Whitehead Mark 2 torpedo
| Whitehead Mark 2 torpedo | |
|---|---|
 Whitehead torpedo mechanism, published 1891 | |
| Type | Anti-surface shiptorpedo[1] |
| Place of origin | Austria-Hungary |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1896–1913[1] |
| Used by | United States Navy[2] |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Robert Whitehead |
| Designed | 1893[1] |
| Manufacturer | Torpedofabrik Whitehead & Co.[3] E. W. Bliss Company |
| Variants | Whitehead Mk 2 (Type C)[4] |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 845 pounds[1] |
| Length | 140 inches (3.55 meters)[1] |
| Diameter | 17.7 inches (45 centimeters)[1] |
| Effective firing range | 800 yards[1] |
| Warhead | wetguncotton[1] |
| Warhead weight | 118 lbs[1] |
Detonation mechanism | War Nose Mk 1 contact exploder[1] |
| Engine | 3-cylinderreciprocating |
| Maximum speed | 27 knots[1] |
Guidance system | depth control[1] |
Launch platform | battleshipsandtorpedo boats[1] |
TheWhitehead Mark 2 torpedo[4]was aWhitehead torpedoadopted by theUnited States Navyfor use in ananti-surface shiprole after theE. W. Bliss CompanyofBrooklyn, New Yorksecured manufacturing rights in 1892.[2]It was identical to theWhitehead Mark 1 torpedo,except for some mechanical details.[1]
Characteristics
[edit]The Mark 2 was ordinarily assembled into three sections: the warhead, the air flask and the after-body. The warhead's charge of wetguncottonweighed 118 pounds. The Mark 2 was what was known as a "cold-running" torpedo.[1]The three-cylinderreciprocating engineran on cold,compressed airwhich was stored in the air flask, which had a capacity of 7.154cubic feetat 1350 pounds per square inch. The after-body carried the engine and the tail, which contained thepropellers.[5]
The Mark 2 guidance component included thePendulum-and-hydrostat controldevice which was called the "Whitehead Secret". This version of the Whitehead torpedo lacked thegyroscopegear designed byLudwig Obry,which was incorporated in another Whitehead model, theMark 3.
The Mark 2 was launched frombattleshipsandtorpedo boats.The first commissioned U.S. Navy submarine,USSHolland,was armed with three Mark 2 torpedoes.[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Chronology: Torpedo in Word and Picture".Archived fromthe originalon 6 April 2014.Retrieved8 June2013.
- ^abSilverstone, Paul (2006).The New Navy, 1883–1922.Taylor & Francis Group. pp. xxiii.ISBN0-415-97871-8.
- ^The Whitehead Torpedo.Bureau of Ordnance,United States Navy.1898.
- ^"A Brief History of U.S. Navy Torpedo Development – References".