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
Sci-Fi on the Rock to ensure the larger numbers could be accommodated. This new layout has continued to stand as the standard. Special guest actor Richard Hatch of Battlestar Galactica fame, in addition to appearing as a guest, offered an acting workshop for festival patrons. Also appearing was Jeffrey Combs from the Reanimator series, Peter Roy who appeared in Star Wars and Doctor Who, French-born Fantasy Art model Drakaina, comedian and chocolate bar inspiration Fat Apollo, and talent agent Lolita Fatjo, who has helped Sci-Fi on the Rock obtain many of their previous and future guests. The Film Festival returned, featuring 9 short films.