US38344A - Improved construction of gun-boats - Google Patents

Description

peller.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

L. M. VAN SIOKLE, OF WOODBRIDGE, NEW JERSEY.

IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF GUN-BOATS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 38,3114, dated April 28, 1663.

To all whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, L. M. VAN SICKLE, of Woodbridge, in the county of Middlesex and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Gun-Boats; and l do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specilcation, in Which- Figure l represents a transverse vertical seetion vof my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of the same.

Similar letters of reference in both views indicate corresponding parts.

This invention consists in the arrangement of two propellersone on each side ot' the boat, and about in the middle ot' its lengthin combination with eXtra plates attached to the outer edges of the gunwales over the propellers in such a manner that by said extra plates the propellers are fully secured againstinjury from an enemys vessel, and by the action of the two propellers the boat can be rapidly turned in either direction.

The invention consists, also, in securing the blades of the propellers to spiral strips projecting from the shaft and to each other by means of rivets, in such a manner thatin case one of the blades should break or become injured it can be readily removed and replaced without disturbing the other parts of the pro- 'lo enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

'Ihe hull A of my boatconsists of a square compartment, with a at bottom, B, and covered by a roof, C, inclined from the middle toward both sides, as clearly shown in Fig. l of the drawings. From this hull project the gunwales D on the sides and ends, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, and these gunwales are supported below by a series of stanchions, E, and they are protected above by suitable armor secured to the inclined posts F. By these means the boat presents a sharp edge all round, and its armor is inclined on all sides, so that the enemys shots will glance oft and cause noharm. The space under the inclined posts F and outside the compartment A is intended to support the guns, and the engine or engines used for propelling the boat are placed in the inner compartment out of harms way.

G G are the propellers, which are plactd one on each side of the boat at about the middle of its length. Each propeller is protected by an extra plate, H, secured to the under edge of the gunwale, so that no shot is able to hit either of the propellers and cripple the boat. These propellers are intended to be so arranged that they can be rotated in the same or in opposite directions at the pleasure of the engineer, and thereby the boat can readily be propelled, or backed, or turned in either direction, which is of great advantage for a gun-boat in action.

The propellers are constructed of a series of blades, a, which are connected to spiral strips b, fastened to the shafts c, and the edges ot' the blades are secured together by rivets in such a manner that said blades form a continuous screw-thread of several revolutions. 1f either of the blades should become injured by any accident it can readily be removed and replaced without taking the propellers out of the water or without raising the boat out of the water. The propellers can thus be readily constructed out of boiler-iron, and a number of eXtra blades can be carried along in the boat, so that any accidental damage to the piropellers can be repaired without loss of time.

This boat can be used with great advantage as a transport, on account of its small draft. It can run up readily into creeks or inland waters and close in shore, to take on board troops or articles requisite for the subsistence or armament of an army, and Whenever desired it can be readily reconverted into a gunboat.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The arrangement of the extra plates H on the outer edges of the gunwales D, in combination with the side propellers, G Gr, constructed and operating as and for the purpose specified. n

.2. The arrangement of spiral dan ges b, projecting from the propeller-shafts c, in combination with a series of single blades, a, fastened to each other and to the flanges b by means o f rivets or bolts, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

L. M. VAN SICKLE.

Witnesses:

M. S. PAETEIDGE, DANIEL RoBEETsoN

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