HMS Polyphemus (1881) HMS Polyphemus (1881) The third HMS "Polyphemus" was a Royal Navy torpedo ram, serving from 1881 until 1903. A shallow-draft, fast, low-profile vessel, she was designed to penetrate enemy harbours at speed and sink anchored ships. Designed by Nathaniel Barnaby primarily as a protected torpedo boat, the ram was provided very much as secondary armament. It has been suggested that H. G. Wells’ fictional HMS "Thunder Child" from his novel "The War of the Worlds" may have been based on this ship, in part because he described "Thunder Child" as an ironclad torpedo ram, and "Polyphemus" was the only ship
Joseph Gilbert (Royal Navy) Joseph Gilbert (Royal Navy) Joseph Gilbert (1732–1831) was a British naval officer who was Master of HMS "Resolution" on the second voyage of Captain James Cook. As Master he was responsible for a number of specific duties, especially navigation. He was born in Kirton, Lincolnshire, the youngest child of John Gilbert, a farmer and Churchwarden of Kirton and later Freiston. He joined the Royal Navy and rose to the rank of ship's Master. Between 1764 and 1769 he was Master of HMS "Guernsey" which surveyed the coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador. He was afterwards Master of HMS "Pearl", which surveyed