Published Resources Details

Conference Paper

Author
Beauchamp, David
Title
The world's first guided missile: A Victorian invention
In
From the Past to the Future: 18th Australian Engineering Heritage Conference 2015 [Newcastle]
Imprint
Engineers Australia, Barton, Australian Capital Territory, 2015, pp. 62-71
ISBN/ISSN
9781922107435
Url
https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.696560494961022
Abstract

Not all technology transfer in the 19th century was in one direction, from the U.K. and Europe to Australia. Louis Brennan's steerable torpedo, patented in 1875 and developed in Melbourne between 1877-1879, was adopted by the Royal Engineers and became a standard harbour defence throughout much of the British Empire. After building several prototypes of his torpedo and testing them in Hobson's Bay, in 1880 Brennan took his invention to the U.K. to demonstrate its potential. In 1887 he sold his patent rights to the War Office for the huge sum of 110,000 and was employed by them to further develop his torpedo. The Brennan torpedo was in use as a method of harbour defence for more than 20 years. Despite the Victorian Government providing 700 to help fund the initial development of the Brennan torpedo it was not able to acquire any for the defence of Port Phillip against a feared Russian invasion.

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