US1185145A - Shield for battleships. - Google Patents

Description

J. TAGGART.

SHIELD FOR BATTLESHIPS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 20. m5.

Pater lted May 30 1916. 2SHEETSSHEET 1.

J. TAGGART.

SHIELD FOR BATTLESHIPS.

APPLICATlON FILED OCT. 20 I915.

Patented May 30, 1916.

- 2 SHEETSSHE ET 2.

view' of JOSEPH TAGGART, OF KANSAS CITY, KANSAS.

SHIELD FOB BATTLESHIPS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 30, 1916.

i Application filed October 20, 1915. Serial No. 56,962.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH TAGGART, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City in the county 0 Wyandotte, and State of Kansas, have invente certain new and use Shields for Battleships; and I do herebydeclare the following to. be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, .such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to improvements in shields for battle ships.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of shields for battleships and to provide a submerged shield adapted to intercept and explode torpedoes of submarines and other vessels beyond the hull of the protected ship to prevent rupture of the same.

A further object of the invention is to provide a submerged shield of this character adapted to confine a wall of water between it and the hull of a ship so as to form a shock absorber and effectually protect ships from the effect of torpedoes exploded against the same.

Another object of the invention is to provide a shield of this character adapted to be carried by a battle ship in a folded or out of the way position when the ship is beyond the danger zone and capable of ready operation for extending the shield into position in spaced relation with the vessel.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in such novel features of a protecting the hull of construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without and pointed out in departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention. I

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a vertical portion of a ship provided with a shield constructed in accordance with this invention and shown in a protecting position, Fig. 2 is a perspective a portion of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail view, illustrating the arrangement of the lower stay chains, Fig. 4 is a detail view of a modification of the invention,

ful Improvements in I 'responding parts in showing a "portion of a shield constructed of latt1ce-work,'Fig. 5 is a plan view show-- ingthe shields and the separate front and rear sections in their extended position. Fig. 6 is a similar view, the shields and the sections being folded.

Like numerals of reference designate corthe several figures of the drawing.

In the accompanying drawing in which ,is' illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, 1 designates a shield, constructed of heavy sheet steel or other suitable material and. conforming to the configuration of'the hull 2 of a vessel and supported in spaced relation with the same by horizontal arms 3 designed to be arranged at intervals and to extend through loops 4 projecting from the upper edges of the shield and either formed integral therewith or constructed separate therefrom and suitably secured thereto. oted at their inner ends to fixed pro ecting supports 5 by pivots 6 and provided with upwardly projecting heels or trip projections 7 adapted to be engaged by the loops for automatically folding the arms 3 upwardly against the sides of the ship when the shield is drawn inwardly by thefluid pressure mechanism hereinafter described. The projecting supports 5 which may be of any desired construction are provide The arms 3 are piv-' with openings or recesses 8 adapted to receive the trip projections or heels 7 to permit the latter to lie in substantially flush relation with the upper faces or edges of by ang ularlv related stay chains 10, which are arranged in a taut condition when theshield is in its protecting position. A'stay chain may be arranged at the lower edge and at various other points on the shield as required. v When the shield 1 is in a protecting posil of water around the tion it confines a wal hull of the ship and in practice the space 18 feet or less, so

designed to be about three that when a torpedo is intercepted by the at its lower POI'tlOIl' shield and exploded threat the explosion.

will occur a suflicient distance from the hull Q means of the vessel to prevent it from injuring the vessel. The shield and the wall of water form a shock absorber and the wall of water when struck with a sudden force is practically rigid and will constitute an elii'cient bulwark for the ship. Instead of employing a solid shell to form a shield a lattice work shield 1-1 may be provided, as illustratedin Fig 4 of the drawing The lattice-work shield may be made lighter in structure than the solid shell 1 and it may be handled more cheaply in moving it inwardly and outwardly to its projecting position.

The fluid pressure mechanism for moving the shield inwardly and outwardly from the side of the vessel to the projecting supporting position and vice versa comprises in its construction pistons arranged at suit able intervals and consisting of a piston rod 12 connected at its outer end to the shield and extending through a stalling box or boxing 13 of the hull and provided at its inner end with a piston head 14; operating the speed of the same,

in a horizontal cylinder 15. The cylinder is provided at its ends with ports 16 and 17 connected by pipes 18 and 19 connected with,

suitable controlling mechanism (not shown) designed to be located at the bridge or other Ipoint on a ship for enabling the shield to 'e instantly moved inwardly or outwardly, as may be necessary. The piston pierces the shield and is provided at its outer end with a nut 20, a tapered washer 21 being interposedbetween the nut and the shield, The piston rod is designed to be provided with a-shoulder 22 between which and the nut the shield is clamped, but anyother suitable means may, of course, be provided for mounting the shields on the ends of the piston rods. When the shield is moved inwardly the supporting arms are folded automatically against the hull and the hull of the vessel so as not to interfere with The shield by being located below the surface of the water will be'practically protected from injury by gun re. In practice the shield will extend from the horizontal plane of the lgeel or from a exploded at a distance from the hull which may be varied as desired the shleld so as to make a continuous surface and admitting of a gradually diminishin wall of water between the shield and the ship at the bow, and separate sections 25 of be so placed arms the shield can be adjusted at the stern. The stay chains are to be adjusted at the extreme lower edge of the shield so as not to comebetween the shield and the skin of the ship when the-shield is drawn against the side of the ship, and all attachments are to as to cause the minimum trio tlon when the shield is folded,

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a hull, of relatively short fixed supporting means projecting from the hull spaced supports carried by the fixed supporting means and movable to and from a projecting position, a shield slidable inwardly and said supports to and from the said fixed sup porting means, and means for moving the shield inwardly and outwardly 2. The combination with a hull, of arms projecting from the hull at intervals, said being movably mounted, means for actuating the arms for carrying the same to and from a projecting position, a shield slidably connected with and supported by the said arms, and fixed supporting means lieve the arms of strain,

3. The combination with a hull, of supports arranged at intervals and projecting from the hull, a shield slidable inwardly and outwardly on the supports and adapted to be arranged close to the hull and in spaced relation with the same, and a separate front shield section located in advance of the said shield and hinged at their front edges to the bow of the boat and movable inwardly and outwardly and adapted to form a gradually diminishing wall of water between it and the hulli 4. The combination with a hull having or heels at their inner ends, a shield slidably connected with the said arms and hav ing means for engaging the trip projections for folding outwardly,

5. The combination with a hull, of a shield arranged exteriorly of the hull, relatively short rigid projections fixed to and extending outwardly from the hull, arms pivotally connected to the projections and slidably receiving the shield and adapted to foldagainst the hull, and means for mov= ing the shield inwardly and outwardly, said shield being arranged upon and sup ported by the fixed projections when it is j at the limit of its inward movement,

6. The combination with a hull, of a shield arranged .exteriorly of the hull and provided at its upper edge with loops, fixed projecting means carried by the hull, pivoutwardly on the 1

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