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
Richard Wells (Royal Navy officer) Richard Wells (Royal Navy officer) Admiral Sir Richard Wells (3 February 1833 – 9 October 1896) was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, The Nore. Wells joined the Royal Navy in 1847 and served in the Crimean War in 1855. He was on board HMS "Bombay" when she was accidentally burned in 1864 with the loss of 91 lives off Montevideo. Promoted to Captain in 1866, he commanded HMS "Revenge", HMS "Royal Alfred", HMS "Bellerophon" and then HMS " Agincourt". He became Captain of the training ship HMS "Britannia" in 1880 before being appointed Commander-in-Chief, Cape