Cliffe Fort, near the
village of Cliffe on the Hoo peninsula in Kent, was built in the mid-nineteenth
century as a defence against the invasion of London via the Thames estuary.
The fort is derelict and
not open to the public, although you can walk around outside the walls. Since
1999, it has been owned by Robert Brett & Sons Ltd, whose aggregates works
adjoin it.
It is still impressive, and notable as the site of an early guided
weapon system.
More photos of
Cliffe Fort here.
How to get to
Cliffe Fort here.
The
Brennan Torpedo
Left
- the remains of the 100-year old torpedo installation
at Cliffe Fort, visible at low tide.
The
Thames is about a kilometre wide at this point.
These
photos were taken in October 1997.
The Irish-Australian Louis Brennan invented the guided torpedo which was
the "state of the art" coastal defence weapon from 1887 to
1903. The torpedo had two propellers, rotated by wires which were
attached to winding engines on the shore station and which played out after the
torpedo was fired. By varying the speed at which the two wires were
extracted, the torpedo could be steered to the left or right by an operator on
the shore.
Only one example of the torpedo itself exists, in the Royal Engineer's Museum
at Chatham. A number of launch installations survive apart from that at
Cliffe Fort, including one at Garrison Fort, Sheerness, one at Fort Meagher (formerly Fort Camden) in Cork Harbour,
and some in former British colonies in the Far East.
More about Louis Brennan and the Brennan Torpedo here.
For some recollections of Cliffe Fort in past years, click here.
To listen to the BBC's "Land Lines" programme on Cliffe Fort and its surroundings, click here.
If you have any recollections or information about Cliffe Fort and the Brennan Torpedo, or about the surrounding area, please
e-mail me.
Read more information on the wreck of a
large wooden sailing ship, the Hans Egede,
which lies beached a few hundred yards south of the Fort.
Last updated on May 25, 2010
Created on ...