US984674A - Submarine mine. - Google Patents

Description

',1. J. HUNT & M. E. WALKER.

SUBMARINT; MINE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15, 1910.

Patented Feb. 21

WZ/'g/jZ/ inventor Attorneys emanan i f i imm l l rl SUlt/IARINE MNE.

Speeiieation of Letters Patent.

lPatent-ed livelli, l, 191i.

Application filed Enne l5, 1910. Serial No. 567,060.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we Tyrosine d. Home and MAE E. uranium, citizens of Ythe iJnited States, residingl at Alameda, in the count j of Alameda, State or. California, have inn vented a new and usetnl Submarine .ll/line, of which the following` is a specification` This invention has reference to improve-- ments in submarine mines and its object is to provide a means whereby snbmarmc' mines may be readily controlled from 'the shores of comparatively constricted water-- ways such as entrances to harbors and the like.

The invention is particularly applicable to situations where 'the water currents are strong', whether such currents be dne to tidal or other conditions, and to th' the invention comprises cable carriage or carriages carrying'V torpedoes or submarine minesA which tract; may be elevated or depressed `at will by suitable mechanism located on the shore, the carriage. ttor the torpedo or mine being;- weighted to maintain its position irrespective of the strength of current tiow, while inipellingA cables are provided whereby the torpedo may moved along` ,the track to any desired position, the mine or torpedo beingn tixedly connected to the carriage so as to be readily directed where wanted.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following; dcscription taken in connection with the accompanying drawings termini; 'a part of this specification, in which drawings Figure i is ay view represent;ngit a constricted waterway and showing the man ner of applyinff the invention thereto. 2 is a more or less diagrammatic view showing the manner of applying the invention to a constricted waterway and illustrating' the operation of 'the invention.

Referring' to the drawings there is shown a. cable track l. This tract: in the form of a cable is connected at each side or" a water- Way to a Winding' drum 2 which may be under the control of suitable power mechanism so that the cable way may be rendered taut or slack at the 'will ot an operator. The drums '2 and operatingr mechanism therefor are housed in suitable defenses 3 on each shore of the Waterway so to be free from harm.

- The cableway l designed receive a carriage d provided with Wheels or rollers 5 engaging the cable track or Way l so that the carriage may be easily moved from point to point as may be found expedient. There will ot course be as many carriages el as may be desired so that there may be disposed upon the track` or eableway l as many carriages as are found necessary Ato protect the channel. Each carriage has mounted thereon a torpedo or subi'narine mine 6 of any suitable character adapted to be eX ploced either by Contact or by electric current tarnished from the shore, both these types of torpedoes or submarine mines being` commonly employed.

The carriage 4- extends below the cable l and may there be provided with weighting material 7 which will render the carriage stitiiciently heavy to maintain the torpedo or mine (3 in a substantially upright position eren when the 'winter currents are swift, the cable track 'l being sufficiently strong to resist the strain imposed by the action ot the current on the carriage t. There is also provided another cable S extendingl :trom suitable windingr drums 9 in the torti- .catxons f5 and this cable S is made fast to the carriage et so that npon the proper actuation of the drums 9 the carriage l is impelled from point to point along the cable or track l.

1IWhen it is desirable that the torpedo or mine G should be inactive then the cable track l is slacked until the carriage 4 with the torpedo t3 is lowered to the bottom of the channel or is lowered sulticiently so that no vessel will come incontact therewith, the impr-lling cable 8 being correspondingly slackcd. Under these conditions vessels may pass along the 'waterway without danger of' harm 'from the torpedo. lt however it be desi able to destroy a Vessel, say an eneinys vessel attempting to enter the harbor protected hy the mines. then the. cable l is raised by being,` wound on the drum or drums 2 until the cable l is taut and the carriage er is raised with it, so that under these conditions the torpedo or mine 6 is Within striking distance of the hull of any vessel passing I over it.

The officer in charge may readily move the carriage fr along the track l to the proper position to engage the, vessel it is intended to attack and the mine may be exploded in any ot the usual manners.

'Where it 'is desirable a number of carriages el may he mounted on the l.cable track currents are .strong ano 1 and attached to the impelling cable 8 so that the channel is traversed by a Series of closely adjacent mines some one of which 'must be engaged by a passing Vessel when the mines are in the elevated position.

By making the carriage 4 rigid and the mine or torpedo G rigidly connected therewith and also by weighting the carriage, water currents will have no material effect upon the carriage or torpedo even when such l the ollicer in charge of the defense is assured of the proper relation of the torpedo or mine G to the surface of the water irrespective of the current conditions.

It will be understood thatI the showing ofi the drawings is largely diagrammatic and that the invention is by'no means limited to the structure there shown but may be variously modified so long as the salient .tea-

, tures are retained.

It is to be noted that the cable S is connected with the weighted end 7 of the carriage 4, below the cable l, and that. the drums t) constitute an independent means for advancing the cable 9 longitudinally, and tor putting the same under longitudinal strain. Presupposing that the carriage has been lowered into the position shown in dotted line in Fig. 2, it will be seen that by manipulating the drums t), the cable S may be drawn taut, the cable l reniainingg slack. By this operation, the carriage -l will be turned end for end, upon the cable 1 as an axis, thus disposing the weighted end 7 of the carriage uppermost. Vihen the carriage is thus positioned, the torpedo will be disposed adjacent the bottoni ot" the stream, and out. ot' Contact with passing vessels, the operation enabling the mechanism to be so positioned that should a loyal vessel of unusually deep draft pass through the channel, such vessel will not be injured by the torpedo. lMoreover, by tightening the cable 8, and by loosening the cable 1, a vessel may be permitted to pass over the torpedo, until the torpedo is disposed substantially amidships of the vessel, whereupon the cable l may be tightened, bringing the torpedo into Contact with the keel of the vessel, at a point substantially ainidships, or otherwise, thus permitting the torpedo to be exploded directly beneath some specific part of the Vessel, say beneath the magazine or the engine room. I

What is claimed is A submarine mine system comprising a.

cable track in traversing relation to a waterway, means'for placingthe cable track under dili'ei'ent degrees of longitudinal strain to elevate oi' lower said track with relation to the surface of the water, ay carriage movable along and supported by the cable track an'l weighted below the cable track, a torpedo or mine in lxed relation to said carriage above the saine, and a second cable connected with the weighted end of the torpedo, below the, cable track, and independei'it means for advancing the second cable longitudinally and for putting the same under longitudinal g strain to elevate the weighted end of the toipedo above'the cable track, when the track is slacl-.

ln testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own, we have hereto atiixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS J. HUNT; MAE E. YALKEIL Witnesses AnviN (i). lVaivfrEn, PEARL K. lVILsoN.

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