Here is a quirky piece of sculpture that you don’t see every day! The pieces are three Ichthyosaurs fashioned from decommissioned naval torpedoes and celebrate the history of Weymouth in Dorset, England, created by local sculptor Andrew Kirkby, .
Inspiration came from Ichthyosaurs, dolphin-like reptiles that lived in the seas millions of years ago. In December 2013, storms uncovered a 1.5m (5ft) skeleton of an Ichthyosaur at the base of Black Ven cliffs on the Jurassic Coast which is famous for its large mudslides which frequently reveal fossils.
The naval torpedoes were manufactured in Whiteheads Torpedo Factory in a suburb of Weymouth that operated between 1923 and 1966.
The ‘Torpedosaur‘ has now been installed as part of a ‘gateway to Weymouth’.
I’m not sure which would be more frightening. Running into a torpedo while in the sea, or in one of these prehistoric monsters.
A fascinating piece of art, Mac!