Water activated gas buoyancy device

Claim 1

APPARATUS OF THE TYPE FOR RECOVERING A NEGATIVE BUOYANT SINKING TORPEDO, WHICH APPARATUS BECOMES OPERATIVE WHEN THE TORPEDO HAS SUNK TO A PREDETERMINED DEPTH IN THE SEA AND ABOVE THE FLOOR OF SAID, COMPRISING; (A) A TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING CAVITY WITHIN THE TORPEDO HAVING A FIRST OPENING AT ONE SIDE THEREOF, (B) A BUOYANT RELEASABLE CLOSURE CLOSING SAID OPENING, (C) AN INFLATABLE COLLAPSED FLEXIBLE BAG DISPOSED WITHIN SAID CAVITY HAVING A MOUTH AT ONE END OF SAME, (D) A REMOVABLE PLUG CLOSING SAID MOUTH, (E) A WATER REACTANT MATERIAL DISPOSED WITHIN SAID BAG, ADAPTED TO PRODUCE GAS, (F) A FIRST CORD EXTENDING PARTLY AROUND SAID BAG HAVING ONE END AFFIXED TO THE TORPEDO AND ITS OTHER END AFFIXED TO SAID BUOYANT CLOSURE, (G) A SECOND CORD HAVING ONE END AFFIXED TO THE TORPEDO AND ITS OTHER END OF THE BAD ADAPTED TO DRAG THE BAG THROUGH THE WATER WITH THE MOUTH DISPOSED IN A POSITION RELATIVE TO THE WATER SUCH THAT WATER MAY ENTER THE MOUTH AND FILLED THE BAG, (H) A REMOVABLE PLUG CLOSING THE MOUTH OF THE BAG HAVING A LANYARD CONNECTING SAME TO THE TORPEDO ADAPTED TO BE TENSIONED AND REMOVE THE PLUG AFTER THE BAG IS WITHDRAWN FROM SAID CAVITY, (I) AND RELEASE MEANS FOR RELEASING SAID BUOYANT CLOSURE WHEN THE TORPEDO HAS SUNK TO A PREDETERMINED DEPTH, (J) THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT BEING SUCH THAT WHEN SAID RELEASE MEANS BECOMES OPERATIVE SAID BUOYANT CLOSURE IS BODILY RELEASED FROM THE TORPEDO EFFECTING WITHDRAW OF THE BAG FROM THE CAVITY, THE PLUG IS REMOVED FROM THE MOUTH OF THE BAG, WATER ENTERS THE BAG FILLING SAME AND REACTING WITH THE WATER REACTANT MATERIAL, PRODUCING GAS WHICH EXPELS THE WATER FROM THE BAG, PRODUCING SUFFICIENT BUOYANCY SUCH THAT THE BAG MAY RAISE THE TORPEDO TO THE SUFACE OF THE WATER.