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This is a copper tray, food warmer, with removable hinged lid, having a hidden hot water compartment to keep the contents warm. The hinged lid is engraved: HMS Polyphemus, 1780-1820
This warmer was used to bring the Officers their breakfast, no doubt of scrambled eggs, sausage and fried potatoes, while the crew got hard tack, ship's biscuits from which the weevils had to be removed.
A black reverse glass painting of HMS Polyphemus, 19th century
She was a Third Rate with 64-guns, built in Sheerness 1782, she served at the Battle of Copenhagen 1801, the Battle of Abukir 1801 and the Battle of Trafalgar 1805. She was finally broken up 1827 at Chatham.
L'ariete silurante
La HMS Polyphemus nel bacino di carenaggio a Malta (Fonte immagine: Wikipedia, pubblico dominio) Verso la fine dell’800 la Royal Navy tentò di costruire un nuovo tipo di nave per sperimentare una tattica di combattimento nei porti Nuove tattiche di guerra Lo sperone della HMS Polyphemus (Fonte immagine: Wikipedia en, pubblico dominio) Negli anni 70 dell’800 la Royal Navy iniziò a pensare ad…
Efeméride: 14 de agosto de 1899 - torpedero ariete HMS Polyphemus
En la mañana del día 14 de agosto de 1899 llegaba al puerto de Barcelona, en visita de cortesía, el torpedero ariete inglés HMS Polyphemus. Aparentemente era un buque de guerra como cualquier otro, pero la diferencia estaba bajo la línea de flotación. En lugar de un bulbo, el HMS Polyphemus de 2.640 toneladas y 73 metros de eslora, estaba equipado con un ariete blindado que además disponía de un…
L'HMS Polyphemus, l'únic de la seva espècie
El matí del dia 14 d’agost de 1899 arribava al port de Barcelona, en visita de cortesia, el torpediner ariet anglès “HMS Polyphemus”. Anava al comandament el capità de fragata E. Lewis Long i procedien de Gibraltar. Després d’efectuar el protocol·lari salutació al canó amb 21 salves va procedir a amarrar els seus caps de popa a les argolles de l’escullera de l’est i per uns dies estaria…
HMS Polyphemus
"Captain!" Lieutenant Richards yelled about the howling wind, "We must turn back!"
The Captain Henshaw stood on quarterdeck. The wind and rain battered against him. He could see them in the distance. They had been tracking the French privateer along the Kerry coast for seven days. He refused to lose them now.
"Lieutenant, full sails!" He yelled over the wind. He strode across the soaked quarterdeck to the helmsman, "We need more speed. We'll get ahead of the storm and come up on their flank."
The Lieutenant looked at him pleadingly, then steeled his resolve, "Right men!" he bellowed over the buffeting wind, "You heard the Captain, more speed."
The Captain looked over the ship. Richards barked orders at the crew. They had tied lines around themselves before climbing up the rigging. There was a flash in the distance that made the helmsman flinch.
"Easy Mister Little," the Captain shouted over the wind, "take her ahead into the storm."
"Aye Sir," replied Mister Little the coxswain. He steadied his grip on the wheel. They continued to plunge through the water. It was hard going. The waves clattered against the hull soaking the crew. A huge gust buffeted the hull.
"Hold her stead Mister Little," barked the Captain.
"Quartermaster Hawking!" shouted Mister Little, "Help me hold the wheel!" He threw all his weight against the wheel just to hold it steady. Hawking ran to help and they managed to get more control.
The French ship seemed to be faring better in the turbulent waters.
"More speed!" Captain Henshaw shouted.
"More speed!" Lieutenant Richards echoed.
Men were running up and down the rigging tightening the sails. Suddenly a man fell off the wet mast. The rope attached to his waist snapped taut. The man swayed immobile in the wind.
"Get him down from there!" yelled Lieutenant Richards.
More men climbed the rigging to remove the injured man. Richards knew he was likely dead. The rope had snapped his back. If he was not yet dead, he soon would be.
"We're pulling 10 knots!" a seaman shouted from the stern.
"Well done Mister Richards," Captain Henshaw said cracking a rare smile.
"Thank you sir," said Richards, "Hold the course Mister Little."
"Aye Sir," Mister Little replied staining to hold the wheel steady.
A flash erupted in the distance. Richards hit the deck. A rumble echoed over the wind.
"It's just the storm lads!" bellowed the Captain hauling his Lieutenant back to his feet. "Hold fast!"
The roar of the storm echoed around them. They were driving straight through it. Every few seconds a flash appeared ahead of them. They still pursued their quarry.
"Sir!" Richards shouted over the howling wind, "The lightening! If it hits the mast!"
"Then we'll keep going!" growled the Captain.
"Yes Sir."
The flashes became more intense. Richards could see worry growing on the faces of the crew. Henshaw would follow that ship straight to the gates of hell. They were gaining ground on the French ship. You could just about make out the flag atop its during the flashes of light. There was another flash. Richards thought it strange. It had been duller than the lightning strikes.
"Incoming!" he yelled and dived onto the deck. Suddenly a volley of cannon fire tore across the foredeck of the ship. Richards dragged himself to his feet. He could hear the screams of pain coming from the forecastle. He saw bodies scattered on the deck wounded by the splintering wood. He looked down the deck and saw a gash on the foremast. It has been grazed by a canon ball.
"Sir we need to withdraw!" Richards yelled turning back to his Captain. Henshaw had slumped to the ground. His soaked uniform was turning even more crimson. A large splinter of wood was embedded in the Captain's throat.
"Seaman Wilson, get Doctor McLaren! Quickly!"
Richards ran to the Captain. His eyes had already glazed over.
"Sir!" Mister Little shouted, "I can't hold this course! The rudder can't take it!"
"Mister Little, take us out of the storm," Richards said taking command, "Sailing Master!" he shouted over the noise of the storm and yells from the forecastle. A man came running along the deck.
"Yes Sir?"
"Master Shackwell the Captain is dead. I'm taking us out of the storm. Find somewhere for Mister Little to get us to shelter."
Shackwell saw the Captain slumped on the floor, "Aye Sir."
Lieutenant Richards moved across the deck to inspect the damage to the foremast. There were men lying injured on the ground. Many of them had deep wounds from splintered wood. He saw the French ship in the distance drawing away. It lit up again. There was the sound of muffled cannon fire. A hundred yards ahead of them there was a tirade of splashes.
Richards looked back at the foremast. A large chunk had been torn out of the mast. It was a miracle it hadn't come down. The wind still tugged against the sail, threatening to pull it down. If it came down it might pull them under like a sea anchor.
"Midshipman!" Richards barked at two men helping a third man below, "We need to get those sails down!" A gust of wind caught the sail and the mast creaked wearily.
Someone tapped his arm, it was Shackwell.
"Sir we have a new heading, it'll bring us to a cove a quarter mile up the coast."
"Well done, see to it," Richards said. With a single bound he leapt onto the rigging. The two midshipmen were struggling to haul the sail in against the wind. Damn it, Richards thought, they were going to make it to that cove whether he had to get out and push.
- Cillian
Taranowce torpedowe HMS Polyphemus i USS Intrepid
Taranowce torpedowe HMS Polyphemus i USS Intrepid #historia #ciekawostka
W drugiej połowie XIX wieku w kilku największych ówcześnie flotach zaczęto wprowadzać eksperymentalne okręty wojenne wyposażone w tarany. Pomysł będący efektem analiz przebiegu Bitwy pod Lissą w 1866 był nie tylko szalony, ale również bezsensowny. Mimo to konstruktorzy w Wielkiej Brytanii i USA poszli jeszcze dalej, tworząc taranowce torpedowe HMS Polyphemus i USS Intrepid. (more…)
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HMS Polyphemus in a Malta Dockyard, 1881. As the only torpedo ram to serve in the Royal Navy, she was designed to penetrate harbours at speed, sinking ships at anchor. The central torpedo tube was fit with a steel bow cap which hinged upward - reinforced to be a ram. Interesting hydrodynamic effects were observed on this ship, being quite by accident one of the first bulbous bows.
The ship found a place in the H. G. Wells’ novel The War of the Worlds, in which one HMS Thunder Child - a torpedo ram - comes to the aid of evacuees, felling a martian tripod and damaging another.
