Torpedo photos & information: Difference between revisions
Pbcjohnston (talk | contribs) (Formatted new page) |
Pbcjohnston (talk | contribs) (Added Mk 3 photos) |
||
| Line 5: | Line 5: | ||
[[File:A-class Torpedoes at Cavite.jpg|left|500px]] | [[File:A-class Torpedoes at Cavite.jpg|left|500px]] | ||
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color:#00008B">Whitehead Mk 3 torpedoes stored at the weapons depot at Naval Station Cavite, Philippines, approximately 1906. The wheeled carts allowed the quick movement of the weapons from storage to the pier. | <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color:#00008B">Whitehead Mk 3 torpedoes stored at the weapons depot at Naval Station Cavite, Philippines, approximately 1906. The wheeled carts allowed the quick movement of the weapons from storage to the pier. | ||
The Whitehead Mk 2 and Mk 3 weapons were actually a surface ship design adapted later for submarine use. They were powered by a three-cylinder radial engine run on compressed air. They were so similar in configuration that it was hard to tell them apart. Indeed, they had the exact same operational parameters. However, the big difference is that the Mk3 was the first USN torpedo to use a gyroscope for azimuth control. This reduced deviation from left or right of planned track from 24 yards to just 8 yards. | |||
<small>Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.</small> | <small>Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.</small> | ||
[[File:Red bar sub.jpg]] | |||
<center> | |||
<gallery mode="packed" perrow=3 widths="450px" heights="350px"> | |||
File:A-2 torp 1.jpg|<small>Photo NH 90188 courtesy of the NHHC.</small> | |||
File:A-2 torp 2.jpg|<small>U.S. Navy photo.</small> | |||
</gallery> | |||
</center> | |||
Navy photos of a Mk 3 weapon being loaded into the [[A-2|'''USS A-2 (Submarine No. 3)''']] at Naval Station Cavite, Philippines, circa 1912. The sailor manhandling the weapon down the hatch gives a good sense of scale to the torpedo, and illustrates how short the mid-body was compared to later torpedoes. Our early submarines were restricted to the use of these short weapons because they were the only ones that would fit inside the boats and the tubes they used. That would quickly change. | |||
[[File:Red bar sub.jpg]] | [[File:Red bar sub.jpg]] | ||
Revision as of 20:08, 16 August 2024
Whitehead Mk 2 & Mk 3
The Whitehead Mk 2 and Mk 3 weapons were actually a surface ship design adapted later for submarine use. They were powered by a three-cylinder radial engine run on compressed air. They were so similar in configuration that it was hard to tell them apart. Indeed, they had the exact same operational parameters. However, the big difference is that the Mk3 was the first USN torpedo to use a gyroscope for azimuth control. This reduced deviation from left or right of planned track from 24 yards to just 8 yards.
Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.
-
Photo NH 90188 courtesy of the NHHC.
-
U.S. Navy photo.
Navy photos of a Mk 3 weapon being loaded into the USS A-2 (Submarine No. 3) at Naval Station Cavite, Philippines, circa 1912. The sailor manhandling the weapon down the hatch gives a good sense of scale to the torpedo, and illustrates how short the mid-body was compared to later torpedoes. Our early submarines were restricted to the use of these short weapons because they were the only ones that would fit inside the boats and the tubes they used. That would quickly change.
Bliss-Leavitt Mk 4 Mod 1
Bliss-Leavitt Mk 6
Bliss-Leavitt Mk 7
Bliss-Leavitt Mk 9 Mod 1B
Bliss-Leavitt/BuOrd Mk 10 Mod 3
BuOrd Mk 14
Westinghouse Mk 18 Mod 1
BuOrd Mk 23
Page created by:
Ric Hedman & David Johnston
1999 - 2023 - PigBoats.COM©
Mountlake Terrace, WA, Norfolk, VA
webmaster@pigboats.com
