US3296992A

US3296992A - Ships

Info

Publication number: US3296992A
Application number: US411519A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lackenby Harrison
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1963-11-25
Filing date: 1964-11-16
Publication date: 1967-01-10
Anticipated expiration: 1984-01-10
Also published as: ES306367A1; NL6413568A; GB1052497A

Description

Jan. 10, 1967 H. LACKENBY 3,296,992

SHIPS Filed Nov. 16. 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor HARRISON LACKENBY A Han H. LACKENBY Jan. 10, 1967 SHIPS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 16, 1964 HARRISON LACKENBY United States Patent 3,296,992 SHIPS Harrison Lackenby, 55 Warwick Square, London, England Filed Nov. 16, 1964, Ser. No. 411,519 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Nov. 25, 1963, 46,462/ 63 2 Claims. (Cl. 11461) This invention relates to ships.

An object of the present invention is to provide a ship having a plurality of hulls so spaced apart in the athwartships direction and relatively staggered in the fore-and-aft direction, and so shaped relative to one another, that the surface wave systems between the hulls are similar but offset from one another in the longitudinal direction, or phased, so as to produce favourable interference and a reduction in the wave-making component of resistance to progress of the ship, while the extreme port and starboard hull surfaces are flat so as not to produce any wave systems or any wave-making resistance.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which FIGS. 1 to 4 are plan views of ships according to the invention with hulls shown in full outline and interconnecting decks in broken outlines, the direction of forward motion being represented in each case by the arrow A.

Referring firstly to FIG. 1, a ship comprises three

hulls

12, 14 and 16 spaced apart in the athwartships direction and interconnected by a common deck 18, the central hull 14 being forward of the other two. The central hull 14 may correspond in form to a conventional hull in so far as are concerned both underwater and immediately above water. The two

side hulls

12 and 16, equally spaced on either side of the central hull and staggered relative thereto in the aftwards direction, are rigidly connected to the central hull by means of the common deck or other connecting structure. The

side hulls

12 and 16 are each generally similar to one half of the main central hull 14 considering the latter divided along its central vertical plane, the right-hand half being on the port side of the central hull and the left-hand half on the starboard side of the main hull. The sterns 2t) and 22 of the two

side hulls

12 and 16 are aft of the stern 24 of the main central hull 14 by a like amount, and the outboard flat surfaces 26 and 28 of the side hulls are, of course, plated over to preserve their buoyancy and produce generally flat surfaces.

A special feature of the invention is the relative fore and aft position of the

central bows

30 and 32 and the

side hulls bows

34 and 36. In this connection the bows of the side hullsthe port hull 12 has a starboard bow 34 and the starboard hull 16 has a port bow 36-are set aft of the bows 3t) and 32 of the main central hull 14 such that the wave system set up by the bows of the central hull is largely cancelled out by the favourable interference of the wave systems set up by the bows of the side hulls. The object of this is to reduce the wavemaking resistance of the three-hull combination and thereby to assist in its passage through the water. Propulsion may be effected by sail, or by means of a screw propeller or screw propellers fitted at the stern of the central hull, or at the stern of each of the side hulls, or on all three hulls. Alternatively, the screw propellers may be fitted on suitable supports arranged in the two interspaces between the central and side hulls.

The ship may be steered by more or less conventional rudders at the after end of either the central or side hulls or both. Alternatively rudders suitably supported may be fitted in the interspaces between the central and side hulls, more especially if the screw propellers are to be fitted in the interspaces. If necessary, in order to improve manoeuvrability and steering, a small amount of longitudinal curvature could be introduced into the fiat vertical sides of the outside half hulls.

As with the hulls of single-hulled ships, the central and side hulls would be suitably subdivided by transverse and other bulkheads as necessary to preserve watertight integrity in case of breaching. The side and central hulls could be of normal or of simplified construction.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a ship 40 comprises two transversely-spaced half hulls 42 and 44 (similar to the

half hulls

12 and 16 of FIG. I) joined by a common deck 46. The two half-hulls are displaced relative to one another in the fore-and-aft direction, the starboard hull 44 being forward of the port hull 42, for the same reason as given for the three-hull system of FIG. 1, namely favourably interference of the wave systems generated by the inboard sides of the two hulls.

The ship may be equipped for propulsion by sail, or by one or more screw propellers. There may be a screw propeller on suitable supports arranged in the interspace between the two hulls, or screw propellers may be provided at the stems of the two hulls.

Referring now to FIG. 3, this illustrates a modification of the FIG. 1 construction. In this three-hull ship construction 48, the

side hulls

50 and 52 are forward of the central hull 54 by the same amount as previously aft, again to effect favourable interference of the wave systems generated by the

bows

56 and 58 of the central hull 54 and those generated by the

bows

60 and 62 of the

adjacent side hulls

50 and 52. The hull-interconnecting deck is denoted 64.

Referring now to FIG. 4, this illustrates a modification of the FIG. 2 construction. In this two half-hull ship construction 70, the port hull 72 is forward of the starboard hull 74.

The hull-interconnecting deck is denoted 76.

The ships of FIGS. 3 and 4 could be equipped for propulsion as described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3, respectively.

The term ship used herein and in the claims is to be construed as embracing any floating craft.

In the embodiments of the invention diagrammatically illustrated and hereinbefore described, the hulls have been interconnected by a single deck. It will be manifest, however, that there could be more than one interconnecting deck; for example, decks could be arranged in tiers and be suitably supported one above the other, with superstructures as necessary.

I claim:

1. A ship comprising three hulls spaced apart in the athwartships direction and relatively staggered in the foreand-aft direction, and deck means interconnecting said hulls, the port and starboard hulls corresponding in shape and size to starboard and port halves, respectively, of the central hull considered as divided longitudinally along its central vertical plane, said port and starboard hulls, thus having mutually-remote flat outer sides and single starboard and port bows, respectively, and the relative positions of adjacent bows being such that the bows of the port and starboard hulls are spaced in a fore-and-aft direotion relative to the bow of the central hull a distance more than one-third and less than one-half the length of said central hull, whereby, when the ship is in motion, the wave systems generated by adjacent curved hull surfaces are phased so as to interfere favourably with one another and so reduce the wave-making component of resistance to progress of the ship.

2. A ship comprising two hulls spaced apart in the athwartships direction and relatively staggered in the foreand-aft direction, and deck means interconnecting said hulls, said hulls corresponding in shape and size to starboard and port halves, respective1y,,of the hull of a singlehulled ship divided longitudinally along its central vertical plane and thus having mutually-remote flat outer sides and single starboard and pont bows, respectively, and the relative positions of adjacent bows being such that the bows of the port and starboard hulls are spaced in a fore-and-aft direction relative to each other a distance more than one-third and less than one-half the length of said hulls, whereby, when the ship is in motion, the wave systems generated by the adjacent curved hull surfaces are phased so as to interfere favourably with one another and so reduce the wave-making component of resistance to progress of the ship.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,753,399 4/1930 Blair 11461 2,052,991 9/1936 Stack 114-61 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,169,344 9/1958 France.

1,246,011 10/1960 France.

MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner.

A. H. FARRELL, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. A SHIP COMPRISING THREE HULLS SPACED APART IN THE ATHWARTSHIPS DIRECTION AND RELATIVELY STAGGERED IN THE FOREAND-AFT DIRECTION, AND DECK MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAID HULLS, THE PORT AND STARBOARD HULLS CORRESPONDING IN SHAPE AND SIZE TO STARBOARD AND PORT HALVES, RESPECTIVELY, OF THE CENTRAL HULL CONSIDERED AS DIVIDED LONGITUDINALLY ALONG ITS CENTRAL VERTICAL PLANE, SAID PORT AND STARBOARD HULLS, THUS HAVING MUTUALLY-REMOTE FLAT OUTER SIDES AND SINGLE STARBOARD AND PORT BOWS, RESPECTIVELY, AND THE RELATIVE POSITIONS OF ADJACENT BOWS BEING SUCH THAT THE BOWS TO THE PORT AND STARBOARD HULLS ARE SPACED IN A FORE-AND-AFT DIRECTION RELATIVE TO THE BOW OF THE CENTRAL HULL A DISTANCE MORE THAN ONE-THIRD AND LESS THAN ONE-HALF THE LENGTH OF SAID CENTRAL HULL, WHEREBY, WHEN THE SHIP IS IN MOTION, THE WAVE SYSTEMS GENERATED BY ADJACENT CURVED HULL SURFACES ARE PHASED SO AS TO INTERFERE FAVOURABLY WITH ONE ANOTHER AND SO REDUCE THE WAVE-MAKING COMPONENT OF RESISTANCE TO PROGRESS OF THE SHIP.