US2252343A - Lifeboat and launching tackle therefor - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 12, 1941.

LIFEBOA-T'AND LAUNCHING T ACKL THEREFOR Filed Feb. l0, 1959 A 4 sheets-sheet 1 l. R. FLEMI'NG E-rm. 2,252,343

Aug-12, 1941.

1.R.FLEM1NG ErAL 2,252,343 LIFEBOAT AND LAUNCHING TACKLE THEREFOR Filed Feb. 1o,l 1939- 4 sheets-sheet g Aug. 12, 1941. l. n. FLEMING l-:TAL

lLIFEBAT AND LAUNCHING TACKLE, THEREFOR '4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb'. 1o,- 1939 Patented Aug. 12, 1941 GFFECE.

LIFEBOAT AND LAUNCHING TAOKLE THEREFOR Ivan Rupert Fleming and FrankElder vFleming,

Liverpool, England Application February l0,

In Great Britain February 18, 1938 i1 Claims.

This invention relates to .an improved lifeboat andlaunching tackle therefor.

According .to present practice a ships boat is generally ,lowered .by boat lowering gear of the kind comprising one or more falls of ropes by which the boat is suspended and lowered and which are looped through a .fall block detachably connected, as by a hook, to a fitting in the boat so that when the boat is water borne the fall block suspended on the lower end of the fall is `cast off.

The object of the invention is to provide a boat in which the fall block forms a permanent fitting in the boat and is constructed so that the fall or falls can be cast oi the block instead cf .casting `the block together with the falls olf the 'boat as in the known practice described. This arrangement gives a very material advantage in that the aforesaid fall blocks are heavy and when the boat is cast off the heavy fall block is suspended vat about the head levelu of the passengers in the boat and, due to relative motion between the boat and the fall block, the block may strike the passengers and serious injury may result. By the arrangement according 'to the invention in which the falls are cast o'i the block and the block remains in the boat the above source of danger is eliminated.

`Another object of the invention is to provide a fall block which forms a permanent part of the nttings of the boat and which is so constructed that it can replace the present day lowering hooks mounted in the boat and on to which the present day fall blocks suspended from the falls are hooked. Thus the independent function of the hook andthe fall block are combined in one fitting.

The invention will be further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, whereon- Figure l is a side elevation of a ships lifeboat `fitted with a fall block according to the present invention,

Figure 2 is a plan view of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the boat shown in AFigures l and 2 in the stowed position in which itis nested in the cradle of the ships davits,

Figure 4 is an end elevation in detail of the fall block and mounting therefor,

Figure 5 is a side elevation of Figure 4,

Figure 6 is an end elevation similar to Figure 4 but with the `fall block tilted to permit the fall rope to be cast 01T.

Figure 57 is anend elevation `of a modified form Cil 1939, lSerial N0.` 1255,76()

(Cl. 'Sl-2g) of fall-block constructed according to the invention, and

Figure 8 is a side in Figure '1.

The gear l0 at opposite ends of the boat for suspending the boat from the fall ropes during launching is of similar construction and therefore it will only be necessary to describe the gear at one end of the boat, in detail.

elevation Vof the block shown The all block and its mounting Il) comprises astandard I2 by which the block is permanently secured in the boat, the lower part of `the standard being riveted to the keelson I3 as indicated at I4 vin Figure 1. The standard l2 is reduced at I5 to provide a bearing I6 for a swivel block Il which is rotatably mounted on the reduced part I5 of the standard and is held in position on the standard by a collar IB. The swivel block is provided with laterally extending trunnions i9 which support cross-head members 20 free to rock to a limited extent on said trunnions, the cross-head members being located on either side of the swivel vblock 11. A bracket 2| is xed between the cross head members 20 at one side thereof, and is rigidly secured to said cross head members by screws 22 as indicated in Figure l. A hook 23 is located between the cross head members at the opposite side thereof and is fixed on a shaft 2li journalled in said members. The 'fall block comprises a sheave 25 located between cheek plates 21 and mounted on a spindle 26 supported in bearings 23 and 29 on either side of the cheek plates. The cheek plates have strengthening ribs 21u. The bearing 2S is pivotally supported on the bracket 2l by means of a pivot pin '30 whilst the bearing 2% carries a pin 3l adapted to be engaged by the hook 2?. The cheek plates 21 are secured to the bearings by screws 32 as indicated in Figure "5, and the spindle 25 is retained in position in the bearings 28 and 29 by nuts 33 on the ends of the spindle. The hook 23 is in two parts 23a and 23D (see Figure 5) and each part is adapted to engage one end of the pin 3|. Side plates 34 are mounted on the sides of the hook to prevent the nose portion 35 thereof engaging the fall rope 3b when said rope is cast off the sheave 25. An eye 31 is secured to the fall block by means of lugs 38 which are connected to the bearing blocks 28 and 2li by pins 39 and lil respectively.

To disengage the pin 3l and the hook 23 so that the fall block can be opened into the position shown in Figure 6 to permit the fall rope 3B to be cast off the sheave '25, a releasing gear is provided which comprises arms 4I fixed on the spindle 24 carrying the hook 23. The arms 4I are connected by pins 42 to links 43 which are coupled by pins 44 to a member 45 slidable vertically on the standard I2. The member 45 has claws 46 which engage an actuating member 41 which is also slidable vertically on the standard I2. The actuating member 41 is connected by links 48 to a bell crank lever 49 journalled in the boat. The bell crank levers 49 of the launching gear at opposite ends of the boat are connected by cables 50 and 5I to a common operating handle 52 the cables being led through tubing 53 mounted on a longitudinal bulkhead 54 of the boat.

Normally, that is when the boat is stowed in the davit cradle on board ship, a horn 55 on the davit cradle projects through the eye 31 so as to relieve the fall rope of the weight of the boat. When it is desired to launch the boat, the boat is slung out-board by the davts in the usual manner and is lowered by the fall ropes until it is water borne. Immediately the boat is Water borne, the handle 52 can be pulled so that the bell crank levers 49 of the two sets of gear at opposite ends of the boat raise the actuating members 41 and the members 45 and thereby through the links 43 move the hook 23 from engagement with the pin 3| so that the hook moves into the position shown in Figure 6 and the fall block is tilted about the pivot pin 30 so that the fall ropes are cast off the sheaves 25. Generally the falls will slip automatically off the sheaves and it will be appreciated that the fall block can tilt to a greater extent than that shown in Figure 6 by rocking the cross-head members about the trunnions I9. This movement of the cross-head members about the trunnions also enables the fall block to cant to whatever line the falls may take up as the boat is being lowered. Furthermore the swivel connection of the fall block to the standard I2 by means of the swivel block I1 enables any twists in the fall ropes to be readily unravelled. It is deslrable to be able to unravel any twists in the fall ropes when a waterborne boat has to be raised to its stowed position on deck. For this operation the loops of the fall ropes are re-engaged in the sheaves of the blocks and the latter closed. A preliminary tensioning is applied to the fall ropes and they are unravelled by rotation of the fall block about a vertical axis so that the fall ropes run freely through the blocks.

It will be appreciated that the connection of the bell crank 49 and the links V48 to the member 45 by means of the claws 4B permits the member 45 and thereby the cross-head members 2 to swivel freely about the standard I2. Furthermore, in the engaged position of the hook 23 the pin 42 is substantially coaxial with the trunnions I9 so that the cross-head members 20 can rock on said trunnions without any tendency to disengage the hook 23.

A stop 55 is provided on the bracket 2| to limit the tilting movement of the fall block and abutments 56 may be provided on the standard I2 to limit the canting movement of the crosshead members about the trunnions I 9. A detent 51 is pivotally connected to one of the cross-head members 29 on a pin 58 and when the detent is swung into the position shown in Figure 5 it engages the rear face of the hook 23 to prevent release thereof. Extension pieces 59 are provided on ,the lower part of the left hand cheek 21 of the fall block as shown in Figure 4. These extension pieces prevent the fall rope becoming entangled with the underface 60 of the cheek plate.

In the modication shown in Figures 7 and 8 each fall block for attaching the fall ropes to the forward and after ends of the boat comprises a standard 6I adapted to be secured to the bottom of the boat, for example, in a similar manner to the standard I2 described with reference to Figures l and 2. Cheek plates 62 and 63 are bolted to the upper part of the standard by bolts 64 and the cheek plate 63 is provided with a hinged part 65 which is hinged to the part 63 as indicated at `56. The hinged part 65 is provided with a stub axle 61 on which is journalled a sheave 58. A lug 69 is secured to the hinged part 65 and normally projects through an aperture 1U in the side plates 62 and a pin 1I is inserted in a hole in the lug 69 so as to prevent the disengagement thereof from the side plate 62 whereby the sheave 61 is maintained in alignment with the fall rope 36. When the boat being launched is waterborne the pins 1I of the launching gear at oppon site ends of the boat are removed so that the hinged parts 65 pivot about their hinges to open the blocks and tilt the sheaves 68 whereby the fall ropes are cast off said sheaves. It will be porting the boat from a davit when the boat is stowed therein.

a vertical axis.

5. In combination a boat and launching tackle therefor comprising a fall block having a sheave for the loop of a fall rope, openable means normally closing the block to maintain the fall rope within the block, and a cantable permanent connection between the -fall block and the boat,

whereby the block can cant about a horizontal axis.

6. In combination a boat and launching tackle therefor comprising a fall block having a sheave for the loop of a fall rope, a standard permanently mounted in the boat, a hinged connection between the said standard and the said fall block whereby the block can be tilted to cast off the loop of a fall rope, and means for maintaining the fall rope in alignment with the fall block during launching of the boat.

7. In combination a boat and launching tackle therefor comprising a fall block having cheek plates, one of which is movable to open the block for casting off the loop of a fall rope and a sheave for the loop of the fall rope rotatably mounted between the cheek plates, means for maintaining the cheek plates closed around the sheave to keep the fall rope in alignment with the sheave during lowering of the boat and a permanent connection between the fall block and the boat whereby the fall block is retained in the boat after the fall rope has been cast off.

8. In combination a boat and launching tackle therefor comprising a fall block having cheek plates one of which is movable to open the block for casting ofi the loop of a fall rope, a sheave for the loop of the fall rope, located between the cheek plates and rotatably mounted on the movable cheek plate, means for maintaining the cheek plates closed to maintain the sheave in alignment with the fall rope during lowering of the boat and a permanent connection between the fall block and the boat whereby the block remains in the boat after the fall rope has been cast oi.

9. In combination a boat and launching tackle therefor comprising a fall block having a sheave on to and off which the loop of the all rope can be slipped, a bracket permanently secured to the boat, a hinged connection between the fall block and the bracket to permit the fall block to tilt about a horizontal axis out of alignment with the fall rope to cast said fall rope off the sheave, a hook adapted to engage a part of the fall block to prevent tilting thereof and maintain the sheave in alignment with the fall rope and a hinged connection between said hook and the bracket.

10. In combination a boat and launching tackle therefor comprising two fall blocks, one at each end of the boat, each fall block having a sheave onto and off which the loop of a fall rope can be slipped, two brackets, one for each fall block permanently secured one at each end of the boat, a hinged connection between each fall block and its bracket to permit the fall block to tilt about a horizontal axis out of alignment with the fall rope, to cast the loop of the fall rope off the sheave, two hooks, one hinged to each bracket and adapted to engage a part of the fall block connected thereto to prevent tilting of said block and maintain the sheave of the fall block in alignment with the fall rope, a releasing mechanism and an operative connection between each hook and said releasing mechanism, said releasing mechanism having a common operating member for disengaging the hooks from the respective fall blocks when the fall ropes are to be cast ofi.

Il. The combination claimed in claim 9 and further comprising two detent devices, one located in the path of travel of each hinged hook to prevent the disengagement of the hook from its block except when the detent is first released.

IVAN RUPERT FLEMING. FRANK ELDER FLEMING.

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