Volume Ten - Pre-Victorian to the present day - even more aspects - The Patent for the Penarth Slipway - 1881 . . .

SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by the said John Thompson and George Cooper in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 25th May 1882.

JOHN THOMPSON, of Newcastle upon Tyne, in the County of the same name, Engineer, and GEORGE COOPER, of Penarth, in the County of Glamorganshire, South Wales, Naval Architect. " IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SLIPWAYS. "

Our invention consists of a mode of constructing the cradles and longitudinal sloping rails or " ways," in such a manner that a ship or vessel having been hauled up to a certain point upon the main cradle can be transferred to an auxiliary cradle, the main cradle being liberated to receive another ship or vessel.

With this object in view we construct the main rails or ways of this slipway and the cradle running upon them in the ordinary manner and at the necessary slope or inclination, but of such additional length as may be required for the working of the ancillary cradle upon its rails or ways, as next described. Alongside the upper portion of the main rails or " ways," and parallel with them, are placed auxiliary rails or ways with an auxiliary cradle running upon them.

The slope or inclination of the auxiliary rails or " ways " is greater than that of the main rails or " ways," to such an extent that when a ship or vessel has been hauled up on the main cradle until she is over, the auxiliary cradle and " bilge " blocks have been fitted between the ship or vessel and such cradle, and the arms of the main cradle have been swung round and laid over the side rails, and the auxiliary cradle connected to the main cradle by suitable attaching gear, the further heaving up of the two cradles simultaneously causes the ship or vessel to be gradually lifted off the main cradle by the increased inclination of the rails or " ways " upon which the auxiliary cradle is travelling, until the ship or vessel is quite clear of the main cradle, and her whole weight is bourne by the auxiliary cradle.