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Post Info TOPIC: Mysterious R/C Torpedo/Mine?
James H


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A curious reference from Sir Eustace Tennyson d'Eyncourt's autobiog:

". . . (H.M.S.) Erebus was attacked by a new German invention of that time (1914), an electrically-controlled crewless or surface torpedo carrier, driven by engines and carrying a tremendously heavy charge. It was probably steered from the shore electrically . . ."

A new one on me.



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Roger Todd


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It was one of these, the attack was in 1917:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FL-boat

More info and a photo of a model here:

http://www.germanmilitaryhistory.com/blog/575420-fernlenkboot/

More stuff:

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=72&t=126135&start=30

And one on a postcard(!):

http://airgroup2000.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10062/Fernlenkboote.jpg

Dear Ex-Wife

Here is a remote-controlled speedboat with 700kg of high explosives on it. Wish you were here.

Love & kisses...

Much earlier there had also been (much smaller) wire-guided torpedoes, the first practical weapon being the Brennan Torpedo:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brennan_torpedo



-- Edited by Roger Todd on Friday 6th of January 2012 02:52:43 PM

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Gwyn Evans


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In the Second World War the British developed a radio controlled motor boat under the name Queen Duck. It was used as a practice target by coast defence batteries.

Gwyn

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James H


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Well; that's a comprehensive explanation, Mr. Todd. I thank you.

If I interpret this correctly, the K.u.K. had something similar:

http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/liebetrau_funkeninduktor_aus_kuk_fe.html



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Rectalgia


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That's a spark-gap transmitter James, the remote-controlled boat discussed may have used wire guidance I think. Simple spark gap transmitters (and their coherer receivers) are easily "jammed" as any kid building one of the Boys' Own Paper RC models in the 20s and 30s soon found out whenever a car or motor bike with a "trembler coil" ignition passed by. There were refinements to the transmitter to increase reliability a little but, alas, I lack the technical knowledge to guess whether these are incorporated into the K.u.K example shown.

P.S. It took Hedy Lamarr to work out the "frequency hopping" principle that might have made RC torpedos relatively unjammable, but that was later and for TRs of incomparably greater sophistication.



-- Edited by Rectalgia on Saturday 7th of January 2012 02:47:37 AM

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