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) 1898–1940 (Mk3) 1910–1922 (Mk5)
|
| 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 | |
| Mass | 845 lbs (Mk 1) |
| Length | 140 inches (360 cm) (Mk 1) |
| Diameter | 17.7 inches (45 cm) (Mk 1) |
| Effective firing range | 800 yards (730 m) (Mk 1) |
| Warhead | wet guncotton |
| Warhead weight | 118 lb (54 kg) (Mk 1) |
Detonation mechanism | War Nose (Mk 1), contact |
| Engine | 3-cylinder reciprocating |
| Maximum speed | 26.5 knots (49.1 km/h) (Mk 1) |
Guidance system | depth control, gyroscope |
Launch platform | battleships, torpedo boats and submarines |
The Whitehead torpedo was the first self-propelled or "locomotive" torpedo ever developed. It was perfected in 1866 by British engineer Robert Whitehead from a rough design conceived by Giovanni Luppis of the Austro-Hungarian Navy in Fiume. 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 16 January 1878, the Ottoman 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.