Rijeka - The City That Invented the Torpedo
This is one of those facts that make the people of Rijeka proud: the first torpedo in the world was designed and produced in Rijeka. Not in London, not in Berlin, not in Vienna - but right here, at the mouth of the Rječina river.
Giovanni Luppis - the officer with an idea
The story begins with Giovanni Luppis, a retired officer of the Austrian navy, born in Rijeka. During the 1860s, he developed the idea of a self-propelled surface vessel that would carry explosives to an enemy ship. His prototype "Salvacoste" was promising, but not practical enough.
Robert Whitehead - the engineer who made it work
Luppis connected with Robert Whitehead, an English engineer who at the time ran a technical factory in Rijeka. Whitehead took Luppis's idea and turned it into something new - an underwater self-propelled weapon powered by compressed air. In 1866, he presented the first true torpedo.
A world revolution from Rijeka's port
Whitehead's torpedo changed naval warfare forever. The Rijeka torpedo factory became a supplier to navies around the world - from British to Japanese. At one point, the most advanced weapon on the planet was being built here.
What remains today?
The torpedo launch ramp - the facility where finished torpedoes were launched into the sea for testing - still stands in Rijeka's port. It is the only preserved object of its kind in the world and a cultural monument. Visiting the ramp and the remains of the factory is the centerpiece of my Torpedo tour.