WWII-Era Torpedo Removed From Stevens Institute Fraternity House in Hoboken

A World War II-era torpedo was removed from the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house at Stevens Institute of Technology on March 26 after the Hoboken Fire Department identified the object during a routine inspection of the property at 530 Hudson St., according to reporting by The Stute, Stevens’ independent student newspaper, and Hoboken Patch.

The Jersey City Bomb Squad, in coordination with Hoboken police and the university, removed the object, which fraternity members say had been in the house since the 1960s. According to The Stute, fraternity members said the object originated as a dummy missile used for testing in a Stevens laboratory before someone brought it to the house. The hollow object was later filled with concrete, painted, and adorned with the fraternity’s Greek letters, becoming part of the organization’s signing ceremonies. Members referred to it as “Trixie the Torpedo.”

The New Jersey Alpha Chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon has been at 530 Hudson St. since 1947 and traces its origins at Stevens to 1908. The chapter was officially chartered under Sigma Phi Epsilon on May 7, 1938, and has won nine consecutive Buchanan Cups since re-chartering in 2007.

A Stevens spokeswoman confirmed the building was used as student housing and said the owner considered the object an antique, according to Patch. She declined to provide details on the type of ordnance or where it had been obtained.

A Hoboken police spokesperson confirmed the discovery was not related to an alleged firebombing plot uncovered in Hoboken the same day.

Fraternity members told The Stute the group plans to mark the occasion annually with a newly instituted “Ordnance Day” to commemorate what they described as one of the chapter’s oldest relics.