WW2 Naval art print Italian Maiale,manned Torpedo Frogman HMS Valiant

One Way Trip by Ivan Berryman.

Having strung their deadly payload from the bilge keels of another victim, the two man crew of an Italian SLC, or Maiale, prepare to make their getaway in the murky waters of an Allied harbour in the early part of WW2. Having set clamps on the bilge keels, the nose of the manned torpedo was detached and suspended on a steel cable strung between the clamps. A timer was set in motion and, a little over two hours later, the resulting explosion would rip through the ship's hull. Such was the fate of the British battleships HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Valiant as they lay in the harbour at Alexandria on 3rd December 1941. The fate of the frogmen was rarely a good one, most attacks resulting in almost certain capture - and often death - as there was no way back to the 'mother' submarine and they were forced to make their own way to whatever sanctuary they could find, having completed their audacious mission.