Wild_Bill_Kelso
Senior Master Sergeant
- 3,231
- Mar 18, 2022
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Domestic production.I know the Russians used air launched Torpedoes in the Baltic but don't know whether they were Russian made or British ?
Britain had the Mark XV and then later the Mark XVII, and finally the Torpex
I gather that the Italian made Fiume torpedoes were very good and that the Germans were using them in preference to their own. They also made a license built copy of the Japanese type 91.
The Naval Weapons site Naval Weapons of the World - NavWeaps seems to be the best single website for finding details of guns and torpedoes. Not everything is correct but, if you find an error, Tony will correct it.
Impressive... a "complete" history? I wonder if they go back to the medieval torpedoes...
You mean the ones with oarsmen?
Nope, compressed air powered. Just experimental though, it's unclear if they were ever used in battle.
A 15th Century Italian artist and engineer named Giovanni Fontana created one of several experimental types. In a famous incident when he was testing such a device in a lake near Padua, witnesses thought it worked by magic, and he ridiculed them for it.
Part 1 starts at 1804Impressive... a "complete" history? I wonder if they go back to the medieval torpedoes...
Swordfish release height was supposed to be 18 feet - don't know what speed but it wouldn't be quick.
An account of the Swordfish attack on Bismark tells of the observer watching over the side then calling to the
pilot when to let the torpedo go so it would start in a trough between waves and stay straight.
Torpex- TNT/RDX/ Aluminum Powder. Same flling as still used in 1000lb aircraft bomb @ 225lb. Highly stable explosive, ideal for slapping through a hull. Used to take us 24hrs to steam the Torpex out a 1000lb at ROF Bishopton. Gantry held 13 bombs at a time in the Big Steamy. Disposal was by burning which only happened when enough waste cordite was used.Swordfish release height was supposed to be 18 feet - don't know what speed but it wouldn't be quick.
An account of the Swordfish attack on Bismark tells of the observer watching over the side then calling to the
pilot when to let the torpedo go so it would start in a trough between waves and stay straight.
Torpex was a more powerful mix than normal tnt giving 150% more explosive power for the same weight. More
bang for your buck. This was also used in the 12,000lb tallboy bombs. Torpex would be poured into a bomb casing
in molten form and then left to cool, in some cases this was up to a month.
Might you be so kind as to provide some sources to read?
There is an article in the following edition of the RAF Historical Journal on British air launched torpedoes that you might find interesting. Page 121 onwards. Highlights some of the problems of dropping torpedoes.
There is a wartime British instructional film available on YouTube about the operation of the standard British Mk.XII torpedo of the early war period. From around 16.40 it deals with the operation of the Monoplane Air Tail and Drum Control Gear which allowed torpedoes to be dropped from greater speeds and altitudes.
As for the Italians, interservice rivalries were prevalent in the inter war period. The Regia Aeronautica only formed its first torpedo bomber unit in July 1940 using the S.79 Sparviero with Whitehead torpedoes. After several failed operations, their first success was against HMS Kent in Sept 1940.
Swordfish release height was supposed to be 18 feet - don't know what speed but it wouldn't be quick.
An account of the Swordfish attack on Bismark tells of the observer watching over the side then calling to the
pilot when to let the torpedo go so it would start in a trough between waves and stay straight.
Torpex was a more powerful mix than normal tnt giving 150% more explosive power for the same weight. More
bang for your buck. This was also used in the 12,000lb tallboy bombs. Torpex would be poured into a bomb casing
in molten form and then left to cool, in some cases this was up to a month.