US1661088A - Deep-sea salvage bell - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 28, 1928. 1,661,088

P. PRIESTMAN ET AL DEEP SEA SALVAGE BELL Filed Feb. 10. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 0 a II I o 6 u, 12 I 12 g u a! 01 I l o o 11 as 36' I Z 0 A; 0 0 aa V (D so o 5 G) I 3.9 41 40 23 40 I 44 42 4-6 49 42 41 I .11 44 I I p a 17 l 49 46 m 4: 4a 48 I 4.5 a2 26 so 8/ Purcell Priestman Mi chal Formelia.

LNVENTORS ATTORNEY Feb. 2a, 1928.

P. PRIESTMAN ET AL DEEP SEA SALVAGE BELL Filed Feb. 10. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ill ATTOIN BY Patented Feb. 28, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT j OFFICE.

DEEP-SEA SALVAGE BELL.

Application filed February 10, 1923. Serial No. 618,332.

This invention relates to a deep sea salvage bell andone of the objects of the invention is to provide a device of this nature which shall be equipped for rapid and e'llicient manipulation.

Another object is to provide a device of thisnature with a detachable sinking mechanism so that in case of accident this mechanism maybe detached and the body of the device may rise or float whereby the lives of the occupants may not be endangered.

Another object is to produce novel and efficient releasing means for the weighting devices. I v

Another object is to produce novel and eflicientgrappling means. i

lVith these and other objects in view as will be more apparent, the invention consistsin certain novel construction and combination and arrangement of parts, the essential 'features of which are hereinafter fully described, are particularly pointed out in the appended claim, and are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a vertical sectional View of our improved deep seasalvage bell.

Figure 2 is a top plan View of the same.

Figure 3 is a detail fragmentary top plan view of the weight device; 1

Like characters of referencerefer to like parts in all theviews.

Referring to the drawing in detail, it will be seen that the body construct-ion consists of upper and lower sections 10 and 11 respectively, each being in the form of a truncated pyramid and the two connected with their bases in, contact. At this line of connection, the main skeleton frame of the device is placed and consists of a cross 12 formed of I-bealns which are riveted together and to the frame 10--11. The top of member 10 is furnished by inner and outer plates 13 and 14: andthrough these members passes the hoisting cable 15 which is provided on the interior of the device with a nut or other securing member 16. Exteriorly ofthe device a sleeve or collar 17 issecured to the cable 15 by pins 18 or any other suitable device and carries a plurality of auxiliary cables 19 which are secured to the various sides of the member 10 so that the entire weight of the device is not supported by the nut 16. The cable 15 is specially constructed with a centrally extending telephone cable Mounted on a. division platform '21 and extending between the various arms of the cross 12 are ballast tanks 22 which may be filled to any desired degree with water or other ballast from any suitable source. Gauges 23 are provided to indicatethe amount of ballast carried in the tanks 22. The bottom of member 11 is furnished cxteriorlyby a plate 24 and interiorly by a member 25 which gives a false bottom to the device and is provided with awman-hole 26 through which access may be had to a small compartment for controlling the weight which will now be described. i

The "weight for sinking the entire salvage bell is shown at 27 and may be of lead or any suitable material for this purpose and is provided at its upper extremity with slots 28 which extend downwardly and are broadened out at 29 to form cavitiesfor the reception of the securing devices. The securing device consists of vertically disposed bolts 30 which extend through the plate 24 andcarry at their lower ends oblong feet 31. Each bolt 30 is provided at its upper end inside the hell with a hand lever In securingthe weight in place, the feet 31 are inserted in the slots 28 and projected downwardly until they register with the cavities 29. Hand1es32 are then turned so as tobring the feet-31 into the cavities 29 whereby the weight is locked to the bottom of the bell. It will be obviousthat should the cable become detached from the device or broken, the occupants of the bell may escape by turningthehandles32 so as to release the main body portion .from the weight 27. i j A man-hole or any suitable construction may he placed in the upper wall 10 and is indicated by the numeral 33. Means should be provided inside as well as outside of the device for opening this man-hole and is indicated at 34.

A propeller is shown at 35 for moving the device short distances in order to bring it into proper operating relation with the vessel or other object to be salvaged. This propeller is shown as operated by a motor 36 which may be of any suitable construction. A rudder is indicated at 37 and may be operated by gears. 38 and 39 and hand lever 40 as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art. A high powereleotric light is placed at 41 and a port-hole at 42 in juxtaposition to the light so as to be able to Y see the object which is being worked upon.

The grappling device comprises a ball 43 mounted'in a socket 44 secured to the side of the container near the port-hole 42. Mount- .ed in the ball 48 is a tubular member 45 having manipulating elements 46 inside the bell. A hook 47 is pivoted at 4:8 to an ear of the member 45, and a rod 49 passes from the upper end of the hook to the interior of the bell so that upon drawing this rod inwardly, the hook may be raised to bring it into engagement with a chain or other object which it is desired to grapple.

A telephone instrument is indicated at 50 and may be connected in any suitable, wellknown manner to the wires comprising telephone cable 20 above referred to. A battery is shown at 51 whereby the energy may be obtained for driving the motor 36 and for illuminating the lamp 41. -An oxygen container 52 and a caustic soda container 53 provide means for purifying and rehabilitating the air.

The main framework is reinforced in the upper part by crossbeams 55 and in the lower part by similar cross-structure 56.

The water tanks or ballast tanks are all in communication with a common pipe 57 which emerges from the side of the structure and which is provided with a valve 58 controllable by a hand wheel 59. When the device is submerged, the valve 58 may be opened so as to admit as much water to the v tanks as is desired for the proper ballast, and

then the flow of water into the tanks may be closed offv at the valve. Suitable air valves of any well-known construction (not shown) may be utilized for permitting the escape of air from the tanks as they are being filled.

A chain is indicated at 60 and provided with a hook 61 or other grappling device which mayv be operated by the aforementioned hook i'i'to attach to any sunken boat or other material which it is desired to raise. As shown in dotted lines at the left hand in Figure 1, the hook 4:7 is capable of rotary movement so as to assume any of the dotted line positions'or any obvious intermediate position.

While we have described what we deem to be the most desirable embodiment of our invention, it is obvious that many of the parts may be varied without in any way departing from the spirit of our invention, and we therefore do not limit ourselves to the exact details of construction herein shown nor to anything less than the whole of our invention limited only by the appended claim.

' What we claim is A diving bell comprising a body shell of double truncated pyramidal formation, a bottom for the lower end of the shellcomprising inner and outer bottom plates having areas of angular formation to correspond with the cross sectional area of the lower edge of the shell, said plates being spaced and provided with downwardly and upwardly extending marginal flanges, those of the inner bottom plate converging downwardly and those of the outer bottom plate diverging upwardly but correspondingly parallel with each other and between which the wall of the shell is clamped, a pyramidal weight inverted with its apex pointing downward and its base contacting with the under face of the outer bottom plate and provided with L-shaped slots, means carried by the bottom plate provided with elongated feet engaging with said Lshaped slots for locking the pyramidal weight to the outer bottom plate, the inner bottom plate having a shouldered man-hole, and a cover plate engagingsaid shouldered man hole, so that upon removal of the cover plate access may be had to said pieans to permit unlocking of the elongated eet.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures.

PUROELL PRIESTMAN. MICHAL FORMELIO.

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