At a southern England naval base, American inventors demonstrate their "torpedoes" to the Royal Navy

In a climax to a series of experiments with American naval mines for the benefit of Royal Navy observers in the River Medway outside the great English naval base at Chatham, American engineers carried out the controlled destruction of the veteran wooden 18 gun frigate H.M.S. Terpsichore.  Two 75 pound "torpedoes" detonated by electrical current, caused severe damage to the target vessel which sank but was salvaged for examination.  (By John Osborne)