fN August
19, last year,IJat
St. Denis on theSeine, in France,
there was launched a novel craft, which, if it realise the expectations of its in. ventor, will have greater speed in proportion to itsdriving power than any
other vessel now afloat.This boat, which bears
the name of it
designer, M. Ernest Bazin French marine engineer, consists essentially, as outlined in an earlier number of this magazine, of a platform above the sur-face of the water, supported on six up-right lenticular wheels, which areim-mersed to about one - third of their
diameter and which revolve as theymove over and through
the water. The propelling power is communicated to a three-bladed screw at the end. of a long shaft by an engine on the platform. There are special engines for turning the wheels, one for each pair, for in or-der to secure the greatest efficiency, these rollers must revolve at a speed proportional tothat with which the
boat advances. By this contrivance, rolling friction takes the place of the usual sliding friction between the water and the outer skin of a vessel, and it is expected that the resistance to the for-ward movement of the boat will thus be reduced to a minimum.M. Bazin, it appears, has not ar-rived at his conclusions hastily, for he has been working at the idea of a roller boat for twelve years or more, and the craft which has recently been launched embodies the results of many trials and experiments. Some of these experi-ments were repeated by him not long
_ a
a
THE BAZIN ROLLER BOAT.
By Jobause: H. C*vaIs.in the presence o(alarge compeay, in a tank constructed the pwpone at hi.. Levallois Work., and were rwntly described as follows in
The Eger,
oi London:
"First, a hollow wheel was pr*ced In the tank, and it ftosted vertically with
about a third of It. bulk anineused,
Spun round without any forward move-ment, the wheel continued to reyolve for some time without moving from its place, and this proved to M. Basint
he could not rely upon the ie,olution ofthe wheel alone for the propulsion of the vessel. He then pushed the wheel forward without ievolving it, and the effect was exactly thes s with an
ordinary keel, that is to say, it threw up a good deal of water In front and left a trail behind. Moreover,it only
ad-vanced four or five feet, and did not show the slightest tendency to revolve.£ PO!!t VIEW.
"This convinced M. Bazin that he would have to give to the wheel both a revolving and a forward motion. There-upon, spinning the wheel and pushing
it forward, the hollow disc travelled the whole length of the tank with scarcely any agitation to the water whatever. Still pursuing the experiments, the in-ventor gave a more convincing illustra-tion of the absence of any resistance and friction with the revolving disc. Two sticks were placed in thewater, and a disc was propelled horizontally. On meeting the sticks the wheel pushed them forward a few inches and then stopped. Repeating this experiment with a revolving disc, the wheel passed over the sticks, which sank under the wheel and rose at the identical place, while the disc continued its course to the end ot the tank.
After thus proving that the wheel m have both a revolving and a for-ward movement. M. Bazjn soon found that noing was to be gainedby revolv-ng th disc too quickly, and that it was
mly rssary to do this in
propor-tion to the propelling force of the screw. LI anything, too much power upon the wheels would be likely to cause a cer-tain amount of friction. Under these &cumstances, the relative power upon the propeller and the wheels would have to be calculated with a certain nicety, as th discs would have to turn in exact proportion to the distance covered by the boat.
"This fact having been settled, M. Barmn proceeded to demonstrate the
AFTER THE LAeNcfl
stability and speed ci the wheels. A
framework carrying six disc wheels, three on each side, was placed in the tank. A cord was attached to it and drawii Up over a pulley and carried a weight of 200 gramnles, which repre-sented a certain propulsive force. The frame was pulled back to one end of the tank and allowed to go forward by the action of the weight at the end of the cord. According to the watch, the time occupied in travelling the whole
length of the tank
was twenty-threeseconds.
The same experiment was then re-peated with the wheels revolving by clockwork, and though losing two or.. three seconds at the start before getting up full speed, the apparatus went from
one end of the tank to the other
in eleven seconds. By comparing these results, M. Bazin estimates that the speed of a disc wheelsteamboat would be thirty-one or thirty-two knots, while the smaller power required results, ac-cording to his estimate, in an economy of about 66 per cent. ofcoal.One of the advantages claimed for the system is the practical impossibjity of sinking. Supposing that oneor two, or even more, of the wheels were per-forated in collision, the vessel would not do more than sink a few feet, a fact which was exemplified by thc inventor removing the :jlugs from two of the
wheels, and allowing the water to enter. As soun as the water had entered to a certain height in the wheel, it turned up with the oritice at the top, thus permit-ting of the damage being repaired with the grcatct ease. Meanwhile, it would he possible for the vessel to proceed ai reduced speed.
Having thus, as he considers, dem-onstra ted the speed. econoni y, stability and safety of the Bazin wheels, the
in-ventor showed a working model in a huigc bsiii constructed for that
pur-\s the model is on a scale of
oiie-tweatv-tifth ot a transatlantic boat,which ii is proposed to build with a
length of T ') metres, the deck or
latlorn represents a height of six or seven metres above the sea, while the
icr ek isal iout thirteen nlctres above the water It 'ei. The ileck itself is built up with gird rs, and being
hol-low, it has an enormous carrying
Ca-LavATzoN AND PLAN.
pacity, either for merchandise or coal. There are six discs or floats, threeon each side, and owing to theirconvex form they offer little resistance to the wind, while the head wind has a clear passage underneath the deck. In ap-pearance the model is very elegant, and certainly destroys any prejudice that might he entertained against the form of the vessel.
'The motive power was supplied by
dynamos, one working the propeller and four others turning the floats. Upon the connection being made, the propel-ler revolved with great rapidity, and the wheels turned slowly, and after a few seconds lost in getting under weigh, the model sailed the whole length of the basin at great speed. To show the conduct of the vessel in rough weather,
the water was agitated to
represent waves, on t he same scale as the model,of five to seven metres in height, and
282
CASSIER'S MAGAZiNE.
though rolling slightly at het moorings the model behaved splendidly when in motion. The miniature waves rose nearly to the level of the deck, but the model rode as steadily as in the previous experiments. It is claimed that in the roughest weather the passengers would feel very little movement of the vessel
In the experimental boat construct-ed, the steering is done with an ordinary rudder, but it is proposed to steer the transatlantic vessels by means of a col-urnn of water forced out of the stern by a pump, so that instead of the progress of the vessel being impeded by the re-sistance of a rudder, it will be assisted by the water thus expelled at the stern. On the boat taking up its berth it may be driven by the steering gear alone, and this acts, it is alleged, so effica-ciously that the vessel can be turned round its own
Thme experiments will be repeated on a much larger scale when the Eriust Barns is made ready for its trial trip, and many of the French naval experts and marine engineers expect that they will be equally sucsful. The present boat is intended only br service in the
£ngllsh channel and othercoast waters,
butintheeto(itscess it maybe
the forerunner of a fleet of transatlantic liners, constructed on the same prin-ciples, with such modifications as ex-pm4ence may Suggest.
The Barss has six rollers, each shaped like a double convex lens, 3.6 metres (it. 8 feet) thick at the centre and ten metres (a8 feet) in diameter. These wbeet3 are arranged in pairs, each pair
LaUNvazao TBB DA*Z O&T.
being connected by a steel shaft or axle. There are four journals on each shaft, making twelve supports in all fOr the superstructure, which contains the ma-chinery and the accommodations for crew and passengers. This superstruct-ure consists of four parallel girders, each
1.7 metre (5.6 feet) deep, strongly
braced and tied together. A deck forms the top of this platform, which is 38.5 metres(126.3 feet) long and 12.18. metres (40 feet) wide, over all, and overhangs the rollers.On the platform are deck houses
con-taining the boiler and engine rooms, saloon, staterooms and other apart-ments, with the bridge well forward. The boiler is of the multitubular type, with small water tubes, and has a
heat-ing surface of 183.6 square metres. (1970.4 square feet). The grate sur-face is 4.84 square metres (52.! square feet). The weight of the boiler, with accessories, is xo, ioo kilogràmes (22,-. 267 pounds), and the volume of water which it contains amounts to 2.2 cubic metres cubic feet).
One engine, of about 500
horse-power, works a three.bladed bronze propeller, while each pair of rollers is
driven by a separate engine of about fifty horse-power by means of gearing with a ratio of i to 3. The propelling engine is of the compound vertical type, with Stephenson 'nk motion, and has a surface conde& -. Its principal di-mensions
are:-Dmeter of high pr re cy1indr 141ç inches
(0.37 .).
Damter of low prentmcy1inder, Z5 foches (c.6 m.).
The engines for turning the rollers are vertical, have two equal cylinders without reversing gear, and exhaust into the condenser of the large engine. Owing to the distance of the platform above the water several difficulties have arisen, due to this method of coiistruc-non. One of these, the problem of
ob-taining a supply of sea water for the engines and other purposes, has been ingeniously solved by the constructor, M. Paul Dubar. He makes use of the stern post, which is necessarily in the water, and which is a cast steel tube, solidly braced to the superstructure, with its lower end open and pointing
forward, The water rises part way up this tube owing to the speed of the boat, and is raised the rest of the way by a suction pump on deck.
As the engine is at such an elevation the propellershaft is neccssarily inclined. Thi disadvantage is niinimised by plac-ing the engine forward and as low as possible, so that the angle which the shaft makes with the horizontal has been reduced to ii degrees. Thc length of
£ ITEp. VZEW AFTER THE LAUNCR.
the shaft is 28 metres (91.8 feet); its outer diameter is o. r6 metres (6 inches) and its inner diameter o. x
metres ( inches). M. Bazin believes that with large vessels of this type pad-dle wheels should be used instead of
screw propellers, but as the present
boat is only an experimental one, the small reduction in speed, due to the in-clination of the propeller shaft, will not interfere with the test of the correctness of the inventor's principle.The lattice girders which form the framework of the superstructure are cal-culated to resist the maximum stresses which occur under the most
unfavour-able conditions(
) When the boat is supported on the middle pair of rollers, while the bow and stern rollers are out of water; and (2) when the boat rests on the end rollers while the middle pair is suspended in air. The boat is not long enough for either of these condi-tions to arise often, but such a case may occur in a very rough sea. The roller shafts, bearings and other parts are con-sidered to be amply proportioned to;*-r
- -.
-284
CASSIER'S MAGAZINE.
sist the stresses to which they are liable.The displacement of
the Bazin
is about 242 tons. The inventor expects that a normal speed of eighteen knots and an extreme speed offrorntwenty- two to twenty-five knots will be attainedwith a total horse-power of about 650. Now the horse-power necessary to drive a vessel of the ordinary type is propor-tional to the cube of the speed, and so for the fast steamships of the present day, every small increment in the speed makes necessary such a great increase in dnving power that the economical limit on the prevailingsystem has been almost reached.. The French peri-odical Le Yachi says that the combined immersed midship section of the six wheels of the BaziaIS 419.8 square feet. To drive this same section at twenty-five knots in a vessel of the ordinary fom would require at least 9,370 horse-power.This method of comparison may seem exaggeratef for the reason that the real crow section of the roller boat is that
of only one pair of wheels,that
is, 139.9 square feet. But even with this reduced figure, the corresponding horse-er for an ordinary type of vessel would be 3,126, or about five timesthat of the Baavs.Admiral Couloinbeaud,
one of the
foremast naval authorities in France, who is showing a keen interest in the Bazin boat, hascome to the conclusion that it requires only about one-twenty-seventh of the powernecessary to drive ordinary boat o( the same size at a given speed. Taking the transatlanticliner Twraine as an example, h± further states that if this vessel travclled at twenty knots, the roller boat, with the same power, would attain a speed of forty-seven knots; but as it is not pro-posed as yet to constructa vessel to run at more than thirty knots, such a boat would require only
a fourth of the
power employed in the Touraine. The rollers of these ocean steamers would he about seventy-two feet in diameter, while their draught would be twenty-four feet, or about thesame as that of the present Atlantic liners.The ErnesE Bazin was built and launched at the yard of Messrs. Cail&
Co. at St. Denis, under the supervision of M. Paul Dubar, the director ofthe works. The superstructureWas put to-gether on an immense staging, which brought the platform up to its proper height. The rollers were erected on independent stagings, and when finished were placed in position and connected with the superstructure.
The launching was a rather delicate operation, the chief obstacles being the short length of the launching timbers, the shallowness of the Seine and the difficulty of distributing the load equally over the six rollers, which, taken separ-ately, were comparatively fragile. But these and all other difficultieswere over-come, and the launch was a brilliant success, reflecting great credit on the builders and the director of their works. The Bazin has since been towed to Rouen, where its engines will beput in
and where it
will be otherwise fullyT
IlEslullip w loch inevii.alily followedhe shippi rig boom in the war of
fl114-1S caused many revolu
tronary changes in naval architecture and marine engineering. Many ingenious inventions appeared ; but many were eitht-r given no chance at all, or else, after promising start, lost favour and disappeared. The ship which could carry cargo with the greatest economy was the one which got business. (icr many, particularly hard
hit by the
surrender of her Merchant Service, had the greatest need for economical ships and probably possessed the most ingenious inventors to supply them. Time and again in the history of ship-ping the disastrous effects of a slump had been overcome only by drastic technical improvement, inch as the re-placement of the paddle by the screw, the introduction o( the surface con-denser. the compound engine, the triple-expansion engine, and
other economizers. In addition the experience of the war had taught
men to adapt both
material and knowledge
to purposes vastly
dif-ferent from those for
which they had originally been intended.
So the years which
immediately followed the war were particnlsrly favourable for revolu-tionary changes in ebip-ping materiaL and there was still plenty of o*pital available for experiment. Perhaps the most
in-teresting experiment was the rotor ship. In this an attempt was made to re vive the prospecteof sail, the oldest method of ship propulsion, by the latest theory of aero-dynamica. The rotor ship was in-troduced to the public in 1924 and immediately
captured the popular
;rrini. ion. methane e- ___________
a.use the tall rotor t'iweN were umnethrng viiHc, a
were the
paddle-whi'ei'-ROTOR SHIPS
Why the application or the rotor to ship propulsion. alter h3ving proved satisfactory. did not remain long
upon the high seas.
S
.'#,;
- - --..
,il.
ivliich have lLI%viys tound throir 'ritliti
si,istic adrrtrr,-rs
'J'he inventor was I Err Au )i I l"11-t
11Cr, a young (crrriari who hal alrealv a big reputation for Ii rmsu-1 I
arriong engineers and scientists in
OWO country. (Tire timE's wcr not
propitious for reputations to cros
borders.) As a boy of seventeen 1ie had made a voyage to Australia in a sailing ship arid had become interestoul n soil. As a young engineer in tile Zeppelin Works he had made a close practical study of aero-dynamics Although his earliest invention was of a quite different naturea form of wireles.s distant
con-trol for handling tanks in
war-time-be really made his name by the Flettner ship rudder which utilized aero-dynamic
knowledge and adapted it to sea water. Giming to Holland to superintend the making and fitting of his rudder, he resumed his jntereqt in sailing vessels.
I
3'Ji
a
aoioa TOWIRS. Slur, Ant.n FIsttn.r's Id.. wj to u.s rotor towoes u.litu&s fur ii, c.ds vss.&s. Hi. .bj.ct w.atotok. bsttsr .d,.aita.s .1 lbs lud toasIfIy to. ships ..fnsu, .sd lb .bt*1. hlgbsr .p.sd
.th di. ma h.r.s-p.wur. Abu. I. lb. isrb.ro, th. lr,* rotor shipto b.
u such. O..Mad by thu Gsrm.a ..,ul uur1dto, sh. wu. conatrvct.d
at 1.-ernun. Shr w.s s ship Sf 1.117 gro tOm. .sd was prop.lI.d bytwo .Iz.cytiadsrdi..ub ..g's.
II -.; lti mm I to tool tfl liiIfro\ 'Ii'iiT
(ill
II'
)I.i)Uls I"'T-'' a'tr of tfi' ltl'
ixilir (')iL5Ili'' I hat o'er.IIIIrli-I';IN imul IHIflilir.
F'lemt or .,-i;tiuwit ii no-I at miils. iiiw'hi
-moat br intl lidn her t lii ii the orIiii:u rv
('iilVuiH!iii... Util (Url'fullV halimi-il
am1 sha1c.l to conforimi aim)
li
'11CC W!IIi ruillers smith lit air In
at tempt ire to work alit tins prohlrri
h striheti lt-eplv. tIruiwtn. riot anTIC frau
his two exlterittI(1., l.,iit HIS.) frorir his.'
of his predccc-.sors. The Magnie- pro-.'iple of the effect of wind on valent lv
rotating bodies Was one of I IbM. lilt)
received his attention Thim principle
had originally been worked OUT. in
con-nexion nth artillery, but it had recently I.een more closely studied in association with the force of wind on aeroplane wings which tends to lift at, right angles to its direction.
After much difficulty Flettner secured the necessary backing. In 1924 be converted to his ideas the little schooner Buc/rau, a vessel' of 45fS
tons gross which had been
built in 1920. Her small hull appeared to be
hope-lessly overbalanced by
the two towers, 9 feet in diameter, with a height of 50 feet above the deck. These were rotated at a speed of 140 revolutions
a minute by a
smallmotor of 45 horse-power; the screw was driven by an ordinary motor engine of 200 horse-power.
It will
be noticed
and the point is of the
greatest inIportariCe-that no a t t e nì Pt t-as
nn.de to tFiVC th
by 'rotor po7r
That was teve - - -. rrFlettnefs id-a,
nd tie
totally unwsrrated as-sumption that he had invented a new prime c.uover vra'i the cause of most of his subsequent troubles and disappoint-wents. He himself sug-gested nothing of the sort.The rotor towers were a substitute for sail. Their object was to take
advan-tage of the wind as an
auxiliary to the engines
and to permit greater
speed with the sante
horse-power
andeconomy. Flettner's only
claim was that. the rotor
towers were more efficient
than the ordinary canvas
sail. I{e maintained that
they got more out of the
wind and were able to
take full advantage of it
no matter what it-s
(lireC-tion might be. Had this
been fully appreciated
from the rst it is not at all improbable that rotor would be built
to-day.
Makint full use of the
Ma g n u principle, the
towers of thin steel, 1ilitC
light in 5plte of their
bulky appiltrance, and no danger to
the hi15 tabilitv, were rotated,
clock-wise or aitt.i-clockwiso, aC(-ording to the wind ; tloty got the lastounce of help out,
of it, both iushing and pulling. Bitt. without i lie wind they would not, propel
ii siji1i at. till, and ithouf the Jul11 ofa
sf-ri-tv propeller the' WOn ltittIIileil only
for lisp iji \ai;luts aol J'leilsiir- r:rtift..
I 'nfort trjtilt-lv. vh,'tt the Itt Ii'
tcitlt br ungtiruiv t'iwi-rs, ,irrii(l lilt
ti-idl,, in (,'riiitjji wat,'N thu
tl-ti
Cros,sel Ut- North 'ti in Winter tvitl a
full en r.'i 1 tint u-i-sIn- iii iii- at -iv
ittrttct,-,j
f'pniir
utrilihin ;iiil huh-il us li,iti ni-tnt- i- great aiOl1 ii 5lLii h'sigtu Is tIii fist ,t4;itlu.r.
Si- ii.i,',l F1i1-,-r i.ijul sit' w;is a si, 1
.uuv-r,ioil so
tilt
otto-lihuh i,. lii f,r.rit'i-ij iter_ \-i
sly-hiotvu r'uiutrk-utjlv gial i-'iiit,.. Slit
tvuu- :iisuIut-v nihiuill- uiiid .-'-uuw,rtj1v,
ott thu...teuls bttie ''---il,ihjiv of si
uulv-lug p-is. Latin -li- wis ri-nuitin-il
Rq(Iei- Iu,/-,- rid s-itt ti-ross I j
ct-it ltt'iutiuii
ii I t-rfi-u'ilv suit sfui'tv ii' russ tin- -1 t ti t ii'.
lii ut.- uuii-tutlii,- il (h-riieijt
Aduiit--jut- Intl li-lint- ki-,-uil- itI.'r,-t-,l iii
t h. I -rillel lit_
lift
wit Iiiii'
lu_ui1
lug' t.ti- tow-n-, on liii I-i-k-i ui iii it li-sb ps. win-li a ulul. lu-it N- hut V.
itt hi-(';itls- ii tl- tviif-r
tilt- l-rtiuipi-. uivilvt-l.
Ii tv.n-'tlt- tiutuil a litlwrit u-s whit ti
nt-diN fur
tl-
er,nst rut-u ut of thu,I?,, /'.,--,_ I Ii' tiNt i- itt- 1i I t i
is sit-it Into
iii.-nil siu- tull ruin -, 3 11111
i-rvi i',-,
ii.
Lie .-.Jj witsTHE ROTOR TOWERS of the Berba,a war, of en alumInium alloy. 2ecb
rotor was 55 1..t high wIth a diamctar of abaut 13 f.et. The sir aorfecó at
the rotor was 2,196 square foot. On her trial. the Barbara made 6 knob In
a
fair wind with rotors only, 9 kno with motors only, end I+ kee with both.
Later the rotor. were mad, to gi,e th. engines mar. assisnc.. bringing the
ship's speed up to 13 knots.
built. by the Weser Yard of Bremen,
which h-ad already turned out a number of nortoutl cargu motor ships to the same
I tfl.lismIls and hull design. She was a single-strew ship of 2,077 t.oiis gross, driven ut- two six-cylinder four-cycle d it-s-I encines coupled to a single shaft. SI10 had a lu'rsi'-1nower of I ,Ofi(} for a
designed siieo'tl of to-n knots.
The &.'i'I,i,u Wtis hi ted With thtt'
rotor tours list-Paid of t tv,i. its in the /1 ic/a a- Ti - r, t , i- (twiN WI tO ma III
-- l,uiijtd ' tin-tal. nit alilnilniuni alloy
at it t li1 t tutu h f st-u-el. Kach rotor
ho-i bight with ut dtuinieti-r oftiiuoiit,
u:t fi:ot. tb- nitatirig hart. w.-ii!htirig uhutut
ii,-
itil
ut lthf totis. TJu total air.-turfni-.- f those rotors witS 2.19th ft., wi-ri- drivpn liv gt'arcil i-li-pt nc
irs ut a 5 --h wit itia was ini,_dv
'(lilt roil.' I front thi.- lurid go. the ola xi-tutu h,,-itu' ithot ri-viltit i,ti.-e 1 litiliut,-.
Matched with a Motor Ship
i'HF .1 ., iii- rotiur s.lii1u ulejii-uuls
ii tin. lu-ru u-v-lIving at a.
tvio-hi I-ui r- li-unite relitt onshijo u a
tile tutu tIi,i'ij ,t-.
U,, lit,- dr-ui tHuds 1 tIn- IJurl'at't.
it-I- thi-sigui-i-s haul had iiuv .-xlu-ri,-uI u f- ti knits wit!
Ii,-tutors uiilv liii Lilt- tvitiil_ 9 knouts with iutt'irs ink uitiil lU kiutits wit-li
tii,,t ors uitl i',Ittts tug-I her ..-\ltu- r 1
liii I (Xiiiu-uI tt'ht Ii thin utuljtsttui..tit
Sit'' 'uitilil ,ui.-it' -ttitt'jvi- 13 knots with ii"ujt i'tittrtiii, 11t15 Ifti iii
ill -XI rut liii -i- kin its lu,- to
tie-'otto-s. uvitit ill o-utni- ill It) Ilurst--pou-t-r
liii-- iii- work
''--ii g-
'-i
to iii,- shut ft. Thegreater propelling power.
When there wa any
- breeze the Ba?bBra
passed her easily enough.
but as soon as the breeze fell the dropped astern.
The resuitof her first
five voyages was
pub-lished. It was reported that the rotors had been
used with full
advan-tage for about twenty-five per cent of
the time at sea, and that when the wind had been favourable they- had
increased the speed by two and a half
or three knots. This increase had been
obtained wit-h approximately ten per
cent of the power that would have been
necessary to do the same by ordinary
means The Barba,-u 'g seawortli Incas
and rnanoeuvring qualities were Un-impaired, but it had to be pointed out that the c-a pital costs were considerable.
T1t0,- were felt all through the life of
the ship in the shape of overhead
chiii rg ons
-Tint lJadHI-f?a(/en (cx Bud-au) created
great. interest, in the United States, it rod the t ott ian Nut y re.j tortet I on the &t,'bou-a that the rotor had it big future.
But it had the disadvantage of high
i tilt al con-ir, a tiol the post - war slu tflj) took
a lii rn for tju,- wuorst- j uist. tet. the time
whti-ui the lrirttilulo- was fighting fou
i---ugiuitioin. So it. was abandoned.
'iiil- Bw/u-ii - Boi/en wuu s cull verted btc-k
to lii oruhinarv ia-lueiotji-r ;tiid the Barbara
i-v,-tti willy had Ilu-r lowers ru-nioved.
It. is ijti1iossih,hi. to suiv how much
ui tiuts hisnj-ointing ri-stilt wits due to
lI-utivise,l o-titltuisiasnt iii uiuun first pheuce.
'l'hiu buritie'i,uTe hind so notch to
recorti-nit-nih it thitit. it was chatinpioned hiy
tint nv ii tusk-li-uI 1(1 t'ocat os, who were
att ratted by its superficial advaittuigea
huh igtiorittit ui the limitations of the
uriut-iiulcs nvolt-i-ul. It i unfort llnat.e
that the wuth,t liuhuhicity udutaineul by the
ittVettit iou itch tin public to expect.
tltiu winch t ho- uilventor knew to be iiti1ossihi -uu1e. olav, perhaps. the rotor lIla 'unit- lute its Own again
\te-1s put on
Mediterranean fruit
trade. On her maiden
voyage she had almost constant calms, and it
was impossible to use the
rotors; but homeward
she got a reasonable wind and, with the towers running, she was able to maintain her full schedule
speed and reduce tSie
main engines to half
power. On this voyage
she encountered another
LL through the history of shipping there has been a succession of freak designs in naval
arehitee-iii. They represent attempts to
mc I ilec' .r revolut ioliarv sliiji that will Ovtrcc4?1i all the ditliculties of the 4iIcprng irdtistry and put it-s inventor in
bc waI- ,f a huge fortune. When the cci ted, is to eliminate eirtain excessive cmi or ot her hand caps to trade, the
II tot isoften successful enough until the ci'-urnstanees change. \Vhcn, how-..r. the inventor ha attempted to cc cct.pa. hull form that. will coi more
ii Iv with t}ii' resistance of the
icr crwith the effect of waves, he hn
ci.. r lii
ciii rely successf ii, becauseII K cicli ihic -low and studic.i
develop-itiii
fe:itiir.K t hat proves,ic
Such fr_i ks of na va
c-cllire have existed
cclii IIc,.c;iH c-st times 1iii
Ii U Icr- (if rlic_irj clii r c-c crcleal or 4 S r I a
NOVELTIES IN SHIP
DESIGN
else are nothing more than a legend. Many of the pioneer steamers, for instance, might justly be described as freaks, for until the basic principles of
steamship design were appreciated
everybody had to work from entirely original ideas. The nineteenth century produced the greatest crop of unconven-tional designs. This Was due to the
rapid development of mechanical
tech-nique and to the expansion of overseas trade. There were always, therefore, some people trying to beat the clock and advance ship design by decades at a step.
One of the most interesting freak sailing ships dates from the beginning of the nineteenth century. The Trae.it was built in 1800 by Captain Richard (over of the East India ('on1panvs
[THE ONLY SEVEN.MASTEb tCi.lOI.. I..- .- -ed
on the oppocite pagewa, built in II2 by th* ForeRiver Shipbuilding Co.,
at Quincy. Massachu,et, U.S.A. Named the Thomas W. Lawson, eh.
wee a
I of 5,215 tone. Her II length was 375 ft. 7 In., her beam SG
feet and
her depth 22 ft. II In. Sh. was owned by th. Coastwl,. Traneportadon Co., of America, and w, regletered at So,ton. She proved extremely awkward to handle. Her short and dieappointlng life came to an end In IO7, when
uhe was wrecked. t43
TUEFAMOUS. CIGAR" SHIP, built I. ISU byT. A W
L Wy.a I I .f wee eejeeed the
Wy.e. fl 'sS&d
eeurelof 255 feet, with a maxImum besm .1 IS (set. 5. sg wee*ed at S s luth
we
.d
of 22 knoti. Deeplee the 611.,. of her eri.Ie,a
Ip(
h.I
.
Sees WInventors with revolutionary ideas in naval architecture were respoeslbIe5 particularly in the nineteenth century, for the construction of many strange and remarkable types of ships,
but the ambitionsofthe designers were seldom realized.
service.
The war with Praice had
shown that the ordinary lumbering
ierehant ship was handicapped through not being able to sail as close to the wind as the fine-lined French privateers. It was Gower's idea to evolvea ship that would not, only sail faster with a beam wind, but one that could also be easily manoenyred closer to the wind. He also intended his new ship to be built and maintained more cheaply, to be run by a smaller crew and- to be less liable to dismasting. The Tranait was a four-masted fore-and-aft schooner of 200 tons burden. She fulfilled the claims of her inventor and beat some
of the smartest, ships in the Navy. but she did not obtain the recognition that had heen expected. She was
wrecked in 1810 and her design was not repeated.
In 1814 William Don-caster patented what was described as " the first
(''eTapjwaredii OTi Ihe ha hit able gluh'. This ve had five Iorplu-sha1sd hulls.
These hulls red uced t he wet ted surface
rca and with it. skin -friction, but 'inhappilv also reduced tile carrying apacit.-. A pair of paddles forward irid snot her pair aft suppi ed the propel Ii ng power. The sh p was a failure from
Ilie first but many other strange vessels
were built, and still more were designed but. never reached the building stage.
In the early nineteenth century there was a
heavy tax on timber
imported into Great Britain, even
from the Canadian colonies, bitt ships built of timber were exempt from the tax. To evade this tax, John and Charles WOOd, the shipbuilders who were reiponib2e for the early Ciinarders and for many other
note-worthy veeh, hod the
idea o1bàdiiga".eb.d"
ihipii
iit.h
Ncmth aocohe
ar!ire1 iGust
wb, tj h
-
he heJs mi- ibecI.
She
si a ship of 39O
thie,
''itb
a Iegs
.4301 feet a be&R at &) ft.
6 i. sad a
height offt6iE.
Sheeroe.edthe Atlantic
itb
dii-eulty and reashed B1ackwail on the Thss after
y adveat.
Thereher o,
theWOOWBod etaereØed used the
$y
e1Iback ok _ot
r
La theI.
lai.
Sia hiçh .1 $
wse bsiIt re___
1JI;e.!im
.-bsrqis.
frt
a the
Mt
a dthms theks(oaI. weats
t.
.ud- the
A si1Ii sshs,
at*te utti
at te
of the *s,c41144& .1tie'ib,e
sird,i.jg n)any Jrt,ssi pa hnt Carric I t in her Ii l3rita in freon Sandivavii. 'rhe. Adniirtltv
needed supplies and ho It a hug raft, iii solid ship shape, at Tn iiidhjeiii( Yeirwav).
ft was 360 feet long wit Ii a beam of 42 feet and 10 ft. 6 in. draught TIn'
raft coiitainel 1,292 standards.or 4.200 tons of timber. It was ii uly i'er.ristered
as a ship under the tiame 1!' ro/r'rbruq-_-and was towed across the North ea
by the tug Riziia single-handed. The experiment was a coinpletesucces,s, principally because of the remarkable skill and gallantry of the tug men.
The 'forties and 'fifties of the nine-teenth century produced a greatcrop of freak inventions. The gold rushes to California and Australia had worked up a huge volume of passenger trade and the steadily improving economy of
TWlL fl4
a - to 'e aId a
km
,- .---
e, a'..
"--.
i.
steam inieli iiii'r-v L!lOwt4I 'a ni
to take, pal' iii riles which had ''ii
ri'garde I as possi Ii' fur .tai to he. In
the (]a/.,ric of Ji: .ldm Erii's'iii
rid
to dispense with si'iTi and i.'-t''I heath air instead. The echich'rs were iiover the furnace tr's.
l:
5unis of money were s,nt wit Ii It
achieving the speed intended. ihit
ii rironveritional engines wee H a lv
replaced by ordinary ones. In I
Freilnric.k Sang atteniptcd to that a
raft on a
series of CyIIndeN whose sides were fringed with narrow paddlefloats. A,s the cylinders revolved the
ship would he propelled forward with the minimum of resistance. It was an ingenious idea, but it proved to he a failure.
Similar to Rang's ship was the Ocean Pakzce, the invemi-tion of an Australian
- named Wilcox.
This
vessel had a double cigar-shaped hull with a huge caterpillar belt ruiinnig from end to end, furnished with peddle floats. The
Aqua Aerai was a screw ship built on the principle
of the hydroplane, but ecvereJ decades befoi'e its time. Shewastorun from London to Melbourne in less th.sa a month. Her peculiar hull rested on
cznpreeaed air instead of on the 'water.
The advent of steam in the coal trade during the 'fifties Led to the building of many freaks in the following decade. The beet remembered is perhaps the Co.usoior, a ship built
1iee usotiose loly
- toatherh hinges
after the fashise of a toy She was dsegvsd to rik oumfertebjy in the nret weather,uadulat,-leg or the ws'ces an d
she ws a sea asrpvat. 0. anivsl asrt nth h&
cargo of cn.i she warn to be divid leto three sections for rapid dohuige The ship w
bout, bet she
was aM a oeses,In the sa period the Qvfl Wet I Aeerica and
the atz
of inn.
sleds eaw many aheozesah
Tb.
-- found
it
ft w mb4a
esaterisla for.0
-THE THaEE SECTIONS of the Coeacto, w.rs looi.Iy hI.g.d tot.ehe,
t. ssMe die aip ie rids asirt.I5, öre hsswp ., widi as
uiid4atlr4 rnotio. Tb. Coii,s.ct.rw bilk sheet I fl dir.. s.cdo r with the I.tJ.. ef aar ship was In port, to f.ciiItst. di. tsadlng sj,d di.cher ,g at dMs'pa, whereas.
-
I-itinkeshifta were very strange indeed.
The famous Al erriniac, which under their
tia was named Virgsnia, was certainly
a freak, and resembled a floating hay-rack. She had been a U.S. steam frigate
tLhanhloned by the Federals in the Norfolk NL.vy \ard and burned to the Lt(rs edge. The Confederates
con-I ri ed to raise her, and over the remains
'f her h till hey built itO extraordinary trtIct.iirc armourd with raUway iron Intl 1 in. thick and having eightgnuìs.
Apart from these warships the most
uiT(resl inc sea-going freaks of the
is wi-n the cigar ships ' built
ri lie tiflted Stutes and in Europe.
Tl most nlportant wa the Ross
!l'I''ria, beth in London by T. & W. L.
\vuuarIs. her hull was built in the
ii;i pe of art elongated cigar, with a
-I ri (leek inidships. SIte was 256 feet
wh a nu;iximuln lrnuuul of 16 feet;
I deck w.s 130 feet by It) ft. 6 ri.,
,tiil hiss thait feet above the water.
I n f novel design, working
it it irissit-, of 2t Ii to the 811 us re
ii-. v ere netted to give her a speed
il ! knots. Sb1 was a failure, however. ii lllIt Ii slit Lrou.e,l ninth attention
p I ri-ri--.! at rh t ui. rutleterred by
hi- ía Ii r f her trials, the brothers
ia I P 5(II il the I I (1/let
',-/( It 'is -.on t hour ',ners
1 tlps vissi-Is a-i-i scrapped.
Chief among the freaks of the seventies were the circular ships or "popoffkas," and the weird ships built
for the Dover-Calgis service. The "popoffkas " were designed by a Russian admiral named Popoff. Popof Was an
officer of considerable professional
attainments, but his views were
un-orthodox. They secured, however, the support of Mr. E. J. Reed, head of the constructors' department of the Navy. An Imperial Failure
Poeorr's idea was to build a circular ship to provide an absolutely stable gun platform. The first. of the type to he built, the Notoroti, wa almost
circular. She had a displacement of 2,49(1
tons. her extreme diameter was 10! feet, and her draught was uniform at 13 ft. 2 in. Her Bides were well protected
anil she mounted two big breech-loaders. She wa.s provided with six
compound steam engines, each driving its own screw. The total indicated horse-power was designed at 2.40t3. In
theory she should have handled more easily than any other ship afloat, for her numerous screws gave just the right
toucheS of power out out sideor the other. En practice, however, slit. round and round ii the water, and lit-; ingiutes had to be worked up to 3,t)(M} horse-pta-er to attain seven knots. The design
54
was followed tairly closely in the Russian Imperial yacht Lisdavsa of
1880. She was not quite circular,as she was 235 feet long and 135 feet beam, but these proportions were considered sufficient to make her steady enough for the Tsar and Tsarjtga. She had three funnels abreast and three screws, and although she managed to make 157 knots on trial, and rode out a heavy gale, she proved too uncomfortable for an Imperial yacht, and was soon handed over to the Russian Navy to make what use they could of her. She was not scrapped until 1926.
The freak Channel steamerswere even
more interesting than the warships. The Paris Exhibition of 1867 had greatly increased the volume of cross-Channel traffic, but the crossing was dreaded by
travellers. The crack ship, for instance, was at. that time a little ve1 with a
yacht-shaped hull, having a speed of 15 knots on a gross tonnage of 340. On the Newhaven service the ships were as large as 483 tons, with rather less speed, hut all the packets were lightly built and uncomfortable
in a
choppy sea.Captain flicey, formerly of the indian Navy, had been impressed
by the
catamarans in Eastern waters. These (:raft were able to aai! in heavy seas because of their double bulls. Diceydesigned the ( 'a/ulu, to be a double bulled Channel steamer. She was built by the Thames Ironworks at Blackwall
for the English Channel Steamship Company, Ltd. and had two distinct bulls, 290 feet long and 20 feet beam. They weii provided with stout decksand superstructures at & sufficient di.stanc apart to make either act as an outrigger for the other. The arched girders that joined them were of immense strength. and the passengers had a comfortable deck and superstructure overall. The bulls had a draught of 6 feet, with a free-board of 14 feet. Either hull contained an engine between two boilers, and the paddles worked in the oeutral waterway between the two hulls. As far as
8tesdine was concerned, the Castetha a succesa, but she was deplorably
low. After two seasons' work shewas
taken off eerviee to become a hospital ship in Long Reach. Shewas eventually broken up in Hoiland.
Ctemporary with the Castaha was
the wm.r, beilt at Hull from the idsas .4 the Meel magnate Sir Henry Beerner and of Mr. B. J. Reed, the
asval conititor,
r dimensionsie 349f.et by 40 feet, and she had a I tonnaqe.4 1,974. HIr aahbosrd low at either end, and amidships
th. esperatruet,
mee to a cdesable hàght. She was given two pairs of4;
j
l.-'-'is z, 4'
'
*
paddles for a speed ot 20 knots,
but. in practice the after pair raced round in water thatwasalready rushing astern, and I 3 knots was th most
fiat she ever attained on service, The most original feature of her
design was due to Bessemer's theory that the hull might be allowed to roll
freely provided that the passenger accommodation was kept stable.
The "Calais-Douvres"
%VITh this idea in mind, a large saloon,
70 feet long, 35 feet wide and 20 feet
high, weighing 13(1 tons, was built
separate from the hull and set on gimbals in the same way as an old-fashioned oil lamp was set in a sailing ship's saloon. The original idea wa8 that it should be allowed to swingfree,, but later it was fitted with hydraulic
operating gear. The effect- was appalling. for while the ship took one motion, the saloon took a different one, and it was far worse than the natural motion of an ordinary ship. The saloon was then locked in position, but the ship was never a auccesa and soon went to the ecrappers.
Sooe afterwards the Expresswas laid down on much the same lines as the
CasaLsa. The Express had a gross
ton-nage of I,94 and engines of
3,6(n)indicated horse-power, designed for a
a-'
sf ',l of Ii knots. $lu' es l'iiiji fir
('lniiinel .Steaiiis}iip ( Oii1)5flV. vliili SOon '.vpnt into li(ltiidltlofl, 'lh'
hiiilib'r-took- her over a nd. iinde.r the flu me
she went ' in to th
T)ovcr 'Calais service. Her two huh Is
were each )2 feet long h I 53 feit Pain.
and she had two 24-ft. paddles. pIn.' I
between the hulls. I-kr stea Iii steerii, gear u-as of unusual type. amid was
constaiitiv causing trou hle. She u-as much faster than thc (as/aiiq and in
th- worst weather she would roll only about five degrees, although lie pitched
heavily. She was bought by the
Loii(lofl, (.'hathanj and Dovir Railway in i78, transferred to the French Hag in l8O and laid aside in 1887. She wa.s
afterwards used a.s a hulk, and in 899
was broken up on the Thames.
Numbers of freak underwater craft were built during the second half of the nineteenth century. Simon Lake. built. his Aryonaus to run alung the sea bed on huge wheels and discharge divers to examine sunken wrecks. Several other inventors worked on similar lines. After the ram's succesa in the American Civil War, the Pulyphen,uis was projected for the British Navy
in 1873, laid down in 1878 and
launched in 1881. She was designed as
a "torpedo ram" and
was thefirst. vessel to which a submerged
-
a V,Agjrj Is *.
.
___
.Iaa Cw. -* p._-i_ .
- A',.
-4
ft
torpedo tube was fitted. Apart from that, her only armament was a few
light quickfirers to defend herself against torpedo craft. The upper part of the hull was built in the shape of a whale, and the exposed section was protected with armour so thick that most shells would glance off. She was the only vessel of her type to be built for the
British Navy.
The Polujphinus was an unconifurt-able ship, and spent most of her life in the Mediterranean. It was soon realized hat she wa- far rou, slow to lie used for
r.LluuuiLIug. ',mi afterwards the Anier-c'uri built a soniucwliat similar vessel,
uti med thu Au/a/u/tn. but sh, al,) was too slew ftii- her purpose and was later ust"l a'at argot.
lii the us nv eight ic'. U,}rt F'rver ceniult'ml twelve vears e'xlueritimentai
work by building his roller ship. . litre.
lt this ship a triamicular Iucl rusted
oil Ilirece huge wheeL l'litcu -ii1iplied
il.. I ulvuity, amitt had a -.mi- of }uu-k,'ts romn'l t nit side-
ti
ut e.jutlllt ';ut- vhemi ie ulvu,l liv tb
stearu uiriiIis on leek.
'fl,.li
ofcc ruubir Hoits v'rc of heivv men.
i, thi1t 'lct'n ilit- ,.liij, rca'li.-eI lumil
t 1ev voul t-rvi' i. liu't'l.
'l'l'
ha fidel cc Ira'tiee.llIi\Viilg
1 siiiiiltrscIon,. a
l"rumceli jnv,itir builttl,
ruiler I I
/iii,
ui he mont it'.'with high hopes of revolutionizing naval architecture, but she lasted only for a
few years.
In the 'nineties the whaleback
steamer was evolved on the Great Lakes of America. She was a par-ticularly ugly ship, and looked as if she really were a whale as she lifted her almost cylindrical hull, with its blunt snout bow, out of the water. It was
('burned that this hull would save forty per cent in first cost and sixty per cent. in fuel, but at sea it was a failure and was scarcely more successful on the (;ru-at Lakes.
Seven-Masted Schooner
ONF; of the last attempts to build a
sailing ship that could compete satis-facctonilv with steam was made in North .1 unties at th b"ginning of this cen-tlirv. lii 1902. at Quincv. in the state ui \lassu.Iiusutts. L'S. A., the The,tos II. Jj,r..,,, was built by the Fore River
Shiphuild dig ( 'ion puuv. She was a huge s(lii)i,ii,r of .),2 I totis grost. and she had s.'vc-n IiiLSt,s. At tb time there'
ii-i' raz.
in Auminea for many-hiNted sailing v,-sel, imnd in the?/',
II. I ".co, this craze was'tm'ri,,l to an extreme. \\ ith nut overall
li'ngt Ii or3Th ft. 7 iii., she hal a beani of
it) fet and a ub- 1ut Ii of 22 ft II
She was n'gisteiu I at Boston, [.S. A.,
4-A FOUR-H4-ASTED FORE-4-AND-4-Api SCHOONER of 255 tons, di. T,osm was belt a I by C.1a1, Ikb.,d r.
.
as dssigasdthat oh. could ossify b. mano.uyr.d clos, to di. wind. Although liii. ship fu$RII.d wma.y .1 li., I.os*.rs dalass,li.r 4.sIg. was sat rip_It Sli. was wrsdcsd a ISIS
_f__ .t--'--_ n----
-';''
at1
-'r' -,e; .1. " y*', Si -' ' ., : '".?dSt
A -c --'p- - -ccc-and was engaged in the ooeatal cargo services of the Coastwj,e ?ranspos'tation
Co. Her great bulk was 10 difficult to handle that she earned a bad na among the American eailoi.. She was wrecked after a life of only five yeai'&
Many more ships of revolutionary design have been planned during the last hundred years, but have never been built-. In his book, Fvow Sail
to Sisam, for instance, Admiral Fitz-gerald mentions a design by a distin-guished naval architect for a novel warship. For the sake of economy, it was suggested that the vessel's size
should be limited to about 5,000 tons. She was to be low in t.he water, and her whole armament, her searchlights,
signal mast., heats and navigating bridge were to be embodied in a single turret amidships, with the funnel run-ning through the centre of this turret.
In recent years sonic ships of revolu-tionary design have been built and put into service. Among these is the
successful Areform " ship, whose out-standing feature is a hull semicircular
in section, wit-li riveted instead of
welded plates.
Another successful recent design is
the Maierform " ship, one salient charaetenistw of which is the yacht-shaped lows, planned to give better
Spu't-(l in Jeat weather.
*:-"---'"-
