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 readings, auctions and more. In September 2009, Sci-Fi on the Rock put together "Sci-Fi on the Rock TV", a webshow that would appear on YouTube and Facebook, as well as on the Sci-Fi on the Rock website. Each "webisode" runs approximately 10 minutes in length, and would serve as publicity for the festival, as well as a video newsletter, as it were. It is hosted by Steve Lake and Ellen Curtis, and is directed and produced by Darren Hann. The first episode "aired" on YouTube and Facebook on Friday, September 11, 2009. The guests were Darren Hann (Sci-Fi on the