Find Spot MPM2128 - Section of torpedo, Portsmouth Harbour

The mid-section (known as the air flask) of a 21-inch torpedo recovered from Portsmouth Harbour during dredging as part of the Queen Elizabeth Class Capital Dredge Project in 2016. The section was 3680mm long and had a 533mm (21 inch) diameter.

The 21-inch was the most common size torpedo produced by the British and was used in submarines, destroyers and motor torpedo boats. It was first used in 1916 and continued in service throughout the Second World War. This find may be connected to torpedo testing in Portsmouth and was possibly lost or discarded.


UID: BWL9_0037 in Queen Elizabeth Class Capital Dredge Project report.

Wessex Archaeology, 2018, Queen Elizabeth Class Capital Dredge Project Her Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth: Archaeological Assessment Report (Unpublished document). SPM646.