Ancient history tells us of the use of fire ships and powder ships against fleets of hostile vessels. It remained for Captain David Bushnell, U.S. Navy, to make use of this idea shortly before the American Revolution in the invention of a floating keg-mine. Captain Bushnell's "keg" was loaded with a small charge of gun powder, fired by the pulling of a lanyard led from the keg to the shore. The keg was floated down stream until it fouled the target, when the lanyard was pulled and the explosive charge set off. This crude device was the forerunner of the delicate and deadly torpedo used by COD and on display in her torpedo rooms.