Brennan torpedo The Brennan torpedo was a torpedo patented by Irish born Australian inventor Louis Brennan in 1877 . It was powered by two contra - rotating propellors that were spun by rapidly pulling out wires from drums wound inside the torpedo . Differential speed on the wires connected to the shore station allowed the torpedo to be guided to its target , up to away , at speeds of up to . The Brennan torpedo is often claimed as the world ' s first guided missile , but guided torpedoes invented by John Ericsson , John Louis Lay , and Victor von Scheliha all predate it ; however , Brennan ' s torpedo was much simpler in its concept and worked over an acceptable range at a satisfactory speed so it might be more accurate to call it " the world ' s first " practical " guided missile " . Description . The Brennan torpedo was similar in appearance to more modern ones , apart from being having a flattened oval cross - section instead of a circular one . It was designed to run at a consistent depth of , and was fitted with an indicator mast that just broke the surface of the water ; at night the mast had a small light fitted which was only visible from the rear . Two steel drums were mounted one behind the other inside the torpedo , each carrying several thousands yards of high - tensile steel wire . The drums were connected via a differential gear to twin contra - rotating propellers . If one drum was rotated faster than the other , then the rudder was activated . The other ends of the wires were connected to steam - powered winding engines , which were arranged so that speeds could be varied within fine limits , giving sensitive steering control for the torpedo . The torpedo attained a speed of using a wire in diameter but later this was changed to to increase the speed to . The torpedo was fitted with elevators controlled by a depth - keeping mechanism , and the fore and aft rudders operated by the differential between the drums . In operation , the torpedo ' s operator would be positioned on a high telescopic steel tower , which could be extended hydraulically . He was provided with a special pair of binoculars on which were mounted controls which could be used to electrically control the relative speeds of the twin winding engines . In this way he was able to follow the track of the torpedo and steer it with a great degree of accuracy . In tests carried out by the Admiralty the operator was able to hit a floating object at and was able to turn the torpedo through 180 degrees to hit a target from the off side . History . According to Brennan ' s biographer , Norman Tomlinson , Brennan was inspired to create his torpedo ' s unique propulsion system in 1874 , when he noticed that a cotton reel , if the thread is pulled toward the operator from underneath , moves forward rather than backward . He also realized that the only device which needed propulsion for a limited distance and which did not have to make a return journey , was a torpedo . Brennan began making rough sketches of such a torpedo , and as the concept developed he sought the mathematical assistance of William Charles Kernot , a lecturer at Melbourne University . After earlier experiments with a single propeller , by 1878 Brennan had produced a working version about long , made from iron boiler plate , with twin contra - rotating propellers . Tests carried out in the Graving Dock at Williamstown , Victoria were successful , with steering proving to be reasonably controllable , although depth - keeping was not . The British Admiralty had meanwhile instructed Rear Admiral J . Wilson , the Commodore of the Royal Navy ' s Australian Squadron , to investigate the weapon and report back . Alexander Kennedy Smith was also working to obtain the Victoria government ' s backing for the project and raised the subject in the state ' s legislature on 2 October 1877 . A grant was eventually awarded for the development of the torpedo , and in March 1879 it was successfully tested in Hobsons Bay , Melbourne . Brennan had by now established the Brennan Torpedo Company , and had assigned half of the rights on his patent to civil engineer John Ridley Temperley , in exchange for much - needed funds . Brennan and Temperley soon afterwards travelled to Britain , where the Admiralty examined the torpedo and found it unsuitable for shipboard use . However , the War Office proved more amenable , and in early August 1881 a special Royal Engineer committee was instructed to inspect the torpedo at Chatham and report back directly to the Secretary of State for War , Hugh Childers . The report strongly recommended that an improved model be built at government expense . At the time the Royal Engineers - part of the Army - were responsible for Britain ' s shore defenses , while the Royal Navy were responsible for its seaward protection . In 1883 an agreement was reached between the Brennan Torpedo Company and the government . The newly appointed Inspector - General of Fortifications in England , Sir Andrew Clarke , appreciated the value of the torpedo and in spring 1883 an experimental station was established at Garrison Point Fort , Sheerness on the River Medway and a workshop for Brennan was set up at the Chatham Barracks , the home of the Royal Engineers . Between 1883 and 1885 the Royal Engineers held trials and in 1886 the torpedo was recommended for adoption as a harbour defence torpedo . In 1884 Brennan received a letter from the War Office stating that they had decided to adopt his torpedo for harbour defence and he was invited to attend a meeting to decide the value of his invention . Brennan decided to accept £40 , 000 as a quick answer to his financial worries but his business partner J . R . Temperley assumed control of the negotiations and demanded £100 , 000 . The War Office agreed to this , but said that it would have to be paid out over a period of three years . Brennan accepted this , but Temperley demanded a further £10 , 000 for the delay , and after some argument the War Office agreed , also agreeing to pay Brennan a sizable salary to act as production chief . A scandal eventually blew up over this sum , which was wildly extravagant in comparison to the £15 , 000 paid for manufacturing rights to the Whitehead torpedo only 15 years previous . The Brennan torpedo became a standard harbour defence throughout the British Empire and was in use for more than fifteen years . Operational stations were established in the UK at Cliffe Fort , Fort Albert on the Isle of Wight and Plymouth . Other stations included Fort Camden in Cork , Ireland , Lei Yue Mun Fort in Hong Kong and Forts Ricasoli & Tigne in Malta In 1905 the Committee on Armaments of Home Ports issued a report in which they recommended the removal of all Brennan torpedoes from fixed defences due to their comparatively short range and the difficulty of launching them at night . Manufacture of the Brennan torpedo finished in 1906 . Installations . In 1891 It was intended to build fifteen stations as indicated in a report to the Director of Artillery . " We have now completed or in progress 7 installations viz . Thames ( Cliffe ) , Medway ( Garrison Pt ) , Portsmouth ( Cliff End / Fort Albert ) , Plymouth ( Pier Cellars / Cawsand Bay ) , Cork Harbour ( Fort Camden ) , Malta ( Tigné and Ricasoli ) . Further sites proposed as funds become available at Plymouth ( Bovisand ) , Milford Haven , Clyde , Forth , Falmouth , Hong Kong , Singapore and St Lucia . " The first seven were completed but out of the other eight only the one at Lye Mun was completed . The plans for two installations at Dale Point and Great Castle Head , Milford Haven were drawn up but not carried out . Four Brennan installations were added to existing fotrifications at Fort Albert on the Isle of Wight , Cliffe Fort on the Thames , Garrison Point at the entrance to The Medway and at Fort Ricasoli at the entrance to the Grand Harbour at Malta . With the exception of Ricasoli , the design of these was constrained by the existing structure and resulted in unique designs . In addition the ones at Fort Camden at Cork and Tigné at Malta together with proposed designs for Milford Haven followed a very similar layout while the Installations at Lye Mun in Hong Kong and Pier Cellars at Plymouth were individual designs . Installation remains . The installation at Fort Albert has been completely destroyed . That at Cliffe Fort partially exists , including a slipway and parts of a telescopic control tower . Parts of the installation at Garrison Point survive including the direction stations on the face of the fort and parts of the slipway supports . The complete installation at Pier Cellars still exists although it was greatly modified during later use for midget submarines . At Malta the Tigne installation was later converted for use as the boom defence station but the rooms still exist . At Fort Ricasoli the complex of buildings still exist and the slipway is mostly intact . At Lye Mun the installation has been incorporated into a museum with a replica Brennan Torpedo on display . At Fort Camden most of the installation still exists but is derelict . Surviving examples . The only remaining original Brennan Torpedo is exhibited at the Royal Engineers Museum in Chatham , Kent . However , traces of the installation at Fort Camden in County Cork are visible to this day . There is also a display at Lei Yue Mun Fort in Hong Kong which shows a replica Brennan Torpedo with the side cut away so the workings are visible .