Whitehead Mark 3 torpedo | |
---|---|
Type | Anti-surface ship torpedo [1] |
Place of origin | Austria-Hungary |
Service history | |
In service | 1898–1922 [1] |
Used by | United States Navy [2] |
Production history | |
Designer | Robert Whitehead |
Designed | 1893 [1] |
Manufacturer | Torpedofabrik Whitehead & Co.
[3] E. W. Bliss Company |
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 | wet guncotton [1] |
Warhead weight | 118 pounds [1] |
Detonation mechanism | War Nose Mk 1 contact exploder [1] |
Engine | 3-cylinder [1] |
Maximum speed | 26.5 knots [1] |
Guidance system | gyroscope [1] |
Launch platform | battleships and torpedo boats |
The Whitehead Mark 3 torpedo was a Whitehead torpedo adopted by the United States Navy for use in an anti-surface ship role after the E. W. Bliss Company of Brooklyn, New York secured manufacturing rights in 1892. [2]
The primary difference between the Mark 3 and the previous versions of the 3.55-meter Whiteheads was the inclusion of the Obry steering gyro for azimuth control. This device reduced the maximum deviation right or left of the target from 24 to 8 yards. [4] About 100 Mark 3s were purchased from the E. W. Bliss Company; in 1913, these were redesignated Torpedo Type A. [5] They were used on submarines of the A, B, C and D classes. These were withdrawn from service use in 1922 when all torpedoes designed before the Bliss-Leavitt Mark 7 torpedo were condemned. [1]
The Mark 3 was ordinarily assembled into three sections: the warhead, the air flask and the after-body. The warhead's charge of wet guncotton weighed 118 pounds. The Mark 3 was what was known as a "cold-running" torpedo. [1] The three-cylinder engine ran on cold, compressed air which was stored in the air flask. The after-body carried the engine and the tail, which contained the propellers. [6]
The Mark 3 was launched from battleships and torpedo boats.