Landships II

Tim R · Hero

Strange WW1 Landship Drawings

Roger Todd · Legend

When I saw them I thought, 'Hmm, they look like patent drawings' - and certainly in the case of the first one I was right. If you use the amazing esp@cenet site, you can look up the entire patent here (and download a high-quality scanned version of the original document!):

http://v3.espacenet.com/textdoc?DB=EPODOC&IDX=GB166154&F=0

Titled 'Improvements in or relating to armoured motor cars', it was applied for in October 1915 and granted in 1921. The abstract says:

Abstract of GB166154
166,154. Aubriot, P., and Gabet G. Oct. 16, 1915, [Convention date]. Armouring vehicles.-An armoured motor-car is provided with rotatable gun turrets at each end of an oblong cabin, the cabin having also side casemates, the corners of which are furnished with embrasures for machine guns and other light firearms. The vehicle shown in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises (1) a chassis C having fore and aft end- less-track bogies A, B and central rollers D, (2) an armoured cabin c having guns e carried by turrets f, each rotatable through an angle slight ly greater than 180 so that either one gun or the other may cover any direction of fire, or the fire of the guns may be converged in certain direc- tions, and casemates h provided with embrasures i for machine guns or other firearms, and (3) a roof j carrying a look-out turret k for the com- mander, who occupies a platform p. The bogies A, B shown in plan in Fig. 4 are driven by end less-track wheels 1, 3 and 5, 7 respectively, each of which is driven by a separate electric motor R<1>, R<2>, R<3>, R<4>, supplied with current from a generator G driven by an oil-engine P. The separate control for each wheel enables the bogies to be used both for driving and steering. Mounted on the separate spindles o of each wheel 1, 3, 5, 7 are pivoted endless-track heads 2, 4, 6, 8, which can rise against the action of strong springs to enable obstacles to be surmounted. Reference has been directed by the Comptroller to Specifications 7387/98 and 19196/08, [both in Class 79, Locomotives &c.], and 13610/15.

The Atherton one is a problem - there are too many Athertons (1,946 are thrown up in a patent search of just the name!). Do you know his full name?

-- Edited by Roger Todd at 22:02, 2005-12-12

-- Edited by Roger Todd at 22:14, 2005-12-12

Roger Todd · Legend

Hah! I found it!

http://v3.espacenet.com/textdoc?DB=EPODOC&IDX=GB125610&F=0

William Percy Atherton, 'Self-propelled Forts', application September 1916, abstract:

Abstract of GB125610

125,610. Atherton, P. W. Sept. 6, 1916. Armouring vehicles.-Consists in a self-pro- pelled fort of very large dimensions, say of the order of 300 ft. in height, adapted for military operations on land, and provided with armour and an armament of heavy guns similar to that of a large battleship, the wheels being large enough to permit of the fort being propelled along the sea- bed without being completely immersed. In the form shown, the body A is supported by springs or hydraulic rams on wheels B, B<1> and carries eight guns mounted in four turrets D. A secon- dary battery of guns firing through ports in the ends and sides of the body, and an anti-aircraft gun on the roof, may be provided. The wheels have rims built up of plates carrying box-girders B<2>, the front wheels having bevelled treads and the rear wheels having flanges B<3> to enter trenches. The wheels on one side may be of less width than those on the other for the purpose of crushing trenches. The wheel spokes are in the form of steel cables, the tension in which is ad- justable. Hydraulic rams between the body and axles may be used for levelling the fort on hills. The fort may be used for transporting a battalion of troops with guns, motor-vehicles, boats, or aero- planes. Poison gas may be discharged from the fort. Two or more forts may be connected by cables for destroying wire entanglements.

300 feet high? The man was mad...

Makes Hetherington's Big Wheel Land Battleship look sober.

I love the preamble to the description:

I, PERCY WILLIAM ATHERTON, now residing at 34, Gloucester Street, Warwick Square, Westminster, S.W., and lately at Shorkot Road Junction, Punjab, India, Engineer, Public Works Department (of India), and Member of the Institution of Municipal Engineers, Westminster...

I picture a crusty old gentleman, lately back from Injah, sitting in his club one evening sketching his land battleship after a couple of ports...

-- Edited by Roger Todd at 22:13, 2005-12-12

Tim R · Hero

You are quite right my friend, I thought you would recognize them, They are pretty cool!!!

There is so many awesome WW1 Patents on that site, its great

All The Best

Tim R.

Roger Todd · Legend

That site is incredible, I was amazed when I found it (only quite recently). It's incredible that you can find just about any patent you care to look for, in its entirety! It's like having the thing in your hand! They print out very nicely - at work, where it's free - mwah hah ha ha ha ha hahaaaaa!!!).

Vilkata · Brigadier

Very cool site!!!

And incredibly bizarre AFVs...

Is that the best site for looking up WWI era patents of american inventions?

I only managed to find one patent for Edwin M Wheelock, the inventor of the Skeleton Tank. His Power-operated road-grading machine is pretty dang cool!

---Vil.

eugene · Field Marshal

was the steam tank ever patented? and if so by whom and when
After all it did have novel ideas

Centurion · Legend

eugene wrote:

was the steam tank ever patented? and if so by whom and when
After all it did have novel ideas

Which Steam tank? There was more than one with this appelation.