Brennan Torpedo 1887 (Revised version)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 เม.ย. 2021
- This is the revised 'uncut' version of my earlier Brennan movie. It contains a lot more detail and explanations. Apologies, I should have published it years ago.
The Brennan torpedo was the first effective guided weapon. Introduced into service in 1887, the Brennan was launched from a shore-side fort and powered by a steam engine which pulled wire off drums in the torpedo. As the wire was pulled in, the drums rotated so powering the propellors that drove it through the water. By varying the rate at which each wire was hauled in, a differential gear in the torpedo could be made to operate the rudders, allowing the torpedo to be steered. Brennan torpedo sites were used to protect the entrances of naval ports. Its major advantages were that if the target manoeuvred, the torpedo could be steered to intercept after launch, by tracking a mast showing above the water. It also carried a large warhead that would strike below the heavy armoured belt. At least 8 Brennan sites have been identified, 5 in the UK and Ireland, 2 in Malta and one in Hong Kong. Brennan torpedoes had a speed of about 26 knots, well in excess of the speed on the battleships of the time, and a range of 2000 yards. They carried a warhead of 230 (later 364) lbs wet guncotton. Some details of the Brennan are still secret. The depth mechanism is sealed, and there are no drawings to show how it worked, so the movie shows one of the techniques available at the time. The single remaining original Brennan can be seen at the Royal Engineers museum, Chatham, England.
Video created using Cinema 4D. Music is ‘Heaven and Hell’ by Jeremy Blake
Sources: The Brennan Torpedo by Alec Beanse, Victorian Forts And Artillery
The National Archives, Kew, UK - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
![[UNCUT] ฝันรักห้วงนิทรา | EP.9 (3/4)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ikd1tEhXbp8/mqdefault.jpg)
Torpedo on ropes? I seem to have missed a very interesting layer of History.
Добро пожаловать. Это уже 3 серия. Это самый удивительный дрон 19- ого в.
The next logical step after soap-on-a-rope!
Similar to modern day TOW missiles
Today's torpedoes still use a rope if I'm not mistaken
@@p_filippouz, they may use wire/wires/wire rope, but you’re mistaken for thinking that they use rope. Because ropes have lots of drag/resistance in water, which obviously goes up exponentially with the distance covered. And if they used a very thin rope, which would be a cord, then it would not be very strong, and it would be useless over any distance, such as fifty or a hundred yards. Especially the kind of ropes made in the Victorian period, before the man made fibres were used for rope. But if you are talking about braided or twisted Wire Rope, then you need to say that, because in English if you say rope, then you are talking about hemp; sisal and man made textile fibres, I am sorry if you think that I am just being pedantic, but you did sort of ask the question, didn’t you???
It’s like trying to sink a ship with a giant steam watch!
So simple and complicated at the same time. So much engineering went in there and you explained it so awesome. Great job keep it up
History repeating itself. Modern MK 48 torpedos are wire guided, which I think is strange. This torpedo is wire guided and wire propelled, which I think is strange and wonderful. I like the differential steering mechanism. Because of the awesome and professional graphics you can clearly see how the mechanism works by tugging one wire or the other. What a very well done video. Many thanks.
Interesting idea - if we get practical room-temperature superconductors, you might see a switch to electric torpedoes which would once again be wire-powered.
Of course Mk. 48's are wire guided because it's a practical thing to have, being able to manually guide a torpedo rather than rely on on-board homing, especially when it comes to defeating torpedo countermeasures.
@@nightraven836 the Mk 48 is wire and sonar guided. Once the wire is detached, the torpedo uses sonar to find its target
Incredible Victorian engineering! Thanks for the revision!
I love the steam powered clockwork insanity of these torpedoes; and it was amazing to see it all animated out like this!
great Animation! You explained a complicated mechanical torpedo very well!
Many thanks for this revised version. The first one was already first class, this one surpasses it.
Brilliant explanation of a madly complex aquatic machine. Thank you
I love your music choices when describing archaic Victorian weapons.
you are as smart as it takes to chose such a special music track which makes the audiance wants to keep watching even if they are not interested kn the content , in addition to that you are also more smarter that you even included the muaic credits in description which is a very great thing
There is one of these torpedoes in the Royal engineers Museum, Rochester Kent, I know a retired army officer, who was stationed in Hong Kong in the 60s, who says the steam engine was still in the long abandoned torpedo station, at that time.
If a picture paints a thousand words. I don't have anywhere big enough for the printed version. Not only how it works, but why it works. Next question How did Brennan dream it up in the first place?
Brennan was an extraordinary inventor and tinkerer. Sperry purchased rights to his gyroscope patents for instance, he invented automatic weighing and packaging machines, a helicopter, a monorail (that used his gyroscopic stabilizer) and a 'safety car'. Ironically he was killed by a car while walking on holiday in Switzerland at 70. No one knows exactly how the depth mechanism worked as in the only preserved example the box is empty, there are no manuals for it and all instruction was verbal to protect the 'secret' mechanism (like the Whitehead torpedo, but complete mechanisms for that still exist).
@@brucelee3388 People tend to assocoiate the Scots with enginnering. The Irish have come up with just as many.
Bruce. The depth unit in the last Brennan is sealed, but not empty - I have copies of the X-rays, but they were taken 'in-situ' and unfortunately suffer from shading and reflections. The Royal Engineers, who operated the Brennans, promised not to open the units, and for the last 116 years they have kept that promise.
@@vbbsmyt Thanks for this information. Keeping this secret does them honour but it’s quite a shame for us they haven’t finally taken the decision to open it and explain its principle. Allowing X-ray photographies of it and not opening it is quite surprising. Any idea of the general design ?
@@SoManyInterests I believe making x-ray shots is not violating promise "not to open the units", since units still sealed. Its a shame if x-rays are not readable.
Fantastic mechanical design from the beginning and a amazing animation with a very good explanation as well. Well done! Thank you!
Thank you. Fascinating presentation as always!
Making such great informative animations is rare art.
Concept of the torpedo moving because wire is pulled from it is not very hard to grasp, but actual amount of engineering to design one and work of skilled machinists to produce it is staggering.
It wasn't obvious to me that the torpedo could travel forward despite the force on the wires pulling it backwards.
I'm surprised that pulling on the wires produced enough power to do 26 knots. So much faster and longer ranged than a Whitehead, but only suitable for shore installations. Just amazing, and so complicated. Then they made it guided as well!
Brian, glad you find my little animations interesting. Rob
That is the craziest, most awesome thing I’ve ever seen!
it would have been interesting to know if a brennan torpedo was ever used in battle and if it ever struck an enemy vessel......its hard to imagine that such a rube goldberg device could be used successfully, especially in any kind of disturbed water or bad weather
10 month and still no reaction from the video creator. very sad.
@@grindel80 It's now a year and still counting 😀.
@@beingsentient he hates us all :(
@@beingsentientAlmost 2 years, so I’ll answer for you. Wikipedia says no Brennan was ever used in warfare: they were exclusively coastal defence weapons, had a range of less than two miles, and were retired in 1906, well before WWI.
They were deemed to be too difficult to use at night, and too short in range.
@@TheEmeraldMenOfficial It probably managed to kill a few guys nonetheless.
I was researching this torpedo and couldn't belevie i found this video on my first search through google. all my questions answered in 8 and a half minute! great job!
Search my channel (vbbsmyt) for 2 videos showing the Brennan torpedo installation at Camden Fort Meagher/Fort Camden walk. This fort is in Cork, Republic of Ireland.
@@vbbsmyt do you think i didn’t devoured nearly all your playlist right-away? Seriously, fantastic channel!
It's always a good day when vbbsmyt releases a new video.
Amazing work. I'm many times amazed by analog technology, but this is one of the most creative and bizarre. Astounding!!! Thank you.
Never ceases to amaze me how clever some people are. Hard to realize the atoms of the brains of these people that thought these out.............are in us all.
Awesome animation, as always. The propulsion system is counter-intuitive as it appears that the torpedo is being slowed by the wires pulling on it, however the forward propulsion generated by the propellers is always greater than the negative force of the wire pull powering it (up to a point). The torpedo is effectively getting lighter as it goes but this is cancelled out by the increase of the weight of the wires behind it which is increasing as it goes. It all balances out in the end, up to an effective range of 1800 meters, which is impressive for the time. The mast sticking out of the top is a bit of a give away though. It would have only been effective against large targets that were not capable of manoeuvring out of the way.
Makes you wonder about the minds that dreamt it up in the first place. and the men who built the parts. Genius and craftsmen.
In the heat of battle, when attacking a naval port (lots of smoke), the target ship would only have about 90-120 seconds to spot the spray, recognise it as a threat, report it to the captain and then try to manoeuver away. The torpedo was also faster than the ships of the period. Probably just enough time to say 'Oh S**t'.
@@vbbsmyt Yup. Not only faster, but also more maneuverable than any ship large enough to warrant launching a torpedo at. The only chance the enemy ship had would be to get out of range.
@@Crosshair84 One can pour enough firepower at the torpedo fort that you either disable the crew working the weapon or disable the mechanism driving the weapon (a stray shell fragment severing the cables for example).
@@ach3909 As I understand it the fort had to have, or pop up, an elevated observation platform/position where someone could use high powered binoculars to observe that thin mast sticking up out of the water and then provide steering input. That's because at 2,000 yards you can't track it by naked eye, and from lower down you can't see it as easily, nor judge distance. That observer/operator might be the weakest link in the chain and be disabled, distracted, or killed, by prompt firing on the fort.
превосходно!!! не компьютеров, не сервомашинок, одни тросики шестерёнки да пружинки
Very interesting and informative. The Whitehead and the Howell designs where also very interesting and advanced for that time period.
I sometimes think technology is going backwards. The engineering knowledge and skill required to make this reliable is insane! But in 1887? Without computers, cnc machines, and a whole host of science and engineering advancements? Crazy!
Exactly. It’s as if a fine watchmaker building on a giant scale
This is all mechanical, a first kind of technology, and humans have explored mechanical things close to exhaustion. And then we went to electronics, which we still have a long way to go with, and if the current activity in quantum computing pays off, that will probably introduce technologies you and I can't conceive of.
So no, technology is certainly not going backwards.
ЭТО АФИГЕННО!! Спасибо за демонстрацию!!!
I'm awed, both by the Brennan and also by you, the creator of this video. I had first read about the Brennan in a short paragraph and its operation as described didn't make sense to me. I'd hate to think how many hours it took to make this animation. So now I know. Thanks very much.
I think the thing that impresses me the most about this thing is that it's completely mechanical. No electronics, no gas or compressed air. Just wires, shafts, chains, and gears. And this was from 1887. A guided torpedo before the 1900s! Crazy cool!
Wow, did not expect this. Great work!
I've seen one of these torpedoes and its launch bays in the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defense! Very cool system, especially for its time, and you can see how it was ideal for defending inshore waters like the Kowloon Straights.
Absolutely fantastic explanation. Thank you
There were the remains of a Brennan launch facility at Cliffe Fort on the Thames when I was in school. I had to make a mockup on a toy boat to convince myself that you could propel something forwards by pulling backwards!
Did the boat move well?
Amazing system. I'm always amazed to see solutions like this. Great animation by the way too. I was just randomly reading about torpedo's when I came upon this.
A clockworks version of a wire guided torpedo! absolutely fascinating!
Nice update to an already good video.
Can't wait for new content.
Brilliant , thank you.
Officer: "How does this work?"
Brennan: "Yes"
the torpedo knows where it is at all times
Interesting video. Great job.
Thanks upload this video.
Guidance by wire, excellent work.
And power by wire!
Not only guidance, the very propellers are remotely mechanically powered from coast docked power motors
I love the music and the explosion noise at the end i poop my pants everytime. TY for this wonderful animation
Its a mad amazing video!
Amazing!! Just amazing!!
This is impressive engineering for a time before electric motors and gas powered engines.
Fantastic animation.....Mike
Super animation thank you
Amazing!
That's one out of the box way to propell a torpedo.
Absolute analog madness!
excellent
That is amazing.
Could you make a video about some of the german mytical weapons of the 2ww, for example the cannon train?
Great job
Belle animation !
Literally, you pull things to advance.
It’s sad that the only purpose this brilliant machinery had always resulted in its total destruction or loss.
Think big picture. The purpose of this brilliant machinery was to prevent the destruction of critical ports and shipping by an attacking fleet.
It may have been complex and expensive, but it also could guarantee a one-shot kill of even the largest warship of the day.
I cant ever imagine these would be cheap
Incroyable !
These Brennan torpedoes were tested at cliff fort in kent on the river Thames opposite coalhouse fort essex you can still see the tracks the torpedoes run on into the river ,with binoculars you can see the tracks from coalhouse fort across the river to cliff fort
Is this the most steampunk of the early torpedoes? :)
It reminds me of string-powered toys, the pull a string & wind up a flywheel type. I wonder which came first?
Thanks Rob.
I've read that Brennan got the idea from seeing how a spool of thread would move forward when the thread was pulled backwards off the spool.
@@Crosshair84 Thanks.
MACLOS in 1887 - how wonderful.
I would be interested in a parts count between this and a wire guided missile -Also bonus prize for most random music selection youtube :-)
Evan better than previous version and previous was excellent!
given what technology they had at the time, this is a feat of mechanical genius
I think one of the last existing launch sites is still intact in Hong Kong guarding the Eastern entrance to the harbour. I visited it years ago, obviously all the mechanisms had long been removed.
Excelent
Jesus, who made this wire powered torp lol
simple and compicated
Quiero saber como funciona la ametralladora DSHK quiero que estrenas un video como estos anteriores
There is a glass-fibre relief of the Brennan torpedo on the wall of the bogs next to WHSmith in Gillingham High Street. We are very proud
and so you should be...
Amazing working graphics! I wonder what the effective range was
After watching this, I tried to find what I could. In a test, it hit a floating fruit basket at 2,000 yards.
What else did you find?
All this clockwork just to get a warhead against a ship!
Brilliant. Were ever used in anger?
Another brilliant video, that perfectly shows the inner workings of torpedoes......
I would’ve thought, that some or most of the museums, which are about warfare, and especially the ones that deal with naval warfare, would be interested in buying these videos for use in their museums. And if they are not, then they either have their own videos, or they are run by nearsighted idiots.........
I gotta admit, it's very clever, but it feels cumbersome. Can't help but feel building a standard gun emplacement would have been a better use of resources.
Great Video!
But what exactly would happen if the Brennan Torpedo ran out of wire, or completely miss a target? Would it be possible to salvage it, or is there some sort of antitampering device in place to keep it from being captured by the enemy?
Good question. The torpedo will be positively buoyant once it has lost all its wire so will be just floating around, easily visible due to the tracking mast. However, the warhead will be armed and bumping it or lifting it will trip the detonating pendulum. You do not want to be near the 250-350 lbs of Guncotton when that happens. Also the torpedo will still be about 1 mile from the launching station (and more importantly from angry shore batteries) so it would not be easy to snag a spent torpedo and tow it out of range. I have not seen anything in the documentation about how the torpedo station would deal with a spent but armed warshot, but I assume it would be sunk by rifle/gunfire once things have quietened down.
@@vbbsmyt The whole concept, of having such a simple mechanical way to steer something back in that age is interesting, unfortunately it was never used for anything else. Remebering those large wheels with explosives, which were ment to break through the fortifications on the beaches in normandy, and which suffered from problems like "returning to sender" i wonder why such a simple method of steering was not employed.
First TOW missle
Quite a piece of mechanical engineering! Note that all functions are mechanical, nothing electrical since the technology was not yet mature enough.
How could they see it in order to navigate it?
Please read the notes.
Всё конечно очень интересно,но каковы точность и дальность этой торпеды?
Why are some aspects still secret?
Beaurocracy, once classified to much faff to declassify.
Louis Brennan was very secretive about his depth and steering units, so each unit was sealed (with a wire and lead seal that would have to be broken in order to open the unit) when the torpedo was issued. The Royal Engineers, who operated the Torpedo stations, promised never to open these units. The Depth units themselves were kept locked in a safe with two keys until needed. So, from 1887 to the present day, the Royal Engineers have kept that promise.
X-rays were taken a few years back, but these were made with the depth unit still in the torpedo, so while they show some interesting shapes (springs, rods etc) the are totally useless for working out the internal mechanism.
@@vbbsmyt I can't see any reason to keep it secret. Brennan's gone, the Royal Engineers who promised it are gone, and so is any conceivable reason for the secrecy. With modern electronics, there's no need for such a mechanical apparatus, thus a near zero chance the mechanical mechanism will ever be used.
and when the torpedo finally reaches the target there is a good chance for °war is over boys!!
Me at the beginning: Why is that flywheel disposable ... why does it need a mast ... why are the guide wires on that beefy flywheel ... HOLD UP ... WTF
Actually guiding system similar to a wire guided anti tank missile .
Made video 1911 pistol mechanism
A steampunk ATGM.
It's honestly beautiful.
TOW torpedo
Can you sell 3D file ?
An externally powered torpedo; weird.
Not the strangest externally powered torpedo, early Italian postwar guided torpedoes were powered by wire as well.
YOU COULD FKN STEER THEM ?!
problem is, the design was pretty unreliable due to the need of an internal steam engine inside the ship and a cord driving the propellers, and the tracking mast can show the torpedo's position to the target ship. nice job on the video btw
How can you claim it was pretty unreliable? Do you have access to the results of the practice runs for the period it was operational -1887 to 1905? They were fired regularly by their crews for practice, then recovered to have new wire drums fitted. Steam engines were in fact very reliable - being used to power virtually all ships, trains and factories by every industrialised country.
As for the spray being visible, you haven’t really thought this through. The Brennan torpedo was a coastal defence torpedo, with a range of about 2,000 m and speed 26 knots. That means it had a run time of about 2 minutes 18 seconds. An attacking battleship would be firing its guns (lots of smoke) and would be under fire from the land based coastal artillery (more smoke). Assuming the spray was spotted shortly after launch, the message has to be passed to the bridge for action to be taken. Probably leaving only enough time to say a few rude words.
There are 4 options:1 direct your main armament to fire at the fort (if you can see it) and hope to break the wire - almost impossible since the torpedo ramp is about the size of a man, the ship MUST steer a steady course and it takes time to redirect the individual guns (you have only 2 minutes before the torpedo will hit remember). Option 2 - allow the torpedo to close to about 100 m and try to explode it with rapid fire guns (will the shells explode on hitting the water?), but as before your ship has to steer a steady course to allow proper aim. Very risky. Option 3: Try to evade. This will prevent your main armament from shooting with any accuracy, but the Brennan can be steered to intercept you on your new course. Not good. Option 4: turn and run away and hope you can get beyond its range. The torpedo is, however, faster (26 knots) and battleships could make about 15 knots. This is the best option, but you have only about 120 seconds to turn your lumbering ship away. So the torpedo has won - it has prevented an attack on the harbour.
But I am very glad you liked the video.
@@vbbsmyt You may have missed it, but Alina is under the mistaken belief that this torpedo is powered from a ship.
Now do the super collider in Europe.
물 속에서 사람이 저걸 고친다는 건 말이 안 된다... 그래서 잠수함은 무인화로 가는 게 맞네...
Please made ww2 artillery canon video
The CIA 'dragonfly drone' was steered/powered much the same way!
Two tiny engines, one for each wing, was the power-plant, an external laser acted as the 'spark plug'!
Polarized lenses would receive pulses of laser light, and activate only one motor at a time.
Turning left or right was a matter of sending pulse of the proper orientation.
Level flight was realized by not polarizing the laser pulses, which activated both motors at the same time.
When not being pulsed, the 'bug' would simply glide.
This was 1970's tech, who know what they got now?
Real steampunk
wire guided torpedo lol
Зачем торпеды в зданиях? Это же очень сильно ограничивает угол атаки!
Why torpedoes in buildings? This greatly limits the angle of attack!
The torpedoes were used to protect naval ports, and replaced defensive minefields, so the forts were placed at the entrances to the ports.
@@vbbsmyt thank you
Fly by wire 🤔
About as steampunk as it gets.