The initial purpose of the Harpoon was to provide a high-subsonic, long-range, sea-skimming, over-the-horizon missile capable of striking enemy warships with lethal accuracy. The transition to Harpoon Block II marked a significant shift in the missile's operational capabilities as it was adapted to confer upon the Harpoon an anti-ship capability in littoral or coastal waters. | Interesting Engineering

Lewis Temple revolutionized the whaling industry in the mid-1800s, despite never having gone to sea himself. His invention, the toggle harpoon, changed maritime history forever and was crafted by a man who had once been enslaved. In the early nineteenth century, New Bedford, Massachusetts, was a bustling hub for America's whaling industry. Whalers ventured into perilous seas largely equipped with inefficient tools. Lewis Temple, an African American blacksmith who had gained his freedom, saw an o