Scale Model Info
| Kit Brand | Model Victoria |
| Scale | |
| Subject | SLC 200 Maiale Italian Human Torpedo |
| Extras | Model Victoria Figures Scratchbuild base |
| Paints | – |
Subject Info
SLC 200 Maiale Human Torpedo
The SLC 200 Maiale (Siluro Lenta Corsa “slow-running torpedo” in Italian), also known by its acronym SLC or as the “maiale” (“pig” in Italian), was a human torpedo used as an underwater assault vehicle by the Italian Regia Marina.[1][2][3] Similar in shape to a torpedo, it was adapted to carry at low speed two operators, equipped with autonomous underwater breathing apparatus and a limpet mine to be applied covertly to the hull of an enemy ship at mooring.
It was used by the Decima Flottiglia MAS during World War II for sabotage actions against enemy ships, often anchored in heavily defended ports, such as during the 1941 Raid on Alexandria.
Human torpedoes or manned torpedoes are a type of diver propulsion vehicle on which the diver rides, generally in a seated position behind a fairing. They were used as secret naval weapons in World War II. The basic concept is still in use.
The name was commonly used to refer to the weapons that Italy, and later (with a larger version) Britain, deployed in the Mediterranean and used to attack ships in enemy harbors. The human torpedo concept has occasionally been used by recreational divers, although this use is closer to midget submarines.
