US1653175A - Submarine - Google Patents

Description

A. HEISE SUBMARINE Dec. 20, 192 7.

Dec. 20, 1927. 1,653,175

A. HElsE SUBMARINE Filed June 18, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 liatente'd illes@ 210,192?.

PATENT omer..

SUHMRNE.

Appicatienkle June 1B,

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in'submarines and has as an object the provision of a device Whereby means ofescape are provided in the event the craft is disabled while submerged which means also provides a line et communication With the, interior of the craft.

Many distressing and appalling accidents have occurred in the submarine navies of the lo world when the machinery of the submarine has lbecome disabled through collision or other means, due to the fact that no escape is provided for any one or more occupants of the disabled craft when the same is submerged and unable to rise to the surface Therefore, this invention has visits primary object the provision of an improved appli ance wherein en efficient means of escape from s, disabled submarine craft is provided which means establishes a line of communi cation ,with the interior of the disabled craft and is capable of being retracted into the craitto provide means of escapetor the remaining persons.

Anotner, object oi this invention resides in the provision cian. improved appliance 'for submarines which is so designed and constructed as to be capable of atiording a free release irrespective of the lie oi' the craft on the bottom of the sea.

A further object of this invention resides in the provision of an improved and eiiicient appliance of the character described which may be readily applied to submarines of all types Without in any wise impairing their normal operation. 4

l@ftentimcs submarines, upon being disabled, can be brought to 'the surface if a few pounds oil additional air pressure can be ob tained. lleretoforc, this has been impossible with the crat't disabled ouille door oi the sea and this invention has as a further object the provision of an appliance of the character described whereby the release ot' the appliance to thc surface and its opening by the person therein affords means whereby thc additional air required may be readily drawn into the craft to thus give it the buoyancy necessary to 'float it to the surface.

And a still ini-ther object of this invention resides in the provision of an improved appliance o1 the charafter described having improved release doors and means for operating the same.

lll] ith the aboveiand other objects in View' 1926. Serial Ho. 16,884.

which will appear as the description prophysical embodiment of my invention conl structed according to the best mode I have so tar devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which Figure l is a view, partly in section and partly in elevation, taken transversely through one section of a submarine cralt vembodyiufig my invention, parts thereof being broken away and said view being taken on the plane of the line y,ll-l of Figure 2;

Figure 2 is a View, partly in section and partly in elevation, taken through Figure 1 on the plane or" the line 2--2g Figure 3 is a View taken transversely thrtugh Figure l on the plane of theline o, Figure e is a fragmentary detail view, partly in vsection and partly in elevation, taken through Figure 2 on the plane of theA line 4L-4; illustrating the means for securing the end cap or cover of the buoy, and

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a submarine illustrating the respec- ,tive disposals of more than one appliance to e craft.

Referring new more particularly to the accompanying drawings, in which like nu merels designate like parts throughout the several views, the numeral 5 designates a submarine craft of any construction having a conventional hull or body portion, the. interior of which is divided into an engine room, battery rooms, torpedo rooms and the like as is customary in craft of this kind and located in one or more compartments and extending' across the hull' 6 and intersecting its axis is a tube or cylinder 7 having its ends closed by movable doors 8, tobe later described lr' desired, more than one cylinder or tube 7 may be provided, as il lustrated in Figure 5, in which event their axes are arranged at dilerent angles with respect to each other so that irrespective of the craft-s angle of repose, one cylinder ni l @he eylindeie and rew'h :ire idenieal @lines une' .i applieneee eonneeed il in Consi in demi i"ech door 99 sind iwf:

'e reine'fter described.

hinged io the hulh es et nuler rw er bead l@ ou its inner ieee n e corresponding groove or channel :e hull eoncenlrie with. -the Cylinder and to insure n u 'when iiie same ch e i'exese door m' i peeking; l2 therein ont, inbei i3 coeftuziling described. adjacent ile vibo E inounf'ed in *die hull oi the arl Qi and :i stelling bos.

or pue e eners *die :he Wheel hreeding die uro t ng he extreme outer end. ,J of il' 'rem i'he iin f1.6 end eenen k; ille spi'i i 'the door ii rod engegin exert in opening pressure-on an opposite movement of he the end 29 of the seine with 'the lin l@ l; lose nie door il.

ein n or lip 30 is formed en the portion of ine door S diametri/cally opposed lo ithe hinge 9 'for engagement by e plunger er rod il y". eh is projectable lirough the hull of the emit zu: :i peeking gland or stuifing box io esteri'. an opening 'force on the door when it is desired .lo nieve bhe seine to its open position. The plunger 3l passes into the interior of lie ereii, eXteriorly of the eylind. i 7 and Works in e, Cylinder 325, one 'end or Whiuli is connected With the interioiilnough :in elbow 34, there being ii Valve controlled by e bend Wheel 35 located therein. A. piston 3G is mounted in be cylinder $33 :ind has i'he inner end oi' the rod Si eouneeiiml llierewiih, en expensile spring ill" :it :ill limes tending to urge the piston 36 inio the .'zylinder 'to hold ihe end of the rod l oui oi contact with the door lip 30.

en., his been illuslreted' The inferior oi 'the cylinder is eomu'iunieable ein each end with the outside ihrough duee 3S having' control *elves 39 l'hcrein eo ibut the preseure of he Wiiier on the oui"- side oi' the croit may be introduced into ilie interior of lhe cylinder lo es si; in the opening of the door 8 through which egress is Lo be made. Upon the opening of any one of ihe valves 39, the pressure Within the Cylinder 7 equelizes with the outside pressure and assuming Wheel .28 hns been i'oieied to reir-ziet rod. 20, the door through which is no be made is iniiinlly opened by the adjacent plunger or rod 3l, pro-vided its mire is open, due to the increased aree, oi Adie pieon over that of the rod.

lifter the door has been initially opened by the plunger 3l, the spring 18 exerts sinh* Cioni force ko swing die door to its full open position illustrated by dotted lines in Figure l, thus' permitting "che eeeape from the chamber or cylinder 7' of the buoy 40 new about so be described. v

fl`he buoy i0 is in the form oi e easing or housing il of e, diameter and length to receive et leest one man and he ende thereof are closed by doors; or oeps e2. Each door or cap l2- ie preferably of substeniially eone-sliepe and is hinged to the casing lll, es al: 35 and. has sin annuler flange or bead lil @operai-,ing with en annular paokj recess in ille end-o' the easing, the caps bi ne; secured closed by Wing nnte threaded on pivoled bolle 4:6 Carried thereby and engageuble betvieen pairs of spaced lugs Ll? 'formed on *the casing adjacent lie ends of the bols. Gooperetihg with the Wing nulle are :i plurality of locking levers 48 secured' to stub shafts i9 which are 30mneled in fluid tight bearings 50 in the oeps or Covers. "lhe outer ends of lie Shafts 49 are squared, fs at 51, end handle portions 52- are eiiended from the looking levers 48, thus providing ineens for locking the caps or covers closed, from 'the exterior of the housing as Well es from the interior. i

wrench 53 engageeble over the squired ond of the. shafts lo :facilitate `the manipulation, of the looking levers :from the outside. Suitable oem shaped looking; lugs 54 are :irrenged to be engaged by the looking levers e8, as bes illuetreled in Figure 4i. The caps 42 also have a, plurality of lugs or p1o jeeiione orined hereon adjacent their peripheral edges to mount a platform 56 in 1he inveried cap and e port hole 57 of the usual type used in submarine Constructions is likewise provided so that the occupant of the buoy may survey the surrounding area after 'the seme has reached the surface in the manner later described.

The cylinder 7 hes an eni'rzinee 5S lending to the interior olf the craft and which is closed by abulk heed door 59 provided Lessors wiii e. peeking @il and renorslily secured in 'piece by s series o' locking levers 6l. oi coi similar io ilie eoir struction or' cking levers on iilie slieiis of?. handle members 63 are i'o Y nil; .'lie operation oi lille leve-rs from the inside of 'the submarine, fElie loclr" -g lng portions (is of the levers wei so in inclined recesses 35 in the 'Well oi? zlie passage pair concentric spertures 66 end 67 are formed in ille opposiie Walls of the cylinder 7 sdjsceiil: escli door 8 to removably mount die bearing nn ers 68 ond 69, respecizively, of s. drinn elisir. '70. The meinQ ber 68 is in the firm a 'tapered bearing' and 'lle member (i9 is in alle iorm of. s larger piste haring s. sngge 7l which may loe secured izo ilie housing i' by bolts or other :ineens lf2 so Cerise the inerobers and 68 io have e. snug iis in iheir apertures, which are preiierel'ily tapered.

The simili; Y@ ini-o *alle interior of the submarine i-lirongli the piste member 69 and lies o. Z3 splined thereon, with which pinion "17s is ineslied. The shaft of ilse pinion is removably journsled in s bearingportion 76 mousied adjacent tile opening il? so "when the pinion, is ro taied by s. crs'nl'c Z7 'lie simili "i0 roisies to Wind or 'unwind eelile 78 on a drum 79 io ille sli i; 7G izo eonizrol alie buoy. The cable is co Used Wiiii. the eye il@ of s 'fel-,resided liolvb sdjnsiaiile in "elle nose of the ioWeri-nost esp. lools or slisfi, 8l is carried by eseli oep oli elle buoy and is negli e siiiiiing loos or pecking sod threaded in s. spider 83 seiie csp, losing; extended or retireesu ed. 'oy en opereiin\ Wheel l/l on iis inner end, later descril'iede The drum YQ, when its esble is Wound thereon, is of e diemeier less iban the diameier of 'ille opening 67 to permit the reinovsl oi the cable drum therethrough and its seciircn'ient et either end of tlie iuloe 7 so that in the event ilie'eraft is so positioned on the bottoni oi the ocean chst the normal upper end of ille cylinder 7 is lowermost, Jalle drum may be removed from the position illustrated in Figure 1 and mounted at the opposite end. This reverses the direciion of ille 1ouoyy end the cable 79 is connected 'with lie other eye 80 by e. snep 0r readily detachable clevis device 85 and tlie openii'igg's Gil and 67, when not in use :ire`

closed by plaies 86 and S7, respectively.

Also Wound on the drum 79 and strung alongside the cable 78 is en air liose 88,

one end` of which is conncozilile wiili ilioinierior oi ilie vbuoy iliroiiglithe lowermosi;

^ csp by s coupling plug 89 iliresded in an the oever only connected Wiili die lowerinos esp, as illusiraied.. The ozlier end, of the air hose is eonneeed in any manner with ille interior oi? lie slieit 70 which tubular sind llio end oi ilse shaft ouiwerdly of the gear 53 is iiresded, es si; 91, izo receive die coupling 92 off an air pipe 98 leading to im sir pump, not shown. Telephone Wires 94 leedn ing to an instrument- 95 normally mounted in *die buoy and io sin instrument 96 locsied Within lie craft. ore also preferably lead through *elle hose 88 to contacts 97' mounted. on and insulated from Jdie gear 73 and. with which spring contacts 98 ere engsgealole.

Assuming the croit equipped with my improved loiioy becomes dissbled, one of the occupants ,may 'oe readily dispatched to the surface to display signs of distress. The seamen elected for this duty first enters the cylinder 7 through the passage 58, releases ille latch i3 of the uppermost door 8, and chen opens the csp or cover i2 of the buoy, which is normally positioned .with *die iop oi' the housing 4i adjacent ille boitoni or the passage 58, :is sliown in dotted lines in Figure l. Tile buoy is held in lle cylinder by s plursliy of locking members, consisting of cronies 10,0 secured io pointedserews iol which pass through the casing and engage the inner ws-li of the tube 'i'.

After opening the cover i2, ille seaman engages ille liinpged prop d2 therewith io hold it open While he enters the buoy., after which ille door '59 is closed by the crew in side faire submarine. After entering the buoy is Closed and secured in place lny iiie Wing nuts l5 and the levers 48, the seamen being equipped with suitable oxygen equipment, not shown. When the cover 42 lies been securely closed, the nien Within the submarine ere advised than: all is in readiness by means of the telephone system, who lien retractthe rod 20, open the upper valve actuated by liend Wheel 35, end open the lowerrnosi4 Valve 39 to allow the ses io enter the cylinder.

, As the Waer rises in the clismlJ/er 7, the buoy ocennent retrscis the screws 101 and the buoy oats Wirliin 'the tube. When the pressure wit-hin the cylinder 7 equals that outside the orafi, door 8 is initially opened by the rod 51 in the' manner hereinbefore deseriloed and by ille normal pressure oi the leroy tliereagsinst due to iis buoyance, However, assuming the door 8 is frozen in lpiece and refuses to respond to the plunger 3l and the pressure tliereagsinst, the buoy is locked in the cylinder 7 by the pointed screws 10i and the hund wheel 84 rotated to cause the eyelet 8O to produce mi opening pressure on the door.

As the door opens, the screws 10i are again retrsoied and the buoy leaves the cylinder i', rising to' the surface under the control of notaire rockets or other distress signals.

@tcntimes when a submarine craft hecomes disabled it may be readily raised by its own power it' additional air pressure can be obtained. and in this event the ccupant of the buoy upon opening the plug 9i signals to the cra-ttthrough the telephone system and the pumps, not shown, draw in the necesA sary additional air through the line 88.

Assuming the crait to be hopelessly disabled, the buoy allor-ds a means of escape for the entire crew. lThe lirstman, after leaving' the buoy at the surface, closes the. cover and secures it thus by means ot the Wrench 5.3, duplicates ot' which are carried by the entire crew. The buoy is then retracted, by Winding the cable oni its drum, into the cyl-- inder 7. After the buoy has been fully retracted into 4the cylinder, the occupants ol the craft first close valve 539 and the valve actuated by the upper hand wheel cutting off all communication ot the cylinder 35 with `the outside Water pressure. rl,`he Water Within.y the cylinder is then drained through a pet coclr 10B, allowing the spring 57 to retract the piston 36 and rod 3l.

The door 8 is then closed by actuation of the rod 20, the pressure on both vsides thereoil is equal and rod 3l is retracted, and when firmly closedthe water Within the cylinder 7 is removed by pumps (not shown) through the lower of two valve. passages 104. is the Water level Within the cylinder lowers, the buoy comes with it and 'when it reaches the desired position viz, with the top of the buoy proper in line with the bottoni oi' passage 58, the door 59 is opened to allow the next member of the crew to enter the buoy. lt is not necessary that the entire volume o Water be removed from the cylinder, but if so desired the buoy is iirst secured in its desired position by manipulation of the cranks 10G, after which the remainder ot the. Water may be pumped out.

The escape o1 the last man'rnay readily be eii'ected as the entire operation may be accomplished alone. ln this case, the pet eoclr 103 is closed, the valve controlled by hand wheel 255 opened, rod 20 retracted,

crank 77 and pinion 74 removed to eliminate all possible interference to the ascent of the buoy, and the door 59 and the lower sca cock 39 opened. Before the Water has risen to the level of the passage 58 ample time remains to close the door 59 from the cylinder, enter the buoy and secure its cover in place. The opening of the door S and the escape of the buoy is then the same as before described.

Assuming new that the craft has been disabled and rests on the bottom of the sea in such a manner that it becomes necessary to release the buoy in the direction opposite to that described, in other Words the posi tion of the buoy is reversed, the cable drum is removed land secured at the opposite end of the cylinder 7,'in the manner novv about to be described.

The buoy is first entered at its end adjacent the passage 5S, which end is now lowermost, to retract the locking screws 101 and permit the buoy to hang troni its cable 78, and to `release the inside cover locks e5 at the upper end. The cover e2 is then se cured closed and the buoy lowered by the crank 77, to a position with the top of the casing 4l .adjacent the bottom ot' the pas- Sage 58. `With `the buoy "in this position, water is permitted to enter the cylinder until the buoy loats, 'when the clevis may be removed from the eye 30, and the plug' 89 removed and the telephone Wires disconnected at a plug 105.

After removing these connections-v the nonT upper cover 42 is opened to permit a seaman to enter the buoy and again engage the screws 1101 with the cylinder 7 and secure the buoy in position. rlhe Water is then pumped out ot' the cylinder so that plug 91 may be removed and the telephone and air lines connected. The floor board is then removed and 'secured to the lovvermost cover.

Transferring ot the cable reel to the other end ot the cylinder may be readily eiiected as hereinbet'ore described, it being' necessary,

however, to connect the telephone plug 105, clevis and air hose plug 89 through opening (57 before the insertion of the reel therein. The buoy is now in position oruse in. identically the saine manner as hereinbetore described.

vlllien the submarine with which my irn-y proved device is to be usen et eifrceptionn ally large proportions, the cylinder eontaining the buoy may be made in two sections, each complete in Iitseltl and identical with that hereinbetore described, except that but. one end opens to the sea, the other end being closed and terminating Within the craft. This arrangenientallows the passage along the longitudinal axis of the submarine to be unobstructed and eliminates Waste of valuable space. i i

From the 'foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings it Will be readily obvious to those skilled in the art to which an invention ot this character appertains that I have provided a means of escape from a sunken4 submarine which is practical and which. Will* in no way hinder the operation of the craft and if desired the buoy may be equipped with an antenna to be raised upon reaching,-

the surface, to provide means tor radio coinmunication for the sunken submarine.

What l claim as my invention is:

l. The combination lwith a submarino craft, of a compartment within the vessel having an opening,` to the interior ol' thr craft and an opening' 'to the exterior oi the craft, closures i'or said openings, a buoy device normally located within the compartment and having provision for receiving anv occupant, means releasably locking' the closure leading' to the exterior oi the craft, means operable to equalize the pressure within the compartment to that without the crai't, and means operable by the pressure within thc compartment being increased to tend to impart initial opening movement to said last-mentioned closure.

2. The coiiibination with a submarine craft, oi' a compartment within the. craft having an opening to the interior of the craft and to the exterior thereof, closures for said openings, a, buoy device normally located within the compartment and hav ing:r provision for receiving an occupant, means releasably locking thev closure leading` to the exterior oit' the craft, means operable to equalize the pressure Within the compartment to that Without the craft, n'ieans operable by, the pressure within the compartment being increased to tend to inipart initial opening,` movement to said lastinentioned closure, and ineens operable from the interior of the buoy to torce the last-mentioned closure open vin the eventtlie pressure operated means fails to operate said closure.

3. The combination With a submarine having an opening to the interior and an openingto the exterior thereof, closures for said openings, a buoy device normally located within the compartment and having provisions ttor receiving an occupant, means releas'ably locking the closure leading to the exterior of the craft, means operable to equalize the pressure Within the compartment to that without the craft, means operable by the pressure Within the compartment being` increased to tend to impart initial opening movement to said last-mentioned closure, and additional means for completing the initial movement oise-id last-mentioned closure.

4, The combination with a submarine craft, oi" a compartment within the craft having an opening to the interior and an opening to the exterior thereof, closures for said openings, a, buoy device normally locatcd within the compartment and havingl provisions for receiving an occupant, means releasably locking' the closure leading to the exterior of the craft, means operable to equaL ize the pressure Within the compartment vto that without the' craft, means operable by the pressure within the compartment being increased to tend to impart initial opening;- niovement to said last-mentioned closure, additional means 4for completing the initial movement of said lastanentioned closuren and in `aus operable from the interior of the sub marine craft to close said closure.

5. The combination with a submarine craft, of a compartment within the craft havingy an opening to the interior and an opening to the exterior thereof, closures for said openings, a buoy device normally located within the compartment and having provisions for receiving an occupant, means releasably locking the closure leading; to the exterior of the craft,` means permitting the entrance of sea Water to the lcompartment to equalize the pressure therein with that without the craft, whereby the buoy iioa'ts upwardly in the compartment to abut the last-mentioned closure, and means operable from the interior of the buoy device 'tov impart an initial opening movement to the last-mentioned closure.

`r6,;"fhe combination with a submarine craft, oit a compartment Within the craft having an opening to the interior and an opening to the exterior tliereoi, closures for said openings, a buoy device normally located Within the compartment and having provisions for receiving an occupant, means releasably locking` the closure leading` to the exterior of the craft, means permitting the entrance of sea Water to the compartment to equalize the pressure therein vvitli that Without 'the craft. whereby the buoy floats upwardly in the compartment to abut the last-mentioned closure, means operable from the interior of the buoy device to impart an initial opening movement to the last-nientionedclosure` and yieldable means operable to complete the opening movement of said closure. y

7. rlhe combination with a submarine craft. of a compartment Within the craft having an opening to the interior and an opening to the exterior thereof, closures for said openings. a buoy device normally locat ed Within the compartment and having provisions for receiving an occupant, means releasably locking the closure leading to the exterior ot the craft. means permitting the entrance oi' sea `water to the compartment to equalize the pressure therein With that 'With out the craft` whereby the buoy iioats upwardly in the compartment to engage the last-mentioned closure, means operable Jfrom the interior of the buoy device. to make the same' tast in the compartment with its 4uppermost ond engaging` the closure, and means projectable trom the'buoy device to engage the closure and impart an initial opening movement thereto.

8. The combination with a submarine craft; ot a compartmentextendingr transversely thereacross and opening at its ends to ih@ soa, Closu nos for tho opeai ends of the oozlopmimeut, means pomtng entrance to tho compartment from ith@ interior the craft, buoy nofmzy within Smid compari monk, 'and moons polmtw tho rebase of ho m'jnfont en@ the buon'. und monos; pol

knitting; (he buoy to low-:o the Uomprfwmem ommffs ih@ o ooms permit the n, i

'lw u oucto" described.

n' mun.

'from @ber the imof each Covey io @lo thore'zo.

'15. in a dowwo w. n buoy, ffoo'vpmwo; un oponoodod cymdor.

complmnennr3' mso sopa dom 1 the @nds of ibo cyhxdsma mf lo# .Ti mp5 :may bo occured iosor tho interior oV le: Cap.

U5. n o. dao@ of m de: "":imfL a; buoy, Comp oylmdei'.

conq'omenm the @clim ow i1 be secured dogmi exterior, und m on of am ab:

l Ultimo' my signature.

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