US1365490A - Submarine-trap - Google Patents

Description

E. V. HARTFORD. strsmnme TRAP. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 13. 1919.

Patented Jan. 11, 1921.

I ATTORNEYS lil UNETEE STAE'E PFA'E'ENT @FEICE.

EDWARD V. HARTFORD, 0F DEAL, NEW JERSEY.

SUBMARINE-TRAP.

Application filed March 13, 1919.

T 0 all whom it mag concern Be it known that I, EDWARD V. HART- ro'nn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Deal, Monmouth county, and State of New Jersey, have invented-certain new and useful Improvements in Submarine-Traps, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The invention relates in general to a device for use in connection with'marine defense work and'specifically relates to a submarine boat trap or submarine boat destroying torpedo. f

It has been known heretofore to inine an area which is to be protected againstenemy submarines by scattering contactmines throughout the area or by spreading nets to which torpedoes, mines or other forms of explosive devices are attached. Such systems of device, however, are objectionable in that they have no selective capacity to pick out submarine boats in distinction from boats moving on the surface ofthe water and in this way the destructive agency is apt to be set in operation by a friendly boat.

Defense systems such as contact lines positioned a distance below the surface of the water sufficient to permit the surface boats to pass over the mines are ineffective against submarines in that these boats travel most of the time just below the surface or awash thus clear the deeply laid mines. vsiccordingl y, one of the objects of the invention is to provide a simple form of coin bined submarine boat trap and destructive agent capable of selectively permitting surface traveling boats to pass unmolested but attaching itself to a submarine or similar moving body within range even though the moving body be submerged within the depth of water usually occupied by the hull of the surface moving boat.

Broadly this object is attained by disposing an open noose, or rather ring, in vertical positionwith its upper part ator just below the surface of the water so that the submarine boat engaging the same at'any angle wili pick up the ring and cause a torpedo or similar destructive agent (or other instrument) attached to the ring to swing or float up into engagement with the submarine boat. 7

The torpedo thus moved into contact with the submarine to be destroyed can befired as is usual with such destructive agencies.

Another objectionv inherentin contact Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Jan. 11, 1921.

Serial No. 282,284.

mines and the like, is that they frequently become separated from their anchors and float about constituting a serious 'menace to shlpping which might accidentally contact with such floating mines.

j The invention therefore features a novel form of destructive agent, such as a torpedo which is normally incapable of destructive action even when freely floating in contact with other objects and which becomes operativeonly when positively drawnthrough the water for a predetermined distance. 7

Incidental to this phase of theinvention a further object is to provide a destructive agency, such as a torpedo, or in fact anbody designed to be drawn through the water, which includes actuati-n mechanism driven by a water actuated device, such as a propeller, which is mechanically disconnected from the mechanism when .the body is vertically disposed and which becomes operatively connected to drive the mechanism only when the body is moved toward a horizontal position.

Among the other desiderata of the invention is to provide a device of the class outlined in which expensive parts and carefully machined parts are reduced to a minimum thereby permitting the use of a large number of such devices; which can be quickly and economically set in place, and scattered over the area to be protected without in V curring an expense either in their .rnanufao ture or installation in excess of protective methods now in use.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be inpart obvious from an inspection of the accompanying drawings and in part will be'inore fully-set forth in the following particular description of one form of mechanism embodying my invention, and the invention also consists in certain new and novel features of-construction and combination ofparts hereinafter set forth and-claimed.

Referring to the ings:

Figure 1 is a" diagrammatic view of two embodimentsof my invention inoperative accompanying drawfioating position and with a ring of one of the devices engaged by a' submarine boat and showing in full and broken lines the several successive positions of the submarine boat and the device constituting the subject-mat ter of this disclosure; and

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the torpedo element of the device shown in Fig. 1, taken axially through the element and with parts broken away to save space.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1 there is shown a body of water 10 with a surface 11 defining the upper level of a zone 12 through which submarine boats 13 travel when running awash.

The submarine boat traps constituting the subject-matter of this disclosure each consist of a releasing anchor 14.- of any suitable form adapted to be fastened in fixed position adjacent the bottom of the body of water, a marine torpedo 15 and a floating catch ring or noose l6 suitably connected in order by two lengths of cable 17 and 18.

The ring 16 may be of any form best suited for the particular object which it is designed to engage and may be placed at different distances below the surface as indicated by the rings 19 and 20, to the left of Fig. l. Preferably the rings are circular or at least continuous and have their lower edges weighted so that they tend to maintain an upright position disposed in a vertical plane but are free to revolve about their vertical diameters. As the rings are each capable of swinging about an internal diameter should a submarine boat, or like submerged object, approach the ring at an angle to its plane, the prow 21 of the boat would engage a side of the ring, swing the ring about its vertical axis until it is disposed in a plane at right angles to the direction of movement of the submarine boat. There is usually but one ring employed with each trap. The upper portion extends horizontally and is positioned just below the surface of the water so that the ring or a series of such rings extend across, or at least partially across, the zone 12. The ring is designed So as to inclose the largest possible space but is not made so large that the submarine boat could slip therethrough. The opening in the ring therefore has a dimension in one direction less than the similar dimension of a cross-section taken transversely of the submarine. In other words, the ring is of a size large enough to slip over the prow of the submarine but not enough to permit the conning-tower or other projections to slip through the ring.

Referring particularly to Fig. 2 for a detailed description of one preferred form of the torpedo 15 there is shown a shell 22 of conventional form having a nose 23 at one end provided with an eye 24. by means of which the torpedo is fastened to the cable 18 and thus normally suspended in vertica] position. Four longitudinally extending fins 25 are equally spaced circumferentially of the shell. extend radially from the rear end of the shell and have their rear ends connected by a propeller-protecting band 26.-

A transverse partition 27 divides the interior of the shell into an explosive containing chamber 28 and a firing-mechanism containing chamber 29 and also constitutes a support for a centrally disposed percussion cap or firing cartridge 30.

The rear end of the shell proper is closed by a conical head 31 threaded thereto and which head carries the mechanism for firing the cap or cartridge and thus exploding the charge in the chamber 28.

The head is provided with a second artition 32 constituting a firing pin gui ing plate, in which is slidably mounted a firing pin 33 operatively disposed relative to the percussion cap to explode the same by contact therewith as is usual in torpedo firing construction. The pin is locked in an inoperative position spaced from the percussion cap by a latch 34: having a bolt engaging in a peripheral notch 35 in the side of the pin. The latch is provided with a cam throw 36 adapted to be engaged by a hollow plunger 37 to release the bolt from the notch and thus permit the firing pin to function. The firing pin is hollow and in all of its positions provides a bearing for the forward end of a propeller shaft 38 which extends through bearings 39 at the apex of the head and projects into the propeller space outlined by the band 26. A propeller hub 10, (in the form of a long bearing sleeve) provided with a plurality of propeller blades 41, is loosely mounted upon the exterior portion of the shaft. i

The rear end of the hub sleeve is enlarged to provide a flange 42 inclosed by hollow end cap 43. The flange thus fixed to the hub constitutes one element of a gravity controlled friction slip clutchbetween the propeller and the shaft. The slip clutch also includes a disk 44 paralleling the flange 42, housed within the cap and held secured to a conical part 45' of the shaft by an end jam nut 46. The side of the disk facing the flange is recessed to provide a face groove 47 which is V-shaped in cross-sections. Roller balls 48 are positioned in the groove and are designed, when the torpedo is moved into horizontal position shown in Fig. 2, to roll down the incline provided by the groove and clutch the disk 44 to the flange 42.

The portion ofthe shaft within the shell is screw threaded and passes through an advancing nut 49 forming the base of the plunger 37 The nut and plunger are held against rotary movement and are free to move longitudinally on a guide pin 50 threaded intothe cap and passed through a lateral extension 51 from the advancing nut.

The plunger telescopes the rear end of the firing pin and co-acts therewith to form a housing for a firing-pin spring 52. The spring is coiled about the shaft, bears at one end against the firing pin and at the other end against .a washer .53 engaging the advancing nut.

Hanging chains 54 are-attached to thering and-constitute a. means for connecting the cable .17 to the normally lower end otthe torpedo. v

As shown in Fig.2 the connection 55 be tween the cable-l7 and the torpedo may be destructible so that a pull on the torpedo breaks the connection with the anchorat the base of thetorpedoas shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

Under some conditions it may be. desirable to dispose the-ringso that it will assume a preset position with reference to the current. In thiscase thering is provided with a fin 5 6 fixed to the ring and disposed in a position relative to the plane of the ring so as to cause the ring-to assume the desired angle to the current. This construction is of advantage in. those situations-where heavy currents. or seas would tendto carry away the usual net.

In operation it will he understood that the trap as hereinbefore described .will be made up in large quantities usually in the form shown to the right of Fig. 1, with a single ring, and the devices planted across a channel or other area to be protected. As the submarines usually travel awash or adjacent the surface, care will be exercised in disposing the rings so that they will be near the surface of the water and yet hid below the surface. Should a surface traveling boat approach these rings it will simply push the. ring aside and pass by-unmolested.

The only possible chance of the ring attaching itselfto a surtace moving boat is in the case otboats having triple propellers, but

.even in thiscase-it is believed thatthe-tendency of-thepropellers would-be to throwthe ring away from the boat. .However, 7 should -the ringattach-itselt to thepropeller and drag the torpedo; as hereinafter described the length-0t cable ls-will be such as'to position the explodi-ngtorpedosome.,clistance to the rear-of theboat and at a point too remote to .do any damage tothe -boat.

Should .a submarine boat, another torpedo orin fact any submerged ob ect approach the ring, as-shown in -connection with the boatshown in full lines in Fig. 1, the prow 210i the bOfttfWlll engage in, the ring and thering will constitute. a' yoke collaring the boat and be drawn along with the moving ,boat. The resulting strain on the. cable will cause the trap to leave the anchorage either by the rupture of the anchor -14 .or of the connection 55. The forward movement of the submarine boat will cause thetorpedo to swing rearwardly across the inclined po sition and finally into the position engaging the underside of the submarine as shown in the two succeeding dotted line positions vpedo into shown in Fig. l. The tropedo is thus finally positioned directly beneathand in contact with the submarine boat and in a position to do the maximum amount of damage when the torpedo is finally exploded From the description or" the gravity controlled clutch mechanism it will be noted that when the torpedo is in the vertical position shown in full line in Fig. l, the propeller is disconnected from the firing mechanism actuating shaft and is free to revolve idly about the shaft. In assembling the torpedo the firing pin is positioned as shown. in Fig. 2 with the latch 34 engaging the groove so as to hold the firing pin in spaced relation to the percussion cap.

As the torpedo swings into the horizontal position shown in dotted'lines in Fig. l the balls in the gravity controlled clutch slide down the incline and connect the propeller with the actuating shaft. This will cause theshafft to rotate and advance the plunger from the position shown in Fig. 2 into a position engaging the cam throw of the latch. The continued movement of the plunger will act through the cam to slide the bolt of the latch into unlocked position, thus permitting the forward movement of the firing pin. During the advance of the plunger toward the latch the advancing nut will bear on the spring to place the same under tension so that when the firing pin is released of the re straint of the'latch the spring will re-act to force the pin into engagement with the percussion cap to fire the same. It will be obvious that the pinwi ll be held out of engage .ment with the firing cap for a period of .ment with the body ofthe submarine before the-firing pin is moved into engagement with the percussion cap.

By means of a device of this. character it :is possible for surface moving boats to pass overa mine field without danger; on the other hand any 7 submarine or submerged body coming in contact with one of the rings either squarely head-on or at an angle to the plane or? the ring is almost sure to pick up one of tho-rings and trail its attached tor position beneath the submerged body.

The torpedo does not contain the propelling mechanism or power plant and therefore can be constructed at relatively small expense. Should any of these torpedoes become loosened from its mooring it will sim ply float about in vertical position and does not become dangerous until trailed in a horizontal position. he torpedo disclosed is free of any liability to an accidental discharge characterizing contact torpedoesand is free of the uncertainty in operation characterizing time-fired-mechanisms of this character,

Not only is the device capable of selecting between surface moving boats and submarines, but it is obviously possible, by varying the configuration of the rings with reference to friendly submarines to insure a selective action between enemy and friendly submarines by permitting such friendly submarines to pass by the ring without engaging the same. For instance, the ring may be made of such a size as will not pass over the prow of afriendly submarine or the friendly submarines may be equipped with fenders to ward off the particular kind of ring utilized.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A torpedo having a propeller to be r0- tated when the torpedo is moved through the water, a firing pin and means operated by the propeller for operating the firing pin, the operation of said means by the propeller being controlled by the angular position of the torpedo relatively to its predetermined normal position.

2. A torpedo, a firing pin therefor, means for causing said torpedo to occupy a predetermined angular position in the water, and means to automatically operate said firing pin to cause the torpedo to explode when the torpedo is moved through the water at an angle to its normal position, said means being in operative as long as the torpedo occupies its normal angular position.

3. A marine torpedo adapted to be drawn through the water by a power exterior to the torpedo, mechanism for firing the torpedo and mechanism actuating means controlled by the angular position of the tor pedo and operated by the movement of the torpedo through the water for exploding the same.

4. A'marine torpedo including mechanism for exploding the same, means actuated by the movement of the torpedo through the water, a driving clutch connection between the exploding mechanism and said water actuated means and means controlled by the position of the torpedo for moving said clutch from an inoperative into an operative position whereby the movement of the torpedo through the water while in one position will cause the explosive mechanism to function.

5. A marine torpedo including mechanism for exploding the same, said mechanism including an actuating shaft, a propeller constituting a water actuated device, a gravity controlled clutch connection between said propeller and actuating shaft, whereby the movement of the torpedo into a horizontal position will cause the clutch to move into an operative position connecting the water actuated propeller with the exploding mechanism to cause the same to function.

6. In a device of the class described, a mechanism containing member designed normally to float upright in the water, normally inoperative mechanism within said member, a water actuated device designed to function when the member is drawn through the water, a gravity controlled clutch between the mechanism within the member and said water actuated device, said clutch being inoperative when the member is in its upright position and automatically moving into clutching position as the member is moved toward a horizontal position.

7. A torpedo provided with a firing mechanism including a firing pin, a latch for holding the same in an inoperative position, a plunger for moving the latch into an unlocking position and a propeller operatively connected to the plunger for actuating the same, a spring for actuating the firing pin, said spring connected to the plunger to be placed under tension thereby before the latch is released whereby the movement of the propeller first places the spring under tension and then releases the latch to permit the spring to operate the firing pin.

8. In a device of the class described, the combination of a mechanism containing member, means for causing said member normally to float in an upright position,

mechanism mounted in said member, water i actuated means, a gravity controlled clutch for connecting said means with said mechanism whereby the movement of the member through the water will cause the mechanism to function, said clutch being inoperative when the member is in its upright position and being operative when the member is moved horizontally through the water.

9. In a device of the class described, the combination of a mechanism containing member, means for causing said member normally to float in an upright position,

'mechanism mounted in said member, water actuated means, a gravity controlled clutch for connecting said means with said mechanism whereby the movement of the member through the water will cause the mechanism to function, said clutch being inoperative when the member is in its upright position and being operative when the member is moved horizontally through the water, said mechanism including a normally inactive element, and means actuated by the clutched water actuated means for causing said element to become active.

Signed at Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, this 11th day of March, A. D. 1919.

EDWARD V. HARTFORD.

Images