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
William Dowell (Royal Navy officer) William Dowell (Royal Navy officer) Admiral Sir William Montagu Dowell (2 August 1825 – 27 December 1912) was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth. Dowell joined the Royal Navy in 1839. He served in the Black Sea during the Crimean War. He was given command of HMS "Hornet" and HMS "Barrosa" and, in the latter ship, took part in the Bombardment of Shimonoseki in 1863. Later he commanded HMS "Euryalus", HMS "Topaze" and then HMS "Leander". He was made Commander-in-Chief, Cape of Good Hope and West Coast of Africa Station in 1867 before taking command