“Ungentlemanly” use of torpedoes

Outrage over the “ungentlemanly” use of torpedoes quickly made its way to Great Britain. In November 1813 Thomas Tegg published William Elmes’s The Yankey Torpedo. The exploding barrel alludes to the schooner Eagle, while the mention of “torpedo capers under his bottom” refers to Silas Halsey and other submarine efforts. In his defense, the British figure mentions the embarrassing HMS Shannon victory over the USS Chesapeake. (Eon Images, 001549)