Texas Gun Guy

George Reaben’s Torpedo Crossbow

In November 1919 George Birkley Reaben, of New York, filed a patent for a design for an explosive torpedo which could be fired from a crossbow. 

Reaben’s patent describes “an arrow which is provided with means for exploding a torpedo upon the arrow striking end foremost the target.” The explosives were to be detonated by a plunger system in the tip of the ‘arrow’ shown in fig.4. 

In addition to the explosive body the arrow was also designed to include “a whistle which is arranged so that, as the arrow passes through the air, it will produce a shrill sound.”

Reaben explains that his arrow or torpedo can also be adapted to be fired from a gun, this adaptation is shown in fig.3. The bow seen in the patent has a limb comprised of a series of flat steel springs with an enclosed ‘barrel’ from which the torpedo is fired.

It is unclear from the patent description exactly what the intended use of Reaben’s arrow torpedo was. Its patent dates might suggest it was a weapon developed for use during the First World War but this is simply conjecture. I’ve been unable to find any further information about Reaben or his explosive crossbow torpedo. His patent was granted in January 1920.

Sources:

‘Arrow’, US #1328967, G.B. Reaben, 27/01/1920, (source)

Sailors on the look out on U-96, photo taken by Lothar-Günther Buchheim, 1941.

Two German soldiers look into trench periscopes