US2371340A - Torpedoproof battleship - Google Patents

Description

March 13, 1945. A. D. MAsLoFF ToRPEDo-PRooF BATTLESHIP Filed July 27, 1940 a. QE*

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Itis known that modern armored particular, battleships, dreadnoughtadestroyers, and cruisers, are provided with two boards or Patented Mar. 13, 1945 i.

2,371,340- 'roRPEDoPRooF BATTLESHIP Alexander D. Masloff, New York, N. Y., assgnorvl I of. sixtyonefhundredths to George A. Rubissow, l

f i NewYork, N. Y.

l Application. July 27,k 1940, serial No. 347,956

wallsythe outer board or wall being constructed at a distance from the inner board or Wall, and

various chambers and separating bulkheadsvertical, horizontal and at an angle are now utilized in order to divide the free space between the outer and inner boards into small chambersy or sections'so that if a torpedo explodes onlysome of these sections will be damaged `and flooded.` However, 'none of these known arrangements Aare adequate against re, nordo they oiler satisfac tory protection against torpedos,v mines or shells. This invention relates to anew construction venirne. (c1. 1mg-'ssi' ships, in-

ters `refer to like parts throughout the several views,diagrammaticalschemes o'f different arof the inner and outer boards which render a.

ship torpedo-proof or substantially torpedo-proof. Furthermore, this new construction asdescribed in this specication, is more economical and simpier in its design andv nature.

The main defect of present-existing constructions consists in that the separations ,and bulkheads, instead of permitting free escape of the exploding gases, serve, thereby increasing the force of the explosion due to the known fact that'the greatest destruction occurs, or tends to occur Where the resistance is' the greatest. Hence, each explosion destroys adjacent cells or chambersor sections and spreads in all directions.

The invention herein described provides means infact, as an 'obstacle,-`

to render ships en-tirely or substantially torpedo- 1 proof, and considerablydiminish the destructive efilciency of exploded torpedos, mines,'shells and the like.

One aspect of thisinvention consists in providing a plurality of special safety-sections in the free air-space formed between, the; two A boards of the ship, permitting freef escape of thef'exploded gases from` suchlsafety section orsections where the explosion has occurred, bettering such escape by especiallyjprovided trap-doors,- The outer board may be made'eonsiderably thinner than the inner boardand itjmaybe placed atta sumcient distan-ce from the inner -one .to create as much free air-space as deemed necessary. Such 'rangements according to this invention are shown,

and also,l by way of example, several forms-of execution of thisinvention. l" f Figure .1 represents' fa diagrammatical, longitudinalvside-view of a part of a ship partly in cross-sectionrwith parts progressively broken out. -Figure 2 is a. plan-view of Figure'v 1, with parts broken'out. `1 i Figure 3 isa cross-secti'onal'view of Figure 1. Figure 4 is a schemati-cal View of trap--doorY and mechanism to operatesame. Figure 5 is a plan-view of a part of the mechanisrnfto operate thetrap-ldoor'shown on'Figure 4. Figure 6 islanoth'er diagrammatical, longitudi' nal side-view of a shipwith parts brokenout.y One aspect of this invention, as. shown in Fig-- ures 1, 2 and 3, consists in removing or eliminating all horizontal'and/or all inclined (in respecty to the longitudinal axle of the ship) separation Walls or bulkheads from the already existing construction,` preferably from battleships,rin .which they were previously provided, leaving only ver-A tical bulkheads or 'vertical separation walls.

Another aspect of thisv invention consists indesigning and building new ships, preferably battle-y ships,vv destroyers, dreadnough-ts, cruisers, and. even submarines and. other ships, so that no horizontal or inclined' (in respect to the longitudinal axleof Vthe ship) bulkheads or separation walls" are provided', only verticall bulkheads or walls such as I0', II, I2, I3, I`4,"50f5'|`, 52, and53` as shown on Figures 1, 2, 3 and 6, y

Figure 1 represents schematically: from left to right the outer board 2|; in dotted lines, the ver;

-tical or substantially vertical beams I5 and- IB and f It shouldbe notedk that bulkheads I0, II, I 2, I3,

construction will permity the explosion of the torpedo, mine or shell when hitting the outer board, and prevent the. exploded gases. from, destroying the inner board, inasmuch as the. free air-space greatly amortises and disperses them, and a relatively small part of the explosion ,will be received bythe inner board.

Ixr the drawing, wherein like referencechaacsi;

I 4 (IN1-|42) are shown -for' purposes of example,

being of diiere'nt heights. The bulkheads, Igfl I, I2'start from the bottom'K and'end at the upper deck U. Bulkheads I3 and Ill-|12 are shown slightly over-the water-line W, and bulkhead I4 is shown reaching to the'A. deck. This; invention does not limit f any desirable combination. of heights for the bulkheads and the; givenexampl'e does not limit it in any way. The free air-spaces On the outer ends of such beams, for instance,XI is generally, but notV necessarily, provided an assembly-beam or thev 30a, 301), 38C, 30d, etc.

like, such as I5, I6, I'I, I8, Figure 1, or I8, Figure 2, or 23, Figure 3, which should preferably follow the contour of the outer board 2|. Each such assembly-beam may consist of one vsingle rigidv beam from upper deck U to the bottom K, or may be composed of one or more parts, i. e., for instance: 24, 25, 26may bemade asione rigid part of a beam, and 21 and 28 may be'made as another rigid part of the same beam, such variation to be in accordance with the construction desired.

The vertical assembly-beams I5,v I6, I9 and 20;

as shown by way'of example on Figures 1, 2, and 3, may be placed one in respect to the other at any desirable distance. 1

The horizontal beams III, I2, I3, I4 should preferably be perpendicular in respect to the inner and/or outer boards, however, beams at any angle in respect to the saidboards, and in oneor more planes, straight and/or curved, rmay be employed. I f

The main aspect of thisinvention-consistsin providing a, construction of a vship havingjthe outer board and the inner board comprising:

(1) VA sufficiently great-distance between the inner board 2I and theouter board 22, Figs..1, 2 and 3, so that asufciently large free airspace with atmosphere-air is obtained? x (2) Said free airfspac'e to be divided only by a plurality'of preferably verticalv or substantially vertical bulkheads or separationwalls, IIL, I I, I2, I3, I4. (3) Said bulkheadsy (I0,'II, I2, I3, I4),'begin ning from the .bottom K or substantially the bottom K of the free air-space, and` ending prefer ably slightly abovethewater-line W.' f f Inships vof the types described herein, -havingi five decksan upper .deckU and four decks A, B, Cgand D as shown by wayof example onFigures 1, 2 and .3, thenthe preferred construction according to this invention'should all have bulkheadsl, II,l I2, I3, I4 of preferably the same height as I3 and-(I41-I42). Such arrangement will provide a. very big free air-space from the bottom K of the ship up to the top point Tzof I3 or of I41I42. All vertical bulkheads II), II, I2, I3, I4 (M1-442), when of the same heights (or substantially the same heights), as for instance, the height T of I3, will form a line Pr-Pz as shown in dotted lines, whichline hereinafter will be called bulkhead top-line.

Another feature ofthe main aspect of this invention consists in constructing the bulkhead top-line passing substantiallylparallelto the A deck forming a common partition of free air-space M3,'Figure 3. Still vanother feature consists in having 4the bulkhead top-line reach the'upper deck U. This construction thus provides a pluralityof safety-sections whichldo not. inter-communicate, inasmuch as, in a construction of this kind, there is no common partition of free airspace.

In the case where the bulkhead top-line passes through P--P or P1-P1, there should always be provided a common partition of free air-space M, Figures l and 3, which considerably amortizes the destructive eiect of the exploded gases.

For security against rolling, the bulkhead topline Pr-Pi should be so placed that the safetypartitions will not be flooded through the common partition of the free air-space, in the event that one or more of the said safety-partitions are flooded due to the ships rolling.

It is also recommended that the Pi-Pl line be of such a character that there will be no danger of flooding through the common partition of the free air-space M in the case of pitching. This is easily achieved by an appropriate choice of P1-P1, as, for instance, a curved Pz-Pz rising to the bow and stern of the ship.

P--P may also be constructed in the form of a curve, Ps-Ps which Will be useful if the bulkheadtop-line Pa-P3 in T3 approaches the Waterline at chosen Aintervals close enough in TA and` the neighboring bulkhead-top T3 is suiciently above the Water-line, or may even be as -high'as deck A or U, thus reassuring the security against iiooding of theneighboring safety-sections.

In such a construction, shoulda torpedo or mine hit the ship somewhere atpoint X,, Figj` ure l, then the exploded gases will expand in the free air-space between I3, I4 and when they, reach the bulkhead top-line P1P2 will expand throughout the freefair-space left and right fromthe top T -of the bulkheadl, v.It must b eem, phasized that ,horizontal bulkheads or wallsor decks, in accordance with this invention, are not to be provided between the inner and outer boards, so that the exploded gases canexpand land meet with no obstacle on their way up or down.

Even should it come about that the explosion in X demolishes bulkhead I4, only the compartment between vI3 and I 41-I42 will be iiooded by water. Due to the` bulkhead Atop-line being raised sufiiciently above the water-line W, the ,damaging and iiooding of the compartments, for example, the compartments between I3-I4 (M1-|42) `will neither prove dangerous nor fatal for,the ship. l

As yet, no battleships or other ships used for military purposes, have been designed or executed possessing the features of the said main aspect of the invention described herein.

This description of the main aspectv `of this invention, refers to bulkheads I0, II, I2, I3 and I4 as vertical bulkheads. In point of fact, such a construction is vthe most expedient, and the bulkheads can easily be alxed by suitable means,

such as rivets, bolts, screws, Welding, etc.

or by any locking or interlocking. deviee,vto the I on Figure 1, 141-442, the free space between them may remain free, i, e., filled with air 54 or may be filled with shock-absorbing materials,"such as wood 55, paper, sand 56, rubber 5l, and the like.:

If desired, the bulkheads may be placed not Aat Where double-bulkheads are employed, as shown the sides oi the? beams, buty beiveen thesaid beans as` shown in lila, Fig-ure 1. In thisicase,

either I4` and Ms are used simultaneously, or only f llnstead ofconstructing' the bulkheads I Il Isl?A H31, i4 vertical in respect tofthe. water-linet ey can be made slightlyfinclined?'to4 theA Waterl-ine, ory even very strongly` inclined? as illustrated? o'n Figure 6, vwherein bulkheads 50; 5|', correspond to- I3? or |42 of* Figure l?, andi 52'; 53- to tl or I'Zoi Figure 1, dividing the ship into inclined safetysections and having, asshown byWay-fotexanxple,

a. bulkhead; top -li'hePa-Pa which: provides,y ai. com;- mon partition ofi freeair'fspaoe M1... Should allA inclined bulkheads extend.y fromv the-.upper deck. U: to the bottom K, as 52, then noicomrnon partition I should be provided.

ToL facilitate the escape oii' gases from the-.salatyf-sections in which they explode, the surfaces, of bulkheads lill?, Hi.. |21, llt, lil' may: beV provided with a smooth surface, or may be polished, orA con; ered-witha smooth coat of paint orvarnish.

2m. When in battle, or in The choice otthef number of'beams, 3tg'3fli and I9i, 20, and the order' in. Winch'r they' are-'placed lxetvveen. each of the: two bulkheads, isi a Iz'natter` for the designer of thefship. It'` should beinotedg:v

merely, that suchf beams Y offer avery-b sn'ial-ll resistance' to the exploded'gasesbeeause ot their small' surfaces and-smally volume.

If the torpedo; explodes between lBL-MinnfX Figure 1,. or in: X1 Figure 6,. and. should: neither bulkhead I3.' nor i4 'in Figureand 5l or; 521m. Figure: 6, 'bei demolislied-,then the one-safetyeseca tion; system isprov-idedi Should thev torpedo-ide`` inolish one of: the: two-bulkhead'sz form-ing: a safety section, then a'. two-safetyesecti'cnl system', is. prcrvided.

In the eventi that the torpedo.y demolish'es: two` neighboring: bulkheads, then atthree-safety:-sec*l tion system is provided, and so on.

'This invention, asv herein. described, the application of? any.l desirablenumber ot these safetysectionsystenis;?l

. To assist` and increase;v they efficiency ot this:

method and construction', the upper or: side surface of the common partition. of the freeair-space: may be providedwith. af free openingmr free dut.-` let into the atmosphere. Such openingf. may have,

automatically operated. outlets or: valve-like', pv-

Onef'of. the aspects.` of. such: outlet-system is shown schematically 'on' Figures l, 2,l 3.,. 4 and. 5- wherein theupper deck;-

otedtrap-doors;` or: the; like;

Uz is provided with?y apluralityaftrap-doors. Whichestablish, when opened, az-free. passage.:` for the exploding gases. from the sa'fety-seetiony which the torpedo or shell or: mine explodes.. Such trap-doors, v 33, 34, 35, 36 may be arrangedl.

in a single row of a size. approximately equal too the distance between. thefinnerand. outerhulla;

as.y illustrated by 33l on Figuresv 1,l 2 'and- 3. These can be placed one adjacent to the. other or; withy spaces between them. Instead oa single; row of;

trap-doors, two rowsr or more. maylbe; provided.' To operate trap-doors, gear 42' is'provided Lcombined with a gear 43 andfwithl worrn-gearjll'l, saidr worm-gear beine` rigidlyamxefr-*tc the shaftttsprovided Withalever 46 and aV handle- 4l, and' may be easily operated by one or two'men of thel crew. If desired', instead. ofthe lever #Band the y. handle 4l, or in. addition to therna motor-driven l' arrangement may be provided, such as a steam?. operating motor (generally. employed onshlps for. the winding. of cables)v .or an electric motor. ora. pulley tobe operatively connected fwth; atdriying;Y

shaft; or'anyf suitable tcothed arrangement which will; enable. a clockwise and countreclockwise movementofthe shaft. l

The serrated: member 4l. may: be pivotallyl at-` tachedf' to thel trap-door: 35l through the intelemediary of a pivotal connection' 48 provided in the element 49 rigidly-affixed in respect tothe trawdoor. y

In the: doublerow arrangement of ltrap-doors,

. `Ther trap-doorsjmay be made of any material,

andi if: desired, theyfmayJ be made' of armour-plate steel sorthati'f 'shellsf hitthe trap-doors: when they 'are opened` "ory closed; the shells f will bounce against the trap-door and glance off due to the fact: that. 'the trap-door when: opened can be opened; at. anangle t0. thefupperf deck, asv illus--l trated'onlFigureni... i. f v the. war.- zone,.the trap doorsshould be. opened on theside Where the ship may' be attacked, 'orf for. better: precaution, on` both sides. otithel ship.. If there is fearonly of mines; andthe shipis going ata fair rate of. speed,

the trapdoors in the; bow must; be open sov that theftrapfdoor'to each safety-'section vulnerable to attack, is? open. f

Instead*k of` operating. the: trap-doors by ymechanical means; 'they may` be: simply pivotallyy attache@ or `hinged through.. appropriate means so that 'they open: only;` when the pressure in: the

'safety-section andl/orain: the common. partition othe; free air-space-y offtheT exploded gasesreaches such a: degree;l that the trap'fdoors: automatically lift.. and the'exploded super-pressure gases are enabled; escape into.: the atmosphere.

v`majority of cases, it;- will. be vfound advisable to, make the. outer board much. thinner` than the,-

innerboardl. f

The upper. part. of. the outerfboard 2;l, i.e., that part which. exten-dsfrorn theupper deck U, dovvn.4

.Wards to the Water` line; or slghtly'belovv the Water linemay be made of a hardened steelibullet or torpedoprooft, or 'l armored steel; and the remainingpart, i. e the lower part'of ,the youter board, extending dovvnwardsbelow the water line, can be made ol carbon-iron alloyy not-necessarily .j hardened. If desired, the'wholeouter boardmay be made off torpedo-proof or armoured steel. For the upper partv 0f the outer board'. 2l a. hardened torpedo-proof or armored. plate may be employed, having a thickness ofi'4f to 6j inches. This, however is given by way of example` ori-lv, and does? not limit the thickness of. the 'boards to any appropriated..dimension.. The steel used in. the lower partrnay .be made of ordinary armourplated steel et about 1 to.3; nchesin thickness.

4The inner board 2.2 can start from the. very keel lioftheshipas shown on Figure 3. If necessary... itimayA even. followthekeel of theshipto va certain,

point, and ymay.. for instance, be.`extended ,ffas

shown insdottedlines 31, on Figure 3..

The inner. board 22 may be madel from.l'ieavfy` armor having a thickness of, for" instance, 7, 10, 12 or'more inches. rI'he lower part of such inner board extending below the water line should preferably be made from unhardened steel, or from armor-plated steel that has not been especially subjected to hardening.

The distance Z (Figures 2 and 3) between the inner and outer boa-rds is equal to the thickness of the safety-sections or to the thickness of the common partition of the free air-space M Fig-l ure 3 and may be between 5 `to 12 feet. Owing to the fact that the battleship generally places itself with its bow to the enemys re, it will be advantageous to maintain the distance Z as wide as reasonably possible in the bow and stern of the ship also.

However, for a general construction, 'the Z in the middle part of the ship may be 7 to 15 feet, and towards the bow and stern, gradually diminishing from 4 to 8 feet.

Instead of a two-board system consisting ofone outer and one inner board, a tri-board system may also be employed. For instance, the rst outer board, may be at a distance of four or five feet from the second or middle board, and said second or middle board at a distance of ve to seven feet from the third or inner board, as shown in Z and ZI on Figure 2. An appropriate choice of thickness of each of the said three boards and the choice of the distances Z and Z'I between them, may vary in accordance with the construction of the ship and in accordance with the desirable degree' of security to be provided against torpedoes, shells and mines. lf properly chosen, evena two-board construction will offer the greatest security when built in accordance with the invention described herein.

Instead of three boards, four boards may be used. ZI, Z2 may be chosen accordingly, as well as the thicknesses of the respective boards.

When a three-board system is employed, such a system will have two independent and different ,groups of safety-sections and also two independent common partitions of free air-spaces MI and M2. l

When properly chosen, such a. three-board system provided with sufficiently spacious M and Ml and having suitable thicknesses of the first, middle and third boards, a suitable distance of Z and Zi will oier almost absolute safety for the ship against torpedoes, mines and the like.v For a three-board system, by way of example, the thickness of the boards and the distances between them, may be made as follows:

A battleship costing, for example, from thirty to fifty millions of dollars, if provided with the board system, in accordance with this invention, will cost even less if constructed with the twoboard system, and will, in addition, offer an incomparably greater, almost complete safety against torpedoes and the like, if the dimensions are properly chosen.

and the second inner boards.

' i If such a battleship' will employ a three-board system,y provided with safety sections and preferably, also with one or two common partitions of free air-spaces, of the character referred to herein, they will offer substantially absolute safety against damaging means of any kind. Such construction may cost 3 to 5% more but this is relatively nothing when compared with the fact that this extra expenditure permanently 'in- 'sures the safety of the ship and the lives of those on board.

This invention is not limited to the figures stated herein with reference to the thicknesses of the boards the distances Z or ZI between them, but may be of any other suitable or expedient thickness or distance.

The same construction as described herein, for battleships, etc., can be employed in the'building of submarines, in which case, the ballast cistern system should be placed in between the inner and outer boards, but inwardly in respect to the inner board, i. e., between the left and right inner boards. A second inner board may be provided, if desired, and in such case, a ballast cistern system should be placed between the first inner Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the herein described invention, and in what manner the same is to be used, I declare that what I claim is the following:

1.-An armored ship having at least three decks and having ahull structure comprising an inner. wall and an outer wall spaced from the inner wall to provide a free air space between said walls, said free air space 'being unobstructed by horizontal partitions or bulkheads and extending. from substantially the bottom of said ship to the ilrst deck thereof, a plurality of vertical bulkheads dividing the lower portion of said free air space into separate safety compartments, each of said vertical bulkheads extending from the bottom of said air space to a point at least as high as the third deck, each of said safety compartments being open at the top for communication with the undivided upper portion of saidfree air space, a plurality of beams extending between said inner and outer walls and holding said walls rigidly in mutually spaced relation.

2. An armored ship having at least three decks and having a hull structure comprising an inner wall and an outer wall spaced from the inner wall toprovide a free air space between said walls, said free air space being unobstructed by horizontal partitions or bulkheads and extending from substantially the bottom of said ship to the first deck thereof, a plurality of vertical bulkheads dividing the lower portion of said free air space into separate safety compartments, each of saidvertical bulkheads extending from the bottom of said air space to a point at least as high as the third deck, each of said safety compartments being open at the top for communication with the undivided upper portion of said free air space, a plurality of beams extending between said inner and outer walls and holding said walls wall and an outer wall spaced from the innerv wall to provide a free air space between said walls, said free air space being unobstructed by horizontal partitions or' bulkheads and extending from substantially the bottom of said ship to the heads dividing the lower portion of said free air space into separate safety compartments, each of tom of said air spaceto a point at least as high as the third deck but not higher than the, second deck, each of said safety compartments being open at the top for communication with the undivided-upper portion of said free air space, a plurality of horizontal beams extending between said inner and outer walls and holding said walls rigidly in mutually spaced relation.

4. An armored ship having at least three decks and a hull structure, comprising an inner wall and an outer Wall spaced from the inner wall to provide a free air space between said walls, said free air space being unobstructed by horizontal partitions or bulkheads and extending from substantially the bottom of said ship to the first-deck thereof, a plurality of vertical bulkheads dividing the lower portion of said free air space into separate compartments, each of said vertical bulkheads extending from the bottom of ysaid air space to a point at least as high as the third deck, but not higher than the second deck, each of said safety compartments being open at the top forcommunication with the undividedupper portion of said free air space, a plurality of horizontal beams extending between said inner and outer walls and holding said walls rigidly in mutually spaced relation, a plurality of trap doors communicating with said safety compartments being provided in the said upper deck. f

5. An armored ship as set forth in claim 3 said vertical bulkheads extending from the botwherein said trap doors are made of armored plate. t y l 6. An armored ship as set forth in vclaim 3 wherein said trap doors are armored, means being l provided to operate the opening and closing of said trap door. o

7. An armored ship having at least three decks and having a hull structure comprising an inner Apedo range.

wall and an outerwall spaced from the inner wall to provide a free airspace between said walls, said `free air space being` unobstructed yby hori- `zontal* partitions or bulkheads and extending l from substantially the bottom of said ship to the first deck thereof, a plurality of vertical bulkheads dividing the lower portion of said' free air space into separate safety compartments, each of said vertical bulkheads extending from the bottom of said air space to a point at least as high as the third deck but notfhigher than the second deck, -each of said safety compartments being open` at the top for communic'ationwithv the undivided upper portion of said free airspace, a plurality of beams extending between said inner and outer walls and'holding said walls rigidly in` mutually spaced relation, aV plurality of .trap doors communicating with said safety compartments being providedln the said upper deck, said inner wall lbeing'made from thick armor at that part thereof which is ,within torpedo range, vthe, y

said outer wall being made of as thin as possible armor at that part thereof which is within tor- ALEXANDER D. MAsLoFF.

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