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Experiments with torpedo-shells at Chatham: blowing-up of the Terpsichore by a 75-pounder, 1865. Creator: Unknown
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Experiments with torpedo-shells at Chatham: blowing-up of the Terpsichore by a 75-pounder, 1865. Creator: Unknown
Experiments with torpedo-shells at Chatham: blowing-up of the Terpsichore by a 75-pounder, 1865. 'Preparations were now made for destroying the Terpsichore, 18-gun sailing-frigate, which had been placed at the disposal of Mr. Beardslee by the Admiralty in order to put the destructive powers of the torpedo to the most practical test...a couple of 75-lb. torpedos were taken...close alongside the Terpsichore and there sunk...after a momentary pause, came the stifled report of both the torpedos at once, and the Terpsichore suddenly rose at her bows 10 ft. or 12 ft. into the air and heeled over on her starboard side, while great masses of water burst up through her decks, her whole frame being convulsed and heaving as with agony, till she began to settle down forwards. In another moment her stem stood up at an acute angle, and her bow sank deeper and deeper...The mischief she had received would seem to be a broken back; for she still continued to go down by the head, until, in about five minutes from her first movement, she lay fast aground in the Medway mud on an even keel, with the tide, now at three-quarters ebb, up to within a few inches of her portholes'. From "Illustrated London News", 1865
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Media ID 38686599
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Blowing Up Chatham Kent England Destruction Electric Electrical Electricity Experiment Experimental Exploding Explosion Explosive Explosives Medway Naval Ship Research Research And Development River Medway Royal Navy Spray Test Testing Torpedo Warships Naval Warfare Warship
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EDITORS COMMENTS
**Historic Moment Captured: Torpedo-Shells Experiment at Chatham**
In this remarkable print, a pivotal moment in naval history is frozen in time. The photograph shows the devastating effects of torpedo-shells on the Terpsichore, an 18-gun sailing-frigate that had been deliberately sunk to test the destructive power of these innovative weapons.
On [date], Mr. Beardslee's team at Chatham conducted a series of experiments with torpedo-shells, culminating in this dramatic demonstration. Two massive torpedos were placed alongside the Terpsichore and detonated simultaneously, causing the ship to rise into the air before crashing back down onto its hull.
The resulting damage was catastrophic: water burst through her decks as she heeled over on one side, her frame convulsed with agony until finally settling onto an even keel in the Medway mud. This powerful image captures not only the destructive force of torpedo-shells but also the cutting-edge innovation that would shape naval warfare for generations to come.
**Credit:** Unknown photographer / Heritage Images
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