HMS Thunderchild and the battle with the martians Bottle Opener

Illustration of the valiant ironclad, HMS Thunderchild, as she fires upon the martian fighting machines from HG Wells War of the Worlds (1897). Described as a torpedo ram, it is thought that the Thunderchild was based on HMS Polythemus, as the only British ship of that class. The Polythemus lacked the cannons described by HG Wells, so this illustration is a blend of ironclads Polythemus and the Norweigen Tordenskjold (“Thunder Shield”).