contact means normallyoccupying a retracted 7 5 o'rinoperative position, retaining :mean's'for said Contact"y means f and connecting means from said retainingmeansAVV to Afthe 'anchoring' means', said retaining means being renio'ved by th' "Pull which is exerted on the connect;-l 80 iiiglmeans when' the' notation ehamberfseparates "fro-n1* the anchor after" the launching. of the'infine'.`-v f f f 3.r A submarine 'minecomprising ailo'tal tion chamber, anchoring means connected te said"otationrchamber by 'a nieorin'gcable; Contact means-on the flotation" chamber-,2 which; ivlieii'struckbyy 'arl passing ship, bring'- about" the actu-ation l'of thefiring mechanism said Contactf'ineai'is :normallyloccupyingf :a: 90 retracted or inoperative position, retainingl means"v for said@ y'c'oi'itact' means, connecting means from isaid retainingmeansv to tthe van'- ch'oring means, said retaining means'y being removed 'by the pull ivhiichisf'exertedonthe 95 connecting 'means whenl the flotation cham;I ber'fseparttes tfrom the anchoring means 'after the; Vlai'inohing 'ofthe mine', and safety means THOMAS EEP-PEL NGRTH';

vlive fcerts eac'hyby addressiiig'vthe=FCommissioner of Ptentsf Washingtonfne." f 1

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