Whitehead torpedo
| Whitehead torpedo | |
|---|---|
Whitehead torpedo mechanism, published 1891
|
|
| Type | Anti-surface ship torpedo |
| Place of origin | Austria-Hungary |
| Service history | |
| In service |
1894–1922 (Mk1 and Mk2)
|
| Used by | See #Operators |
| Wars |
Russo-Turkish War Chilean Civil War of 1891 World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Robert Whitehead |
| Designed | 1866 |
| Manufacturer |
Stabilimento tecnico Fiumano Torpedofabrik Whitehead & Co. Royal Laboratories E. W. Bliss Company |
| Variants |
Whitehead Mk 1 Whitehead Mk 1B Whitehead Mk 2 Whitehead Mk 2 Type C Whitehead Mk 3 Type A Whitehead Mk 5 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 845 lbs (Mk 1) |
| Length | 140 inches (Mk 1) |
| Diameter | 17.7 inches (Mk 1) |
|
|
|
| Effective firing range | 800 yards (Mk 1) |
| Warhead | wet guncotton |
| Warhead weight | 118 lbs (Mk 1) |
|
Detonation
mechanism |
War Nose (Mk 1), contact |
|
|
|
| Engine | 3-cylinder reciprocating |
| Speed | 26.5 knots (Mk 1) |
|
Guidance
system |
depth control, gyroscope |
|
Launch
platform |
battleships, torpedo boats and submarines |
1894–1922 (Mk1 and Mk2)
1898–1940 (Mk3)
1910-1922 (Mk5)
The Whitehead torpedo was the first self-propelled or "locomotive" torpedo ever developed. It was perfected in 1866 by Robert Whitehead from a design conceived by Giovanni Luppis of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. It was driven by a three-cylinder compressed air engine invented, designed, and made by Peter Brotherhood. Many naval services procured the Whitehead torpedo during the 1870s, including the US Navy. This early torpedo proved itself in combat during the Russo-Turkish War when, on January 16, 1878, the Turkish ship Intibah was sunk by Russian torpedo boats carrying Whiteheads, though this story has been disputed in one book.
The term "torpedo" comes from the Torpedo fish, which is a type of ray that delivers an electric shock to stun its prey.
During the 19th century, an anonymous officer of the Austrian Marine Artillery conceived the idea of using a small boat laden with explosives, propelled by a steam or an air engine and steered by cables to be used against enemy ships; his papers came into the possession of Captain Giovanni Luppis upon his death. Luppis had a model of the device built; it was powered by a spring-driven clockwork mechanism and steered remotely by cables from land. Dissatisfied with the device, which he called the "coast-saver", Luppis turned to Robert Whitehead, who then worked for Stabilimento Tecnico Fiumano, a factory in Fiume (Rijeka), present-day Croatia. In about 1850 the Austrian Navy asked Whitehead to develop this design into a self-propelled underwater torpedo.
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Wikipedia