Human Torpedo

The Human Torpedo Sladen Suit MK II

The Human Torpedo is equipment consisting of a Sladen suit and an MKII Amphibian Siebe Gorman &Co rebreather. The diving suit, called Sladen Suit, gets its name from programme leader Geoff Sladen.

The rebreather is a Davis Submerged Escape Apparatus-based system. The pendulum breathing system is a simple system with excellent CO2 removal. The Sladen suit is a suit where the diver can enter through a large opening. He then pulls the rubber hood and mask over his head and pulls down the entry opening. The opening is rubberized, allowing it to be sealed with two brass plates with screws. In this way, a perfectly waterproof suit is obtained. Venting took place with the distinctive overpressure valve placed above the head. The double 2-litre oxygen cylinders were carried on the back. A tap placed at right angles to the cylinders with reducer and bypass valve enabled the diver to regulate his gas supply. The gas supply was connected to the counterlong on the diver’s right side with a hose The original sets were designed for a dive time of 6 hours. The diving sets can be found with different modifications. The original design has a mask with two eye windows. The suit is also seen with the one back-mounted case with lead balls that can be shed by the diver with a pull cord.

The Divingheritage website has one excellent article on human torpedoes in three parts that are definitely worth studying:

https://www.divingheritage.com/torpedo.htm

https://www.divingheritage.com/torpedo2.htm

https://www.divingheritage.com/torpedo3.htm

Also a must read is the book by Robert W. Hobson who found an extremely interesting book in his father’s house….
Chariots of War, by Robert W. Hobson ISBN 0 9541997 1 5 ; 2004

The Human Torpedo suit has been featured in countless stories and books and still captures the imagination to this day. All the more so because prior to this development in the UK, the Human Torpedo principle had already emerged in Italy since WWI.

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