US954707A

US954707A - Device for conning submarine boats.

Info

Publication number: US954707A
Application number: US238797A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lawrence Y Spear
Original assignee: Electric Boat Corp
Current assignee: Electric Boat Corp
Priority date: 1904-05-26
Filing date: 1904-12-29
Publication date: 1910-04-12
Anticipated expiration: 1927-04-12

Description

L. Y. SPEAR. DEVICE FOR GONNING' SUBMARINE BOATS.

APPLIOATION FILED DBO. 29,1904.

Patented Apr. 12, 1910 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Q/viT-neo-oca I L. Y. SPEAR. DEVICE FOR GONNING SUBMARINE BOATS.

APPLICATION FILED DB'O.29,1904.

Patented Apr. 12, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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LAWBEIICE SPEAR. 0F GREENPOBT, NEW YORK, ASSIGNGR T0 ELECTRIC BOAT COMPANY, GF GBEEIIPOBR. NEW YORK. v

DEVICE FOR CflNNING SUBMARTNE BOA'ES.

sensor.

Epecification of Let't'ersFatent.

Patented Apr. 12, 1910.

original application filed Eloy 26, 19%, Serial No. 209,9?8. Divided and this application filed December 29,

To all whom it may cancer Be it known that I, Lnwnnnon Y. SrnAR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Greenport, in the county of Suffolk and Stateof New York, have ,invcnted'certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for conning Submarine Boats, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the class of submarine and submergible boats wherein the boat is fitted with optical instruments or devices known as altiscopes, periscopes, etc, which are designed to enable the steers-man or observer in the vessel to observe surrounding objects from a point considerably below the level of the water.

The object of the present. invention is to improve the construction, mounting and operativeness of the conning means or devices, as will be hereinafter explained. The novel features of the invention will be carefully defined in the claims.

- In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an embodiment of the invention Figure 1 is asectional elevation of the device taken along the axis of the boat, showing the conning tower of the boat, and the 0 tical tube in section; and Fig. .2 is a sectlonal. view showing the devices embodied in this application in elevation as seen from the left inFig. 1. Figs. 8, 4 and 5 are enlarged fragmentary detail views illustrating the construction of the lower part of the optical tube and the mechanism for operating it. F ig, 3 shows the gearing for drivmg Fig. l is a section at line at in Fig. 5, and Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional View of the lower part of the optical tube and the eyepiece. Figs. 6 and 7 are enlarged detail views of the indicator, the former being a section and the latter a face view.

B designates in Fig. 1) a fragment of the hull of the boat, and T a part of the conning tower mounted thereon. At the side of the turret, or tower T, and preferably in a vertical lane passing through the boats longitudinal axis forward, is an upright socket or sheath 8, to receive an optical tube 9 (sec in axial longitudinal section in Fig. 1). The socket 8 may be cast or made in one piece with the tower, as l box 22 therein.

the indicator taken at in Fig. 1;

Serial No. 238,797. 1

shown, but this integral construction is not essential to the present invention. The optical tube is fitted or supplied in any desired manner with reflectors, and if desired, with lenses, in order to receive at its upper exterior end the light rays from an observed object and deflect the same down the tube and from its lower, interior end into a horizontal eyepiece 10. The tube 9 is fitted removably in its socket and mounted rotatably about its vertical axis, and it has the necessary means for preventin access of water to the outer end of the soc at and to enable it to rotate axially without undue friction. The means for effecting these ends, illustrated in Fig. 1, are substantially the same as those shown in my United States Patent No. 751,569, and are not herein claimed.

In the present construction the reflector at the upper and outer end of the optical tube, is a prism 11, inclosed in a box or casing 12, borne on the upper end of the tube; this prismturns with the tube so as to face in any direction desired. The lower reflector, however, which is a prism 13, is not carried by nor rotative with the tube 9, but is set or'fittcd in'a fixed casting or hollow support 14, (soon in section in Fig. 1), which has on its upper face a short cylindrical tube 15, that fits accurately into the lower end of the optical tube and forms a bearing to support and center the lower end of the tube 9 and connect it operatively with the eyepiece 10 and lower prism 13. Thesocket 16 of the eyepiece is screwed or otherwise secured in the inner upright face of the cast ing 14, and has a watertight connection with the upright front plate 17 of achamber C, which incloses the lower prism 13, and the adjacent parts. The inner end of the eyepiece socketthat is to say, the end within the chamber C,is closed water-tight by a. transparent plate 18, seen in Fig. 5. The tube of the eyepiece may be telescopically slidable in the socket 16.

On the optical tube 9, within the chamber C, is secured a gear wheel 19, which gears with a toothed wheel 20, fixed on the upper part of an upright shaft 21, which passes down'through the bottom" plate 17 of the chamber C, and is rotatable in a stufling- The shaft 21 may be rotated by any known means as a crank or hand-wheel 21 thereon. It is not material to this invention how this shaft is rotated; it is only necessary to explain that through the medium of this shaft and the gears the optical tube may be turned about its upright axis, While the lower prism or reflector 13 remains stationary with respect to the tube 9.

In order that the observer may note the bearing of the object of which he sees the image through the eyepiece, the following means are employed. Within the chamber 0 is a pinion 23, gearing with the Wheel 19, and serving to transmit motion through shafts 24: and 25, and gear wheels 26 (Fig. 3), tothe hand or pointer t of an indicator on the front plate of the chamberC. This indicator comprises a disk 27, with a sleevelike stem in which the shaft 25, hearing the pointer, rotates. This disk is stationary, and in its face is mounted rotatively but frictionally, a compass card 28. This card may be turned about over thet'ace of the disk but will be held by suitable frictional means in any position desired. (See Fig. On this card is a lubbcrs line or mark a which, when the instrument has its optical tube so turned that the upper reflector or prism 11 receives the light ravs from an object which is directly ahead, will be co-incident with the pointer at of the indicator; and in the optical tube is a cross wire w, which, under the same circumstances, will be co-incident with a vertical plane passing throughthe longitudinal axis of the boat. This wire divides the field of view into two equal parts, and serves as a direction index to show'the direction in which the object lens is pointed. That is to say, when the object lens is pointed dead ahead the horizon appears as a horizon tal line and the cross-wire as a vertical line.

As the object lens is rotated the horizon line assumes an inclined 'position, remaining however, at right angles to the line formed by the cross-wire. When the object lens is pointing directly to the right, for example, the horizon appears as a vertical line and the line formed by the cross-wire is horizontal. 'When the periscope is pointing directly aft the horizon is again a horizontal line, and the line formed by the cross-wire is vertical, but the horizon is inverted.

This construction and disposition of parts is intended to permit the connnanding ofiicer of the boat, herei'nbefore called the observer, to con the vessel when on the surface, awash, or submerged, either through the usual sighting ports of the conning tower or by means of the optical tube. He may search the horizon with the optical tube and take cont pass bearings with the combined dummy compass and indicator gear.

The present application is a division of my co-pcnding application Serial Number 209,978, filed May 26, 1904.

Having thus described my invention, l claim l. A. submarine boat having an upright socket, a periscope tube mounted in said socket for axial rotation therein and provided at its upper end. with a deflecting reflector for the light rays received, an eye piece extending laterally from the lower end of said tube, a 'lower deflecting reflector which deflects the light rays to said eyepiece, a pointermoving as the optical tube moves, and a stationary scale associated with the pointer. t

2. A submarine boat having an upright socket, a periscope tube mounted in said socket for axial rotation therein and provided at its upper end. with a deflecting rcfleetor for the light rays received, an eye piece extending laterally from the lower end of said tube, a lower deflecting rctlector which deflects the light rays to 'said eyepiece, an indicator having a pointer which is driven by the rotation of the optical tube,

and a rotatably adjustable compass card traversed by said pointer.

3. A submarine boat having a eriscope tube provided with an object lens at its upper end, means for rotating the .peri' scope tube on a vertical axis to sweep the horizon, a stationary eye piece, means within the periscope for deflecting the light rays to the eyepiece, a cross-wire fixed in the periscope tube, and a scale and pointer, one of which is fixed and the other of which 'is rotatable with the periscope tube, substantially as described.

4;. A submarine boat having a periscope tube provided with an object lens at its upper end, means for rotating the eriscope tube on a vertical-axis to sweepthe horizon, a stationary tie-piece, means within the periscope for deflecting the .light rays to the eye-piece, a cross-wire fixed in the peri-- scope tube and an indicator comprising a pointer which rotates with the pcriscope tube and a rotatably adjustable compass card. traversed by said pointer, substantially as described.

5. A submarine boat, having an upright socket to receive the optical tube of an altiscope or like instrument, the said tube, axially rotative in said socket and provided at its upper end with a deflecting reflector tor the image received, means for rotating said tube, a lower fixed-deflecting reflector for deflecting the image to an eye piece, the said eye piece, and a cross wire fixed in the optical tube.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 24th day of December lflOt, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

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