Shellite originated after
World War I as a development of lyddite (picric acid). During the war, lyddite-filled,
armour-piercing shells had been found to be shock-sensitive, with a tendency to prematurely detonate upon impact rather than after penetrating the target's armour plate. Shellite was less sensitive, and also had the advantage of a low
melting point, that allowed it to be easily melted and poured into shell casings during manufacture. The first trials of shellite took place in 1921, when the British
monitor experimentally fired different types of
15 inch (381 mm) shell at , point-blank range against the surrendered German battleship . During
World War II, Shellite continued to be used in naval shells. It was used in the British
Disney bomb, a type of concrete-piercing bomb. ==Legacy==