Human torpedo

The name was commonly used to refer to the weapons that Italy, and later (with a larger version) Britain, deployed in the Mediterranean and used to attack ships in enemy harbors.

Midget submarines which are employed to directly support frogman operations, whether possessing airlocks or not, if used as underwater tugs to transport equipment and frogmen clinging to their exterior, also blur the line between the human torpedo and more sophisticated underwater vehicles.The concept of a small, manned submarine carrying a bomb was developed and patented by a British naval officer in 1909, but was never used during the First World War.

The Italian Navy experimented with a primitive tiny sub (Mignatta) carrying two men and a limpet mine: this craft successfully sank Austro-Hungarian battleship SMS Viribus Unitis on 1 November 1918.

The first truly practical human torpedo was the Italian maiale,[2] electrically propelled by a 1.6 horsepower (1.2 kW) motor in most of the units manufactured.

If they were not detected, the operators then rode the mini sub away to safety.Development began in 1935 but the first eleven were not completed until 1939 by San Bartolomeo Torpedo Workshops in La Spezia, Italy and a larger number followed.

The official Italian name for the majority of the craft that were manufactured was Siluro Lenta Corsa (SLC or "Slow-running torpedo").

The later Marder (pine marten in English) was about 27 feet (8.2 m) long and more sophisticated and could dive to depths of 27 metres (89 ft) but with very limited endurance.

[21] There are pictures and descriptions of modern US Chariot-like underwater frogman-carriers used by SEALs and a fast surface boat that can submerge, here: It has been reported that North Korea has developed and deployed human torpedoes as part of its unconventional warfare tactics.

[24][25][26] These units, which are part of the 17th Sniper Corps,[24] operate at the brigade level both in the East and in the West Sea Fleets.

[24] Each sea fleet has one suicide unit[26] comprising elite soldiers who are well-fed and treated to a standard of living that is superior to that of submarine crews, even during periods of widespread economic hardship.

In the months before the outbreak of the Second World War, a number of Polish volunteers came forward to pilot torpedoes against German warships.

A Bureau of Living Torpedoes was set up to organize and train these volunteers, and prepare suitable equipment, but nothing had come to fruition before the German invasion and occupation.