Whitehead Mark 1 torpedo

Whitehead Mark 1 torpedo
Whitehead torpedo mechanism, published 1891
Type	Anti-surface ship torpedo
Place of origin	Austria-Hungary
Service history
In service	1894–1913
Used by	United States Navy
Production history
Designer	Robert Whitehead
Designed	1892
Manufacturer	Torpedofabrik Whitehead & Co. E. W. Bliss Company
No. built	100
Variants	Whitehead Mk 1B
Specifications
Weight	845 pounds
Length	140 inches (3.55 meters)
Diameter	17.7 inches (45 centimeters)
Effective firing range	800 yards
Warhead	wet guncotton
Warhead weight	118.5 lbs
Detonation mechanism	War Nose Mk 1 contact exploder
Engine	3-cylinder reciprocating
Speed	26.5 knots
Guidance system	depth control
Launch platform	battleships and torpedo boats

The Whitehead Mark 1 torpedo was the first Whitehead torpedo adopted by the United States Navy for use in an anti-surface ship role after the E. W. Bliss Company of Brooklyn, New York secured manufacturing rights in 1892. The US Navy made an initial acquisition of 100 Mark 1s, which, by the time they entered American service, were faster, had longer range and carried a larger warhead than Robert Whitehead's earlier models.

The Mark 1 was ordinarily assembled into three sections: the warhead, the air flask and the after-body. The warhead's charge of dry guncotton weighed 98 3/4 pounds plus 20% water. The Mark 1 was what was known as a "cold-running" torpedo. The three-cylinder reciprocating engine ran on cold, compressed air which was stored in the air flask, which had a capacity of 7.154 cubic feet at 1350 pounds per square inch. The after-body carried the engine and the tail, which contained the propellers.

The Mark 1 guidance component included the Pendulum-and-hydrostat control device which was called the "Whitehead Secret". This version of the Whitehead torpedo lacked the gyroscope gear designed by Ludwig Obry, which was incorporated in a later Whitehead model, the Mark 3.

The Mark 1 was launched from battleships and torpedo boats.