KEREPEEHI IDEA

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 52, Issue 3246, 31 March 1943, Page 3

KEREPEEHI IDEA

revolutionise ships GREATLY INCREASE SPEED ELIMINATE SHOULDER BORE An invention which he claims will revolutionise water transport and enable ships, which at present take some six weeks to reach England from New. Zealand, to sail to their destination and return to New Zealand in the same time has been patented by a Kerepeehi resident, Mr F. J. Bennett. The patent papers held by Mr Bennett are entitled “Improvement in Ship Construction” and give the provisional specifications as follows: “This invention relates to improvements in ship construction, the object being to construct the hull thereof so that its passage through the water will be more easily obtained than hitherto. When a ship moves through the water, its bow cleaves through it and throws the displaced water back on to what is termed the shoulder portion of the hull and thipressure of water thereon is frequently called the shoulder bore. It is the thrust of the water against this shoulder portion that causes the greatest resistance to the forwara movement of the ship. Still further, when a ship moves along at any speed the water piles up behind its stem in the form of a back-draught, which also checks the progress of the ship. ; Eliminate Shoulder Bore “The object of the present invention is to eliminate a great percentage of the shoulder bore and also reduce the back-draught and. in addition, at the same time to make the vessel more resistant to rolling and pitching.

“The invention consists broadly in forming in the hull one or more tunnels opening from the shoulder on each side of the bow, such tunnel oi ■tunnels extending back through the length of the hull and each opening at its rear end at the stern thereof.

“In -carrying out the. invention in its simples form, a tunnel opening is made in each side of the hull at a position a short distance back from the, bow. The position of the location of this tunnel near the Ibow is commonly called the shoulder of the ship and' against this shoulder the fuL force of the water is felt as , the ship is forced through it. This tunnel opening is located about the normal water-line and its vertical cross section extends from preferably a short distance above the normal water-line

to a distance below it. The tunnel leads rearwards for the length of the ship and opens at its rear end at the stern. Series of Tunnels “Instead of a single tunnel on each side, a series of tunnels may be formed extending back for the length of the ship. Alternatively, instead of leading each, tunnel separately to the rear of the ship, they may project rearwards and at the same time inwards towards the central longitudinal line of the ship and open into a large common tunnel, which itsetf leads to and ends at the stern of the ship. “Preferably, the line of these tunnels is such that when the ship is in even trim, the tunnels will run parallel with the normal surface of the water through which the vessel is passing. “To prevent the tunnels becoming blocked, gratings or the like may be located at each end thereof. The actual cross sectional shape and the manner of attaching each tunnel at its forward end to the opening in the shoulder may vary, for instance, the periphery of the mouth of the tunne. located furthest from the bow may project outwardly a distance from the hull, while the portion of the periphery nearest the bow may be flush with the hull, thus the mouth of the tunnel will form a scoop or the like member to catch the water that is deflected rearwardly by the bow and direct it through the tunnel rather than allowing it to pass along the side of the hull. Will Decrease Resistance

“In use, as the ship constructed according to this invention thrusts forwardly through the water, a large portion of the displaced water divided by the bow, instead of hitting against what is normally the solid shoulders of the ship, will enter the tunnels therein and pass through them to discharge clear, of the stern of the ship. The point, or points, of exhausting or discharging of these tunnels at the stern of the ship will vary according to whether the ship has a single screw or a number of screws, as it is desirable that the water be discharged as far from them as possible. These tunnels wil 1 considerably decrease the resistance to the forward movement of the vessel and will thus enable it to attain an increased speed for the same amount of fuel used, if the vessel were constructed without tunnels. . In. addition, the body of water passing through the tunnels will assist in holding the ship steadier in the waiter. Still, further, when the. ship is going astern, the tunnels will materially assist in its easy movement and steerage.”