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Naval History and Heritage Command

Naval History and Heritage Command

World War I Battle, Ship Torpedoed

A U-boat has struck a ship in the center of the image with a torpedo
Description: Painting, Gouache on Paper; By Charles Malfroy; 1916; Unframed Dimensions 18H X 28W
Accession #: 70-671-B
Related Content

Though the term ‘torpedo’ has been used for centuries to describe underwater mines, the modern torpedo, i.e., a self-propelled explosive device, was first developed in the mid-19th century.  They were first deployed on ships twenty years later as issues such as speed, depth, and directional control continued to be worked on.  By World War I, the torpedo was in common use by all combatants, being fired from surface, subsurface, and air vessels. 

Topic
Document Type
  • Art
Wars & Conflicts
  • World War I 1917-1918
File Formats
  • Image (gif, jpg, tiff)
Location of Archival Materials