New Acquisitions to The Museum Of Naval Firepower
Museum Discovers Unknown Inventor of Depth Charge
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THE TRAIN NOW ARRIVING……..
A rare narrow gauge MoD ammunition train recently arrived at Explosion nearly forty years after the last train pulled out. Formerly housed at the Dean Hill Royal Naval Armaments depot near Romsey, these narrow gauge locomotives and wagons were once a common sight at MoD depots all over the country but have now all but disappeared. The Hunslet locomotive plus guards van, two trucks and track were transported by road from Romsey to take up residence as a permanent exhibit at the museum.
“The trains were a vital cog in the supply lines at Priddy’s Hard and other bases around the UK, transporting ammunition from stores and workshops to where it could be loaded onto Naval ships. We’re delighted to have been given the chance to provide a final home to one of these narrow-gauge trains.” Said curator Chris Henry.
Find out more about the Armaments Depot railways on our Gosport Railways day on Sunday 9th May. Peter Keat, chairman of Gosport Railway Society will give an illustrated talk at 3pm, which is free with a valid museum entry ticket. Film of the last train from Priddy's Hard will form part of the talk.
Museum Discovers Unknown Inventor
The Museum of Naval Firepower at Priddy’s Hard in Gosport has discovered the man responsible for inventing the depth charge, the depth charge pistol, Chariots, ‘X’ craft, demolitions and many other miscellaneous weapons, which have been and are still in use with the Royal Navy. The depth charge was a fundamental part of anti-submarine warfare during World War Two. The unknown inventor was Herbert Taylor who worked at HMS Vernon, where Gunwharf Quays is today. A rare prototype Depth Charge Thrower that he helped to design and other versions can now be seen on display at the award winning Museum of Naval Firepower at Gosport.
Chris Henry, Curator of The Museum of Naval Firepower said, “It is often overlooked how or where the depth charge was developed. It has only now come to light that the man responsible for their design was a frenetic inventor who is unknown outside the world of underwater weapons”
“The depth charge was such as successful device that it attracted the attention of the United States who requested full working drawings of the devices in March 1917. In a sinister sidestep the depth charge was patented in the US by Commander Fullinwider of the US Bureau of Naval Ordnance and US Navy engineer Minkler.”
“ This unusual procedure was undertaken during the war time to prevent the delay which would otherwise have occurred from negotiation at that time, and to effect a complete cooperation with the United States. The American government appears to have used this procedure to avoid paying any fees to the British inventor.”
In spite of not being paid anything for his invention, Taylor continued to invent devices for the Royal Navy and was actually called out of retirement to join the Admiralty design team in 1939 and continued to design and develop weapons throughout World War 2.
Herbert Taylor and Uncle Sam; A Story of Industrial Intrigue & A Great Inventive Mind.
Herbert Taylor in 1936
Whenever one sees the an image of the Battle of the Atlantic the powerful images of fleet escorts rushing in to attack U boats is a common sight. Crews shrouded in overcoats buffeted by winds on huge green seas, wrestle with mechanical devices on the rear of their ship and deliver what appears to be oil drums over the stern of the ship. Those drums are the ubiquitous depth charge Mark VII, which were basically a 132kg charge of explosive set of by a pistol that went off at a given depth by a hydrostatic device set on deck before release.
These weapons were such a fundamental part of anti-submarine warfare during World War Two, it is often overlooked how or where they were developed. What is surprising is that the man responsible for their design was a member of staff at HMS Vernon and was a frenetic inventor he is little known outside the world of underwater weapons and his name was Herbert Taylor.
Taylor was born in Claygate in Surrey and was by trade an engineer and this led him to run an engineering business in Wandsworth London. As his wife pointed out in a newspaper article in the London Star: ‘Whenever Mrs. Herbert Taylor thinks of something that she would like to have done about the house she merely mentions it to her husband, and it is as good as done.’
She continued ‘He has made the clocks. He has made the radio set. He has made a double needled sewing machine. If his daughter’s harp needed repairing he fixes that too.’
If we contrast this with the retirement letter written by WW Davis, Director of Torpedoes and Mining at the Admiralty:
‘You have served with us since 1945. You have been associated with the development of the depth charge, the depth charge pistol, the principle of which still holds the field, Chariots, ‘X’ craft, demolitions, and many other miscellaneous weapons, which have been and are in use with the Royal Navy.’
This letter was written on 5th December 1945.
This was no ordinary inventor and Taylor seemed to have an aptitude for developing ideas and making them happen. It may be that this was born of his interest in motor cars and their engineering which lasted his whole life. He was the inventor of the depth charge and the depth charge pistol, the hydrostatic device that fired the explosive charge. Taylor worked on the idea of the depth charge pistol in his own workshops early in 1915 and produced a working prototype that he submitted to the Admiralty in that year. Taylor’s idea allowed the depth setting of the pistol to be adjusted for different depths at five feet intervals and the Admiralty tested it is 1915 on extensive sea trials. Taylor was induced to join the Admiralty design department and when he did so he came into contact with Alban L. Gwynne who was the inventor of the Primer Safety Gear and with whom he developed a fully functioning depth charge.
The depth charge was such as successful device that it obviously attracted the attention of other allied nations. Foremost among them was the government of the United States who requested full working drawings of the devices through the naval Attache’s office on March 23rd 1917. The US government also requested working models of the weapon. It was made clear at the time by the British government that the patent rights of the designers were not waived by this action. Consequently the navy went on to produce 54,996 depth charge pistols and 49,996 safety priming devices for depth charges. In a sinister sidestep both devices were patented in the US by Commander Fullinwider of the US Bureau of Naval Ordnance and US Navy engineer Minkler. The unusual procedure was undertaken during the war time emergency to prevent the delay which would otherwise have occurred from negotiation at that time, and to effect a complete cooperation with the United States in the design and manufacture of mines and depth charges. It is not clear if the American government paid any fees to the British inventors and at the time the Admiralty stated ‘the inventors were not given the opportunity to take out patents in the USA, but the Admiralty did not allow possible prejudice to the inventors’ interests which might follow the communication of the inventions to the USA to stand in the way of the most complete cooperation with the USA in the design and manufacture of mines and depth charges.’
Experimental Depth Charge Throwers on HMS Whitehall 1940, produced by Vosper Thoneycroft at Woolston with the assistance of The Admiralty Mining Establishment
In contrast the British defence firm Vickers-Armstrong Ltd. were to pay a total of £60000 to the inventors of the two devices plus an additional one invented later.
In spite of this unpleasantness, Taylor continued to invent devices for the Royal Navy and was actually called out of retirement to join the Admiralty design team in 1939 and as we have seen he continued to design and develop weapons throughout World War 2.
In a letter written to Vickers Armstrong in 1967 Mrs.Taylor wrote to find out whether they were going to be paying any more royalties to her in respect of her late husband’s design’s the company wrote back stating that all their duties had been discharged. We can only assume therefore, that Taylor did not receive anything from the United States government.
Trials of the Depth Charge in 1940
The Museum of Naval Firepower, Explosion! at Priddy’s Hard holds examples of Taylor’s device and some of his personal papers
The rediscovered MK1 torpedo (1872)
A rare torpedo has been found in a former warehouse at the site of Explosion!, The Museum of Naval Firepower where the Priddy’s Hard Armaments Depot was sited. This forgotten find is probably a Mark 1 Star torpedo that was the first to be manufactured by the Royal Laboratories at Woolwich Arsenal in 1872. The Mark 1 was found when new curator Chris Henry was undertaking the first full audit of the collection that had been done since The Museum of Naval Firepower had been created at Priddy’s Hard in Gosport.
Chris Henry, Curator at The Museum of Naval Firepower said, “ We were delighted to rediscover this rare torpedo which is one of the most significant objects in our collection. We are now lavishing care and attention on this object so that it can go on permanent display”
Robert Whitehead first developed the automobile torpedo in the 1870s. The Mark 1 that was rediscovered at Explosion! was made in 1872. It would have been in service during 1870s and 1880s and led to future developments in torpedo technology. This find has been declared of international significance and will be conserved by specialists at Explosion!, The Museum of Naval Firepower to go on show to the public.
The Mark 1 torpedo will finally sit alongside other unique objects that are housed in the collection at Explosion! such as the Heyday experimental torpedo, the Atom Bomb, the Exocet missile and the Gatling Gun.
Rare Torpedo Goes to Europe
A rare German torpedo is being shipped from Gosport to Holland to go on show in a Dutch museum. The torpedo will start its journey from The Museum of Naval Firepower at Priddy's Hard in Gosport on Tuesday 7 September and will be on view in a Dutch Army museum for several months.
Chris Henry, Curator at The Museum of Naval Firepower said, “ This is an unusual example of European museum cooperation.”
Explosion, the Museum of Naval Firepower is loaning the German Schwartzkopff torpedo to the National Army museum of Holland. The Leger Museum in Delft, Holland will feature the rare torpedo in a new exhibition on World War One.
The Museum of Naval Firepower in Gosport has two German Schwartzkopff torpedoes in its unique collection. The Schwartzkopff torpedo that will be loaned to the Dutch Army is made of phosphor bronze and uses contra rotating propellors which were designed by the British inventor Robert Whitehead. It is an example of an 1883 design which was still in use by the German Navy UBoats in World War One.
Visitors to Explosion!, The Museum of Naval Firepower in Gosport can see the other Schwartzkopff in the Torpedo gallery. The museum was voted Small Visitor Attraction of the Year 2003 and Specialist Museum of the Year 2002, is a hands on, interactive museum set in the historic setting of the former Royal Navy gunpowder and munitions depot at Priddy’s Hard in Gosport.