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Marine Torpedo. No 47, 776

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Marine Torpedo. No 47, 776 W00D & LAY. Marine Torpedo. No 47, 776. Patented May 16, 1865. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE, WM. W. W. WOOD, AND JOHN L. LAY, OF THE UNITED STATES NAVY, ASSIGNORS TO DONALD MCKAY, OF EAST BOSTON, MASS. M PROVE MENT IN SUBMARINE Explosiv E S - ELLS. Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 4A ?, ? ? G, dated May 16, 1865; antedated February 25, 1865. To all uvho7nn, ibi may concern, : || our invention, we will now proceed to describe Be it known that We, WILLIAMI W. W. || its construction, operation, and effect. WOOD, Chief Engineer, and JOHN L. LAY, On reference to the accompanying drawings, First-Assistant Engineer, both of the United || which forma part of this specification, Figure States Navy, have invented certain Improve- || 1 is a vertical section of our improved subma ments in Submarine Shells or Torpedoes; and | Irine shell or torpedo; Fig. 2, a sectional plan we do hereby declare the following to be a full, i on the line 1, 2, Fig. 1, and Figs. 3, 4, and 5 clear, and exact description of the same, refer- || views illustrative of experiments made with ence being had to the accompanying drawings, | our improved shells. and to the letters of reference marked thereon. In the present instance, the casing A of the Our invention relates to certain improve- || shell is constructed of sheet-iron in the form ments in shells or torpedoes to be submerged || of a hollow cylinder, A, closed at the lower or partly submerged, and to be used for the || end and furnished at the upper end with a de sinking of vessels, the removal of obstructions || tachable cover, B, the lower closed end being from rivers or harbors, and the destruction of || cone - shaped, if desired, and being made folrtifications. · stronger and heavier than other portions of Our improvements consist, first, of a shell || the casing by making the metal thicker or by or torpedo composed of a casing, of any desired i securing a mass of cast-iron at this point. form and of any suitable material, so charged || At the side and in the interior of the cas with gunpowder or other explosive substance | ing, and extending nearly from the bottom of as to leave an air-space Within the shell; sec- || the same to Within a short distance from the ondly, in the use, within the shell, of a yield- || detachable cover B, is formed a tubular cham ing wador diaphragm for separating the charge i ber, D, and at the lower end of the latter is of explosive compound from thesaid air-space; } a nipple, ac, a hole in which communicates thirdly, in the employment, for igniting the | through a suitable channel with the interior charge, of a Weight so arranged within or ad- || of the casing, an opening being formed near jacent to the casing of the shell, and so com - || this nipple in the said casing, and the said bined with retaining and releasing devices, || opening being closed by a door, E, so con that the Said Weight can be released at pleas- || structed that it can be readily removed when whichure, and can be beignited permitted by to percussion, fall on any and substance which ||| accesspasses hasthrough to be thehad casingto the nipple.and through Apin, the F, communicates with the charge. tubular chamber ID at a point a short distance The main objects of our invention may be || below the top of the said chamber, this pin enumerated and expressed as follows: First, | serving to support a spherical Weight, G, and the concentration of the full force of the ex- || having an eye, a, to which a cord or Wire, b, plosion and the direction of that force in the | may be secured. Apin, H, also passes through desired course; second, the laying of the tor- || and is screwed into the casing, and serves pedoes without danger to the operators or to | to prevent the weight G from escaping up the vessels from which the operation is con- || ward from the tubuliar chamber. Gunpowder ducted; third, sufficient buoyancy to enable || II, orgun-cotton, or other highly explosive com - the torpedoes to rise after they have been sub- || position is packed into the casing, but not merged; fourth, the maintenance of the sub- || allowed to gain access to the tubular chamber merged shell in the proper position for pro- || D. The interior of the casing is not entirely. ducing the best effect; fifth, a certainty of the || filled with powder; but the latter is limited entire charge being consumed and the full i by a wad or diaphragm, K, to a predeter force therefrom obtained before the water can | mined space, so that between the diaphragm reach and injure the explosive compound; || and the cover B there shall be an air-space, M. sixth, a much more destructive effect than can Although the diaphragm, which may be of be caused by the explosion of the torpedoes | any suitable material, is packed sufficiently as hitherto cônstructed. tight to maintain the explosive compound With In order to enable others to make ane use ! in the desired limits, it is not so tightly Se cured to the interior of the casing as to pre height of two hundred to two hundred and vent it from yielding and passing into the air íifty feet, the fragments of the raft falling at space the instant the explosion takes place ino great distance from the point of explosion. and before the disruption of the shell ensues. ‘‘Elappen'iment No. 3.—The shell in this case The air-space M may be of sufficient extent contained fifty pounds of powder, and floated to render the shell buoyant, and the exterior in the water so that the upper extremity of the of the casing may be provided with any suit shell was about one foot beneath the surface. able lugs or projections, e, or other appli The column of water was projected about two ances to serve as a means of handling and lay hundred and fifty feet vertically, and was six ing the shell. - feet in its concentrated diameter. When the shell has to be discharged, the “The shells were exploded by a line of about cord b is pulled, the pin IF thereby withdrawn one hundred and twenty-five feet in length, at from the casing, and the spherical weight G which distance the operators stood without permitted to fall on a suitable cap charged any inconvenience, and could have been in a with detonate and placed on the nipple ac at boat ten feet from the point of explosion with the bottom of the tubular chamber D, the ig out being in any danger, excepting from fall nition of the detonate insuring the instant ing timber, broken up by the explosion.” discharge of the explosive compound. The cause of these most extraordinary re In order that the advantages of our im sults may be best explained by the following proved submarine slnell or torpedo may be extract from the report: thoroughly understood, it may be well here to “In torpedoes and submarine mines, as here give the following brief account of certain ex tofore constructed, the explosions have been periments made at Schenectady, New York, nearly equalin all directions. It is well known in obedience to orders from Rear Admiral F. that powder exploded in vacuoloses much of its H. Gregory, United States Navy, the account, effect, and in torpedo-cases filled entirely with as well as the diagrams Figs. 3, 4, and 5, be explosive compound, rupture takes place in ing taken from the official report of Captain stantly, when, in consequence of the water com Charles S. Boggs, United States Navy, and ing in contact with the powder, much of it re Chief Engineer Wood, United States Navy, mains unburned, and its effect diminished in to Admiral Gregory: the ratio of the quantity unbturned. The center “The dimensions of the experimental shells of gravity of the improved shellis so fixed that were as follows: three feet in height, one foot its vertical position at the time of contact and in extreme diameter, cylindrical in form, and explosionis secured, and a diaphragm ofslight constructedl of iron one-sixteenth of an inch resistance placed in the shell forms an air thick, with a diaphragm inside dividing the space, which directs the force of the explosive interiorinto two compartments, thellower com materialin the shell, while it secures the means partment : containing the powder, the upper of causing it to rise rapidly When liberated, portion acting as an air - vessel to direct the and of maintaining its vertical position in con course of the explosion. The shells, when ex tact with the bottom of the vessel when ex ploded, were in a vertical position. ploded. The experimentsprove very conclu “Ekarpe'innent No. 1. — In this trial tlhe shell sively the correctness of this theory. The contained forty pounds of powder, and was re method of firing was by liberating a ball in tained at the bottom of the river at a depth of closed in a tube two inches in diameter extend ten feet by a weight of one hundred and twenty ing the length of the shell.” pounds. The weight being detached, the shell From the foregoing, it will be seen that the l'Qse to the surface in two seconds, and then concentration of the force of the explosion is eXploded, raising a column of water, as nearly caused by the air-chamber. The moment the as could be determined, one hundred and sev ignition of the charge is effected, the first enty-five feet high, some of the fragments of part to yield will be the diaphragm IK, and the shell being projected upward to the height tlhe disruption of the torpedo and the force of probably four hundred f?et.
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