When was the torpedo made

Fulton, however, did not believe this weapon should be used during wartime, but beforehand as a preventive measure. This style of warfare continued throughout the Civil War. Confederate states used mines to counter Union ships, which outnumbered southern vessels. Samuel Colt would perfect the use of an electric current to detonate a mine in He also created a moored minefield that could be detonated on command through an operator standing on the shore.

It was not until that Robert Whitehead developed the precursor to the modern torpedo. This self-propelling torpedo is the design that all torpedoes have been based on ever since.

The US Navy originally decided not to invest in the Whitehead torpedo. They instead initially developed their own design based on the Whitehead model, in However, their efforts never left the testing stage and the program was terminated in , at which time the US Navy purchased their first Whitehead torpedo.

The first models of the Whitehead torpedo were cold running and operated on compressed air. Later models would improve speed and distance with the addition of heat. The device used a combustion pot to heat the compressed air allowing the torpedo to go faster. The speed and distance could be varied by changing the amount of heat used. With the modification of a gyroscope, directionality could be improved as well. From to , torpedo development remained relatively unchanged. Modifications to the war nose or detonators were made between and This method of exhaust, however, interfered with the torpedo steering.

Peter Brotherhood, an employee of the Royal Laboratories, Woolrich, England, developed a reciprocating engine which exhausted into the crankcase and then the exhaust was ducted out the tail of the torpedo through a hollow drive shaft.

The Brotherhood engine, along with contrarotating drive shafts developed by another Woolrich employee, was adopted by Whitehead about These innovations improved steering and eliminated the heel-and-roll tendency due to a single propeller. Rendel was granted a patent in for double propeller propulsion, but whether he was the Woolrich employee referred to is not known.

Ultimately, in order to free himself from the Brotherhood patents, Whitehead redesigned the engine by changing the valves from the rotary slide type to vertical poppets. Whitehead Torpedo is shown in figure Whitehead engines were operated by compressed air and were classified as "cold running" torpedoes.

The advantage of hot gases for improving the efficiency was evidently well understood, since unsuccessful attempts were made to heat the air in the air flask by burning a spray of liquid fuel in the air flask itself.

These early attempts led to the use of an air heater or "combustion pot" also referred to as a "superheater" between the air flask and the engine. Torpedoes with an air heater became known as "hot running," and those without, "cold running. About , the last model of the Whitehead torpedo to be used by the U.

Navy was introduced. A hot running torpedo, the Whitehead Mk 5 used an air heater or combustion pot with kerosene as a fuel and a four-cylinder reciprocating engine. The result of using heated air was remarkable. The Whitehead Torpedo Mk 5 ran yards at 27 knots, an increase in range by a factor of 5. In this model, provision was made for varying the speed and range in three steps: yards at 27 knots; yards at 36 knots; yards at 40 knots.

The adjustment was made prior to tube loading through an access hole provided in the torpedo hull. Navy, but these torpedoes receive only passing mention in history. One of the European nations that also purchased this type of torpedo was motivated by curiosity, in view of Schwartzkopff claims and by the corrosion resistance offered by the all-bronze construction. In the case of that nation, tests with the Whitehead Torpedo demonstrated overall superiority over the Schwartzkopff version.

Although unsaid, the U. This torpedo was powered by a single-stage, vertical plane of rotation turbine which also had a combustion pot, and used alcohol as fuel to heat the air before entering the engine. The developmental model of the Bliss-Leavitt Mk 1 torpedo used an air flask pressure of psi and ran cold with a speed of 30 knots for yards. The production version of the Mk 1 with an air flask pressure of psi and a superheater, ran at 27 knots for yards.

The Bliss-Leavitt Mk 1 had one significant shortcoming. The single-stage turbine drove a single propeller resulting in an unbalanced torque which caused the torpedo to roll. This was corrected in subsequent Bliss-Leavitt torpedoes by using a two-stage turbine driving contrarotating propellers. Development of the two-stage, balanced turbine is credited to Lt. Gregory Davison, U. The two-stage turbine was essentially the same power plant used in all U.

Navy either had purchased or would purchase for Fleet use. The torpedoes were:. Except for the Bliss-Leavitt Mk 1 and the Whitehead Mk 5 torpedoes, both of which had a device for azimuth control, all were "cold running. The Mk 2 and Mk 3 were similar but had slight differences in performance; both did have two-stage, contrarotating turbines which drove contrarotating propellers, thus eliminating the roll tendency found in the Bliss-Leavitt Mk 1. The Bliss-Leavitt Torpedo Mk 4 was an inch torpedo utilized in the torpedo boats and submarines of the period around There is no indication that there ever was a Bliss-Leavitt Mk 5 torpedo.

The absence of a mark number then does not indicate a lapse in an evolutionary process, but merely a halt to the early practice of assigning the same mark number to two devices differentiated only by the developer's name. These devices used percussion caps to initiate the detonation of the explosive train, and, where used, the primers boosters were dry guncotton placed bare in the primer case exploder cavity prior to installation of the mechanism. The detonating mechanisms were called "war noses.

The war nose was mounted in the primer case exploder cavity in the forward end of the warhead, on the longitudinal centerline of the torpedo. A firing pin capable of longitudinal motion within the body of the war nose was held in place away from the percussion cap by a shear pin made of tin.

Upon impact with the target, the shear pin would be cut and the firing pin would impact the percussion cap initiating detonation of the explosive train. To prevent accidental detonation during handling, war nose installation, tube loading, etc.

A screw fan propeller located on the forward end of the war nose figure 13 , had to be rotated about 20 revolutions equivalent to about 70 yards of torpedo travel through the water before the firing pin was free to move and impact the percussion cap. A very simple device, the war nose was sensitive only when impact with the target was directly on the war nose along the torpedo longitudinal axis.

War Nose Mk 2 Mod 0 was slightly larger than the Mk 1. The main advantage of the Mk 2 war nose was that it had four levers whiskers extending outward from the body casting which would, if struck, cause the firing pin to impact the detonator. This war nose would cause warhead detonation if struck with something less than a direct blow on the end of the war nose. War Nose Mk 2 had the same safety features as did the Mk 1.

War Nose Mk 2 Mod 1 weighed 8 pounds, was 8 inches long, and 4 inches in diameter. Identical to War Nose Mk 2 Mod 0 except for minor mechanical details, the Mod 1 had longer whiskers and thus would fire on a more glancing blow. War Noses Mk 3 and Mk 4 never materialized beyond the experimental stage.

The Mk 3 was a Mk 2 Mod 1 version with longer whiskers. It was also the first to have a safety device that kept the screw fan from turning while in a submerged tube. In addition, the Mk 5 incorporated a multiple detonator system to eliminate failures from this aspect. Designed for use with slow speed torpedoes, War Nose Mk 5 was unsatisfactory when torpedo speeds approached 30 knots because the releasing pin plate, which prevented the screw fan from turning prior to torpedo launch, bound due to frictional forces.

The Mk 5, which was about 11 inches long, 2 inches in diameter, and weighed about 5 pounds, employed a complicated firing mechanism that downgraded its reliability. The war noses already noted were designed and reportedly used in torpedoes up until There is no indication that detonating devices subsequent to the war noses were interchangeable with their earlier counterparts; consequently, it may be reasonably assumed that war noses continued in use until the torpedoes that utilized them were condemned around This was a change in nomenclature.

With the war noses, "exploders" was the nomenclature associated with what are now called detonators. Exploder Mk 1 had several mechanical defects and was replaced by Exploder Mk 2; however, improvements to the Mk 2 brought about the Mk 3 before manufacture of the Mk 2 was completed.

Consequently, the first U. Navy exploder mechanism was the Mk 3 "simple exploder. It is interesting to note that the anticircular run ACR feature, now incorporated in most torpedo course gyros, was initially a part of the exploder mechanism. This device sterilized the exploder prevented detonation if the torpedo turned degrees from the original course. Like modern ACR devices, it was operable only during the initial part of the run. With much emphasis on devices that cause detonation of the warhead if the torpedo passes under the target, approximately 20 different types of exploders have been developed with varying degrees of success.

At that time it was planned to use TNT Trinitrotoluol for all future warheads. Indications are that the use of TNT started around and was continued until the introduction of Torpex in Torpex was replaced by HBX in the 's, followed by H-6 in the 's. PBX, the explosive currently in use, evolved in the early 's. Consistent with its established purpose, much of the production effort in the early days of the Torpedo Station at Newport was concentrated on manufacturing main charge explosives and explosive components primers and detonators.

From the first, torpedo acceptance by the U. Navy was on the basis of in-water performance. Early in , explosive main charge manufacturing and all equipment for that purpose were transferred to Indian Head, Md. Navy Torpedo Factory at Newport, R.

He was apparently successful, for construction of the factory began on July 1, , and in , the Naval Torpedo Station in Newport the torpedo factory received an order for 20 Whitehead Mk 5 torpedoes. In the light of establishing a competitor to E. Navy, the climate was probably more favorable for dealing with Whitehead rather than Bliss for manufacturing rights, tooling, etc. At the same time, an order for additional Whitehead Mk 5 torpedoes was placed with Vickers Ltd.

Navy and the Bliss Co. Bliss staged a comeback with the Bliss-Leavitt Mk 6 torpedo in which used horizontal turbines spin axis at right angles to the longitudinal centerline.

An inch diameter torpedo intended for above-water launching, this weapon could obtain a speed of 35 knots but a range of only yards. A water spray was introduced into the combustion pot along with the fuel spray and the "steam" torpedo came into being.

Torpedo Mk 7, with a range of yards at 35 knots, was introduced into the Fleet about and was in use for 33 years up to and including World War II when it was used in reactivated World War I destroyers with inch torpedo tubes. In the "steam" torpedo, air, fuel, and water are simultaneously fed into the combustion pot. The fuel burns and the water reduces the temperature of the gases produced by combustion.

The water turns into steam, thus increasing the mass of the gas. The gases generated by combustion and the steam provide the motive power to the engine.

Although only a fraction of the gases is steam, the term "steam" torpedo has been generally used throughout the years figure Navy inventory of torpedoes included both "hot" and "cold" running Whitehead and Bliss-Leavitt design torpedoes, with some identified by the same Mark.

Consequently, new designations were formulated as shown in tables 1 and 2. All other torpedoes in the inventory i. Navy's new class of torpedo boats, was commissioned and assigned to Newport. Torpedo boats of the CUSHING class were feet long, displaced tons, had a top speed of 23 knots, and were equipped with two or three inch torpedo tubes.

Fletcher, U. Each year larger and faster torpedo boats were developed. In , Japanese torpedo boats attacked the Chinese fleet at anchor with a loss to the Chinese of 14, tons. This action appears to have been a major factor in development of the torpedo boat countermeasure - the torpedo boat destroyer. Navy torpedo boat destroyer. In a few years, ships of this type became known simply as destroyers. These destroyers of torpedo boats were, in fact, torpedo boats as well.

Of far reaching significance, the advent of the DD 69 also introduced the standard inch surface torpedo tube. With tubes installed in triple mounts, four mounts per ship 12 tubes in all , these ships fired the Bliss-Leavitt Mk 8, the U.

Navy's first inch by foot torpedo, with a range of 16, yards at a speed of 27 knots. Harry H. Caldwell, who is believed to be the U. Navy's first. Navy submarines in tests and experiments at Newport.

During the submarine's days of infancy, later classes had two or four inch torpedo tubes installed and carried a total complement of four to eight torpedoes on board. The exception was the G-3 which had six inch torpedo tubes installed and carried a total complement of ten torpedoes.

The ultimate torpedo for these early submarines was the Bliss-Leavitt Mk 7. Like the surface Navy, submarines were standardized with inch torpedo tubes beginning in with the "R" class. Submarines equipped with the inch torpedo tubes used Torpedo Mk 10, which had the heaviest warhead of any torpedo up to that time, pounds, with a speed of 36 knots, but a range of only yards. It was intended to replace Bliss-Leavitt Mk 3-type torpedoes in battleships. When use of torpedoes in battleships was discontinued in , the Mk 9 was converted for submarine use and was used in the early days of World War II to supplement the limited stock of Mk 14's.

The last of the Bliss-Leavitt torpedoes, the Mk 9 appears to have been a misfit in the evolutionary process. It was slow, had a short range for a surface ship torpedo, carried a small explosive charge and air flask pressure was reduced to psi from psi. There was apparently some effort to improve Mk 9 capability, for in follow-on mods, its speed was unchanged and range in some cases reduced, while the explosive charge was increased to around pounds and air flask pressure was increased to psi indicating use of a new air flask.

By the spring of , the German U-boat menace had become so great that it overshadowed all other enemy threats. Torpedo research and development was practically discontinued in favor of the development of depth bombs, aero bombs, and mines, which were the antisubmarine warfare weapons of that era.

The resources of the Naval Torpedo Station at Newport were redirected to this end and played an important role in wartime development, particularly in the development of the U.

The use of the torpedo by the U. Navy and the Allies in World War I was a negligible factor specific data are not available ; on the other hand, German submarines are credited with sinking 5, ships for a total of 11,, tons. The characteristics were as follows:. The propulsion motor of the proposed electric torpedo was to act as a gyroscope to stabilize the torpedo in azimuth, as in the old Howell Torpedo.

This development was terminated in with no torpedoes having been produced. Navy interest in the development of an electric torpedo, prompted by the successful development of one during World War I in Germany, continued after termination of the Sperry contract.

Navy in-house development of an electric torpedo of conventional size continued at the Navy Experiment Station, New London, Conn. This design was designated the Type EL, then the Mk 1. Development continued sporadically over the next 25 years on the Mk 1 and Mk 2 electric torpedoes culminating finally with the Mk In the same wave of economy, development and manufacture of torpedoes for the U.

Navy at the E. Disputes over patent rights, and also the fact that the USNTS, Newport, with 15 years of experience in torpedo manufacture was considered capable of providing for the Navy's needs, were cited as factors influencing termination of work with the Bliss Co. Economy seems to have been the primary motivation, for at the same time, torpedo manufacturing activities at the Washington Navy Yard and the Naval Torpedo Station in Alexandria, Va. The Newport Torpedo Station became the headquarters for torpedo research, development, design, manufacture, overhaul, and ranging.

In , in a move to reduce maintenance costs, all torpedoes of design prior to the Bliss-Leavitt Torpedo Mk 7 were condemned withdrawn from service and probably scrapped in favor of more modern torpedoes. With this move, the U. Navy inventory of torpedo types then consisted of four models:. Torpedo Mk 8 - used by destroyers with inch tubes, 3. Torpedo Mk 9. Torpedo Mk 10 - used by submarines with inch tubes. In the mid's, manufacturing efforts were minimal, and the efforts were mainly concerned with improving the existing torpedo inventory.

Cruiser use of torpedoes was discontinued in Production of Torpedo Mk 11 started in ; however, in , the Mk 11 was succeeded by the Mk 12, which was similar but refined in many details. About Mk 12's were produced. It involved two Navy Bureaus - Ordnance and Aeronautics the latter due to the necessity of parallel development of a satisfactory torpedo plane. Air speed for these drops is believed to have been 50 to 55 knots at altitudes of 18 and 30 feet.

Bushnell's torpedo comprised an explosive charge fixed to an enemy hull and was set-off by a clockwork fuse. These early torpedoes were stationary devices which exploded against vessels and were later classified as mines. The first automatic torpedo was produced in by the English engineer, Robert Whitehead. This engine driven torpedo travelled at speeds of 15 to 20 knots.

They were built to detect enemy submarines coming too close to ship convoys or U. The torpedo was the initial format for the Mk 44 and Mk 46 torpedoes, which were rocket propelled. Also in the s, submarines acquired nuclear propulsion, which made them faster. A faster torpedo also had to be developed. The Mk 45 provided speeds up to 40 knots and a range of 11, to 15, yards. It was eventually replaced with the Mk 48, which still today is the primary active service torpedo in the United States submarine arsenal.

It is feet long, weighs approximately 3,pounds, and carries pounds of high explosive. The Mk 50 could be dropped from a plane, helicopter, or launched from a surface combatant. It is only 9-feet long, but can travel faster than 40 knots and has a range of 20, yards. Singer Torpedo Designed for H.

Drawing of a spar-mounted torpedo designed by Singer for use on the submarine H. Hunley taken from the papers of Quincy Adams Gallimore, a Union general and engineer who had access to Confederate military papers in Charleston after the city's surrender.

The heading claims it is the one used to sink USS Housatonic. From the National Archives and Records Administration. Torpedo gyro of the obry type, used in the Whitehead torpedo, MK. Firing torpedoes during torpedo practice, Note torpedo cart. National Archives photograph, G Mark 11 Torpedo. The first all-Navy torpedo design at Newport, Rhode Island, torpedo factory, Submariners drinking coffee in the torpedo room of their boat, at the New London Submarine Base, Photo has apparently been censored.

Engraving by A. Stachic, published in "Naval Battles of America", by E. It depicts the successful spar torpedo attack by Lieutenant William B. Lay-Haight torpedo photographed March Torpedo was driven on the surface by carbonic acid gas carried in a liquid state. Steering depended upon an electric current, which was sent over a cable laid out by the torpedo. Torpedo in inch torpedo tube aboard a U. Navy torpedo boat, circa Photo from postcard.

Bliss-Leavitt Torpedo Mark 3, A turbine driven torpedo, designed by M. Leavitt, an engineer at E. Bliss Co. Alcohol was mixed with super-heated compressed air to provide motive power for turbine. Navy adopted this torpedo circa and used various models of it for the next 22 years. Aerial Torpedo Exercise, circa early s. Target in most photos is USS Arkansas. Note Torpedo tracks. Note that one tube is longer than the other.

Also, note sight at left.