US2373424A - Device for protecting ships against torpedoes - Google Patents

Description

April 10, 1945. I A. J. SINCHUK 2,373,424

DEVICE FOR PROTECTING SHIPS AGAINST 'I ORPEDOES I Filed June .6, 1942 A WKSENTY J/A/cHuK INVENTOR 14 4 Mum ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 10, 1945 DEVICE re traorccrmd smrs' Ac lNs'r a I ToRPEnoEs I AwksentyJ- Sinchuk, firidgeportpfionnw Ap iicafionaene 6-, 1942, Serial N r 14 4.27

"a c a ms." ((1114-2411) My: invention relates toanti-torpedo. devices and has particular reference: to devices for tecting shipsagainst torpedo attacks.

My invention has for its object to providemeans to'protectmoving ships against submarine attacks and, generally, against attacks by.tor-. pedoes, whether launched from submarines, other warshi-ps,,.orfrom torpedo, carrying planes.

The most effective devices for protecting ships against torpedo attacks are nets, suspended in water at a distance from the hull of a ship. Such nets, however, are not suitable for use with moving ships because of their great resistance to motion in water.

I propose to use torpedo destroying or catchnet or nets into the path of an oncoming torpedo and to submerge the net. The net may be so constructed that it will absorb the shock of the impact of the torpedo, so that the latter will be harmlessly caught in the net, to be used again, this time against the enemy.

Several such nets can be placed on suitable rails along the hull of the ship, to be electrically operated from a central control point. The nets may be further folded against the side of the ship when the latter is sailing in a zone safe from enemy attacks.

Another object of my invention is to provide a listening device at the end of the net to facilitate detection of a coming torpedo and to give pedoes consists, of a main net I', preferably made.

i. e.; an operative position, with the net fully submerged, and an inoperative position, with the net and its supporting arms folded against the side of the ship;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a front view of the same, partly in action;

Fig. 4 is a plan view on a reduced scale of a ship with my protective devices.

of a resilient steel. wireso that it "canb'e deflected. when struckby. a torpedo, thereby damp- I ening the'shock andpreventing. explosion of the torpedo. I v v The net," at the same time, issufii c'iently strong to preventthe torpedo from. reaching the board of'the ship, even if the .torpedo'actuall explodes on contact with thenet. To protect the ship in' such an event, a horizontally disposed net 2 is added for catching the fragmented the torpedo. The main net is supported in a strong frame 3, a similar frame 4 being provided for the horizontal net 2. An additional lighter net 5 may be provided in front of the main net, still further to reduce the shock and to help to enmesh the torpedo in the nets. A safety back plate 6 is also provided at a distance from the main net, to explode the torpedo if the latter succeeds in break- I ing through the two front nets.

The nets are supported on outer arms I, hinged at 8 to inner arms 9, the latter being hinged at I0 to a carriage II. The latter has rollers l2, slidably supported on vertical rails l3, mounted on a main carriage l4. A frictional brak plate IS with a spring is is provided for preventing violent movementof the small carriage up and down when the nets are actuated by the waves. Guy wires I! extend to the outer bars from the small carriage for steadying the nets against side movements.

For raising and lowering the nets a small winch I8 is provided on the small carriage, operated by an electric motor l9. A wire or cable 20 extends from the winch to a cross-bar 2| connecting together the outer bars.

The nets are held in readiness, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, when the ship is sailing in a danger zone. is shown in dotted lines. A float 22 is provided for keeping the nets in a correct position, with the horizontal net on the surface of water. The cable 20 is then loosened so that the nets can move up and down on the waves and when the boat rolls from side to side, thereby insuring the proper operative position of the nets at all times.

A torpedo listening device, such as a microphone The lowered position of the nets moved to a desired spot in the path of an appreaching torpedo. The carriages are connected to a-cable 21, one at each side, the cable being operated by a suitable winch (not shown) for rapidly moving the carriages back and forth. Both carriages can be moved at the same time, or each carriage may be provided with a separate cable.

The nets can'be folded against the side of the ship when the latter is away froma danger zone, the folded position being shown in dotted line in Fig. 1.

Hinged nets may be added tothe top net, op-

erated by the torpedo itself, for'closing around the torpedo and thereby catching the same.

It is understood that my device may be modified without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A device for protecting ships against tor- I 2. A device for protecting a ship against torpedoes comprising a rigid board, means to support the-board under water in a substantially vertical position at a distance from the board of the ship, a horizontal frame extending forward from the upper edge of the first frame, front and rear frames rigidly supported at the front and rear sides of the boards and at a distance therefrom, and wire nets stretched in the frames.

3. A device for protecting a ship against torpedo attacks comprising a carriage, means to movably support the carriage at the side of the ship, articulated arms extending outward from the carriage, a rigid frame supported approximately vertically at the ends of the arms, a wire net stretched in the frame, a second frame extending outward substantially horizontally from callydownward into'the water, means to move the net along the shipboard for placing the net in the path of a coming torpedo, and a' second net extending horizontally outwardly from the top of the vertical net, the horizontal net being adapted to rest at the surface ofwater.

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