About Torpedos
Torpedoes are self-propelled weapons with an explosive head that can be launched from submarines or ships, or dropped into the sea from the undercarriage of planes. They are designed to either explode on impact or when in close proximity with the target.
Torpedo Stats
Torpedoes in World War I were dropped from planes, shot from battleships and submarines, and launched or detonated from land.
Because there were so many different types of torpedoes, it is hard to give stats in range and rate of fire. The average torpedo during World War I could travel about 35 - 45 miles an hour over a distance of 3 to 5 miles. The Whitehead Model torpedo was the most widely used torpedo in World War I. The first Whitehead torpedo used a compressed air engine that gave it a speed of 7.5 miles per hour for a distance of 600 feet. Whitehead then developed two more models and began selling these weapons to the navies of the world. The first model had a length of 11 feet, 7 inches and a diameter of 14 inches. It weighed 346 pounds. The second model was 14 feet in length, 16 inches in diameter and weighed 650 pounds. This model was much more powerful than the first. The Whitehead Mk 1 and Mk 2 versions came in two sizes - 11 feet, 6 inches and a 16 foot length. The 16 foot size carried a 240- pound warhead, which at that time was the biggest payload on a torpedo. The Mk 1, 2, and 3 Whitehead torpedoes to this point were cold running weapons. Cold running meant that the weapon operated on compressed air. The invention of a super-heater produced the hot running torpedo; this device used a combustion pot to heat the compressed air to increase speed and distance. In 1912, the Bliss-Leavitt Mk 7 was created and was the first "steam" torpedo". In a steam torpedo, air, fuel, and water are fed into the super heater at the same time. 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 power to the engine. The Bliss-Leavitt Mk 7 could produce a speed of 40 miles per hour for a range of 18,000 feet. Torpedo Operators
Torpedoes fired from submarines or destroyers were called torpedoman's mates. These officers were responsible for loading the torpedoes onto the ship, caring for them on the ship, and loading and firing them during battle.
On airplanes, the torpedoes were fired by a torpedo man's crew. This was a group of mainly 3 men: a pilot, a turret gunner, and a radioman. Problems with Torpedoes
The inventor of the steam boat, Robert Fulton named the torpedo. Torpedoes have been used in its many forms and names for hundreds of years and from the day they were invented propelling the weapon at a target had always been a problem. Figuring out solutions for land torpedoes was a little more successful that finding solutions to propel torpedoes in air or sea. By the late 19th century, engineers had learned many different means of fueling engines and had ideas about how to use a fueled engine to propel torpedoes.
Propelling was not the only problem. Speed, control, accuracy, and detonation were other issues that need to be resolved, and each time one problem was corrected, a whole list of new problems sprung up. To increase the speed of the torpedo, developers increased the air pressure, but sometimes this caused icing in the combustion chamber. Icing was solved by using a dry heater. It used kerosene to heat the air. Heating the air gave it a tendency to overheat. So a wet heater was invented to cool the combustion chamber using sea water. |
Tool Box
Vocabulary to Knowcompressed air: a gas or a combination of gases that has been put under greater pressure than the air in the general environment.
combustion: the process of burning something combustion chamber: an enclosed space in an engine where burning something generates energy detonate: to explode or cause to explode detonators: a.k.a. war noses - the front tip of a torpedo diameter: a straight line passing from side to side through the center of a body or figure, esp. a circle or sphere. dry heater: a kerosene heater in the combustion chamber of a torpedo that prevented it from icing gunner: a serviceman who operates or specializes in guns cold running weapons: weapons that operated on compressed air propelling: to cause to move forward or upward range: distance rate of fire: how fast the weapon can load a round in the chamber, fire it, and discharge the shell self-propelled: able to move itself by means of a motor steam torpedo: a torpedo run by steam power super - heater: a heating device that used a combustion pot to heat compressed air to increase speed and distance of torpedoes torpedoes: a cigar-shaped missile designed to be fired from a ship or submarine underwater or dropped from an aircraft to explode upon reaching a target torpedoman's mates: navy men responsible for loading, caring for, and firing torpedoes from submarines and destroyers torpedo man's crew: a team of navy men responsible for flying torpedo planes and firing torpedoes from an aircraft U-boats: a German submarine used in World War I or World War II vessels: naval boats war noses a.k.a. detonators - the front tip of a torpedo wet heater: a heater designed to cool a combustion chamber in a torpedo using sea water whiskers: four levers extending from a torpedo designed to trigger the torpedo to detonate from any direction or a intensity of hit 
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Torpedo Improvements
There was very little development to the torpedo during World War I. Most development happened either before World War I or after World War I and before World War II as a means of preparing for war. One major improvement however was the Mk 7 torpedo. It was the first steam-driven torpedo. The Mk 7 had a range of 18,000 feet and a speed upward of 40 miles per hour. It could also be adapted to fire from a submarine or a destroyer vessel.
The improvements on the torpedo made just before World War I and during World War I were mostly to the war noses. Today we call the war noses, detonators. Before World War I, torpedoes would only detonate by directly hitting its target. Researchers developed a way to detonate the torpedo from any direction or even a glancing blow by the use of whiskers; four levers which actually extended from the torpedo. These whiskers would release a pin that triggered the torpedo to detonate.
Another major improvement was the Mk 7 torpedo. It was the first steam-driven torpedo. The Mk 7 had a range of 18,000 feet and a speed upward of 40 miles per hour. It could also be adapted to fire from a submarine or a destroyer vessel.
Most torpedoes were launched from submarines or destroyer vessels; however, airplanes had just started to be used as a means to drop torpedoes on targets from the air. The reason they were not used more was mainly because planes could carry no more than 600 pounds. So they were not capable of delivering a torpedo powerful enough to seriously damage a warship.
The improvements on the torpedo made just before World War I and during World War I were mostly to the war noses. Today we call the war noses, detonators. Before World War I, torpedoes would only detonate by directly hitting its target. Researchers developed a way to detonate the torpedo from any direction or even a glancing blow by the use of whiskers; four levers which actually extended from the torpedo. These whiskers would release a pin that triggered the torpedo to detonate.
Another major improvement was the Mk 7 torpedo. It was the first steam-driven torpedo. The Mk 7 had a range of 18,000 feet and a speed upward of 40 miles per hour. It could also be adapted to fire from a submarine or a destroyer vessel.
Most torpedoes were launched from submarines or destroyer vessels; however, airplanes had just started to be used as a means to drop torpedoes on targets from the air. The reason they were not used more was mainly because planes could carry no more than 600 pounds. So they were not capable of delivering a torpedo powerful enough to seriously damage a warship.