USA Torpedoes Pre-World War II

United States of America
Torpedoes Pre-World War II
Updated 26 June 2010

14.2" (36 cm) Howell .

Torpedo Boat Stilletto launching a Howell torpedo about 1890 NARAL Picture
Ship Class Used On	Small surface ships
Date Of Design	Started in 1870
Date In Service	1889
Weight	580 lbs. (263 kg)
Overall Length	132 in (3.353 m)
Explosive Charge	100 lbs. (45.4 kg) wet gun-cotton
Range / Speed	400 yards (366 m) / 25 knots
Power	Flywheel
Notes: The first USA torpedo, it was smaller and cheaper than the British Whitehead and required no air flask, a difficult thing for the USA to manufacture at the time. This torpedo could steer a straighter course than the Whitehead as its flywheel acted as a gyroscope. The flywheel was spun up to 10,000 rpm by a small steam turbine mounted on the torpedo tube. This weapon armed US ships for almost a decade.

Whitehead 18" (45 cm) Mark 1 .

Torpedo Tube and Torpedoes on USS Oregon (B-3) Detroit Publishing Company Collection Photograph Library of Congress Photograph ID LC-D4-20532
Torpedo Tube on USS Maine (B-10) Detroit Publishing Company Collection Photograph Library of Congress Photograph ID LC-D4-20532
Ship Class Used On	Surface Ships
Date Of Design	about 1888
Date In Service	1894
Weight	845 lbs. (383 kg)
Overall Length	140 in (3.556 m)
Explosive Charge	118 lbs. (53.5 kg) wet gun-cotton
Range / Speed	800 yards (730 m) / 26.5 knots
Power	Air-flask (cold running) compressed air powered, three cylinder, radial Brotherhood pattern engines.
Notes: Negotiations for the Whitehead patent rights were opened by the E.W. Bliss company in 1891 with 100 torpedoes being ordered in 1892. Compared to the Howell, they were much better depth-keepers but less accurate.

Whitehead 18" (45 cm) Mark 1 or Type B .

Whitehead Torpedo at the Newport Torpedo Station, Rhode Island circa 1908-1919 Photograph from National Photo Company Library of Congress Photograph ID LC-DIG-npcc-19910 and LC-DIG-npcc-32496
Ship Class Used On	Surface Ships
Date Of Design	about 1889
Date In Service	1890
Weight	1,160 lbs. (526 kg)
Overall Length	197 in (5.004 m)
Explosive Charge	220 lbs. (100 kg) wet gun-cotton
Range / Speed	800 yards (730 m) / 27.5 knots
Power	Air-flask (cold running) compressed air powered, three cylinder, radial Brotherhood pattern engines.
Notes: Manufactured by Bliss, these were the first gyro-controlled torpedoes ever built. Designated "Type B" in 1913.

Whitehead 18" (45 cm) Mark 2 .

18" (45 cm) Torpedo on USN Torpedo Boat Detroit Publishing Company Collection Photograph Library of Congress Photograph ID LC-D4-20351
18" (45 cm) Torpedo and Torpedo Tube on USN Torpedo Boat Detroit Publishing Company Collection Photograph Library of Congress Photograph ID LC-D4-20352
Ship Class Used On	Surface Ships
Date Of Design	about 1895
Date In Service	about 1896
Weight	845 lbs. (383 kg)
Overall Length	140 in (3.556 m)
Explosive Charge	118 lbs. (53.5 kg) wet gun-cotton
Range / Speed	800 yards (730 m) / 27 knots
Power	Air-flask (cold running) compressed air powered, three cylinder, radial Brotherhood pattern engines.
Notes: 140 inch (3.55 m) version, otherwise very similar to Whitehead Mark 1.

Whitehead 18" (45 cm) Mark 2 Type C .

Unidentified Torpedo afterbody on USS Connecticut B-18 circa 1909 U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 63012
Ship Class Used On	Surface Ships
Date Of Design	about 1896
Date In Service	about 1898
Weight	1,232 lbs. (559 kg)
Overall Length	197 in (5.004 m)
Explosive Charge	132 lbs. (60 kg) wet gun-cotton
Range / Speed	1,500 yards (1,370 m) / 28.5 knots
Power	Air-flask (cold running) compressed air powered, three cylinder, radial Brotherhood pattern engines.
Notes: Developed from 197 inch (5 m) Whitehead Mark 1, but used 20 percent more air pressure to obtain a significantly greater range. Designated Type C in 1913.

Whitehead 18" (45 cm) Mark 3 Type A .

Whitehead 18" (45 cm) Mark 3 torpedo being launched at Newport Torpedo Station in 1894 In the background is USS Cushing D-1 U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 82831
18" (45 cm) torpedo being loaded into USS A-2 (ex-Adder) SS-3 about 1912 U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 90188
Hoisting a torpedo aboard USS Kansas B-21 about 1909 U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 82775
Ship Class Used On	Surface Ships and Submarines
Date Of Design	about 1898
Date In Service	about 1900
Weight	845 lbs. (383 kg)
Overall Length	140 in (3.556 m)
Explosive Charge	118 lbs. (53.5 kg) wet gun-cotton
Range / Speed	800 yards (730 m) / 26.5 knots
Power	Air-flask (cold running) compressed air powered, three cylinder, radial Brotherhood pattern engines.
Notes: 140 inch (3.55 m) version, very similar to Mark 1, with improved gyro. This gyro reduced right-left error at the end of the run from 24 yards (22 m) down to 8 yards (7.3 m). Designated Type A in 1913. The A through D class submarines originally fired this torpedo, but the C and D classes were modified around 1912 to use any of the longer, more powerful 204 inch (5.2 m) torpedoes.

Bliss-Leavitt 21" (53.3 cm) Mark 1 .

Twin 18" (45 cm) torpedo tubes on USS Whipple (D-15) in June 1918 6-pdr gun in the background U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 41761
Ship Class Used On	Surface Ships
Date Of Design	1900
Date In Service	1904
Weight	1,500 lbs. (680 kg)
Overall Length	197 in (5.004 m)
Explosive Charge	200 lbs. (91 kg) wet gun-cotton
Range / Speed	4,000 yards (3,660 m) / 27 knots
Power	Turbine engine, alcohol fired dry heater
Notes: F.M. Levitt was a Bliss engineer. This design was a substantially improved torpedo, with much greater range than the air-flask powered Whitehead. This new torpedo had a two stage, single wheel turbine set perpendicular to the propeller shaft to in an attempt to avoid torque problems, but the design still produced an unbalanced torque and unwanted gyroscopic effects. These tended to make the torpedo roll. Designated as Torpedo Mark 1 in 1913.

Bliss-Leavitt 21" (53.3 cm) Mark 2 .

Ship Class Used On	Surface Ships
Date Of Design	about 1904
Date In Service	1905
Weight	1,500 lbs. (680 kg)
Overall Length	197 in (5.004 m)
Explosive Charge	200 lbs. (91 kg) wet gun-cotton
Range / Speed	3,500 yards (3,200 m) / 26 knots
Power	Turbine engine, alcohol fired dry heaters
Notes: Introduced two counter-rotating turbine wheels and propellers to overcome the unbalanced torque of the Mark 1. This eliminated the rolling problem at a slight cost in range and speed. This propulsion arrangement was used on all subsequent USA torpedoes until after World War II. Designated as Torpedo Mark 2 in 1913.

Bliss-Leavitt 21" (53.3 cm) Mark 3 .

Torpedoes aboard a Virginia Class battleship in 1911 Note the contra-rotating propellers Photograph copyrighted by N. Moser Library of Congress Photograph ID LC-USZ62-103266
Ship Class Used On	Surface Ships
Date Of Design	about 1905
Date In Service	about 1906
Weight	1,500 lbs. (680 kg)
Overall Length	197 in (5.004 m)
Explosive Charge	200 lbs. (91 kg) wet gun-cotton
Range / Speed	4,000 yards (3,660 m) / 26 knots
Power	Turbine engine, alcohol fired dry heaters
Notes: Basically a Bliss-Leavitt Mark 2 with increased range. Designated as Torpedo Mark 3 in 1913.

Bliss-Leavitt 18" (45 cm) Mark 4 .

Ship Class Used On	Submarines
Date Of Design	about 1910
Date In Service	about 1912
Weight	1,500 lbs. (680 kg)
Overall Length	197 in (5.004 m)
Explosive Charge	139.5 lbs. (63.3 kg) wet gun-cotton
Range / Speed	2,000 yards (1,830 m) / 30 knots
Power	Turbine engine, alcohol fired dry heaters
Notes: First USA torpedo designed specifically for submarines. Twenty-one inch (53.3 cm) torpedoes were too heavy and too bulky for the submarines of the time. For that reason, this torpedo was designed as a scaled down version of the Bliss-Leavitt Mark 3. Designated as Torpedo Mark 4 in 1913. Used by C and D class submarines.

Whitehead 18" (45 cm) Mark 5 .

18" (45 cm) Torpedo Tube on USS Flusser D-20 about 1916 Note the hinged "spoon" on the end of the tube, which helped to guide the torpedo as it cleared the tube U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 79484
Ship Class Used On	Destroyers, Torpedo Boats and other small ships
Date Of Design	about 1906
Date In Service	1908
Weight	1,452 lbs. (659 kg)
Overall Length	204 in (5.182 m)
Explosive Charge	200 lbs. (91 kg) wet gun-cotton
Range / Speed	4,000 yards (3,660 m) / 27 knots 2,000 yards (1,830 m) / 36 knots 1,000 yards (910 m) / 40 knots
Power	Dry heater system (hot running), four cylinder reciprocating engine
Notes: First torpedo built at the Newport Facility. First major improvement to the Whitehead engine in that a heater was used for the air feed, which increased the range by a factor of five. This was the first torpedo that could be set for any one of three speeds. However, the speed had to be set before the torpedo was loaded into the tube, which limited its tactical flexibility. This was the last piston engine used in USN torpedoes until the Mark 46. Replaced by the Bliss-Leavitt Mark 7.

Bliss-Leavitt 18" (45 cm) Mark 6 .

Bow torpedo room on Submarine H-5 (SS-148) about 1919 Note the two torpedoes in the lower storage racks U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 4674
Firing a torpedo from USS Walke (D-34) in 1914 U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 92539
Hoisting a torpedo aboard USS Walke (D-34) about 1914 Note the contra-rotating propellers, the trolley and the "spoons" on the launching tubes U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 92541
Ship Class Used On	Destroyers, Cruisers and E through H class submarines
Date Of Design	about 1908
Date In Service	about 1911
Weight	1,800 lbs. (616 kg)
Overall Length	204 in (5.182 m)
Explosive Charge	200 lbs. (90.1 kg) wet gun-cotton
Range / Speed	2,000 yards (1,830 m) / 35 knots
Power	Turbine engine, alcohol fired dry heaters
Notes: The Bliss-Leavitt Mark 6 introduced a new turbine configuration in which the wheels were horizontal. This configuration has been the most common choice for USN torpedo turbine systems ever since.

Bliss-Leavitt 18" (45 cm) Mark 7 .

Loading a torpedo aboard K-8 (S-39) about 1915 U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 100767
Mark 7 being dropped by a DT-2 torpedo plane during trials in the mid-1920s
Ship Class Used On	"K," "O" and "R" Class Submarines
Date Of Design	1910
Date In Service	1912
Weight	1,628 lbs. (738 kg)
Overall Length	204 in (5.182 m)
Explosive Charge	326 lbs. (148 kg) TNT
Range / Speed	6,000 yards (5,500 m) / 35 knots
Power	Wet-Heater
Notes: First wet-heater (water spray into combustion chamber) torpedo in the US Navy. Still used by old submarines during World War II. Some Mark 7 torpedoes were modified for use by aircraft. Aircraft torpedoes of this type were eventually replaced by the Mark 13. The first experimental USN aircraft drops were made in May 1920 at the Naval Air Station, Anacostia, Maryland, using two Mark 7 Mod 5 torpedoes. Air speed for these drops is believed to have been 50 to 55 knots at altitudes of 18 and 30 feet (5 and 9 m). It was found that the torpedo dropped from 30 feet (9 m) was badly damaged while the one dropped from 18 feet (5 m) was not. The first mass torpedo practice against a live target was conducted off the Virginia capes on 22 September 1922 by 18 PT aircraft of Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron One. The squadron attacked the designated target, Arkansas (BB-33), which was one of a formation of three battleships which were maneuvering while running at full speed. The attack lasted over a 25 minute period during which time the aircraft approached the ships from both sides and released 17 Mark 7 Mod 1 "A" torpedoes at distances of 500 to 1,000 yards (450 to 900 m). Eight hits were made on the designated target. Subsequent analysis emphasized the artificialities which prevented the practice from demonstrating combat capability of either the surface or air units, but the outstanding fact demonstrated was that torpedoes could be successfully launched from aircraft and be made to run straight. During trials in 1924, Mark 7 torpedoes were successfully launched from DT-2 torpedo planes at an air speed of 95 knots and from an altitude of 32 feet (10 m).

Bliss-Leavitt 21" (53.3 cm) Mark 8 .

Torpedoes intended for USS Farragut DD-300 and USS Thompson DD-305 Picture taken about 1925 U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 82563
Ship Class Used On	Flush-deck destroyers
Date Of Design	About 1910
Date In Service	1911
Weight	2,600 lbs. (1,179 kg) [One source says 3,050 lbs. (1,383 kg)]
Overall Length	256.3 in (6.510 m)
Explosive Charge	466 lbs. (211 kg) TNT
Range / Speed	16,000 yards (14,600 m) / 26 knots
Power	Wet-heater
Notes: First 21" x 21' (53.3 cm x 6.5 m) USN torpedo. These torpedoes were still being used on older destroyers and PT boats during World War II. It is possible that a higher speed setting was available for the torpedoes issued to PT boats. This torpedo was supplied to Britain for use on Lend-Lease Destroyers in 1940. Torpedoes issued to Britain are listed as having a warhead of 380 lbs. (172 kg) TNT and a range of 14,000 yards (12,800 m) at 27 knots.

Bliss-Leavitt 21" (53.3 cm) Mark 9 .

Ship Class Used On	World War I-era Battleships
Date Of Design	About 1912
Date In Service	1915
Weight	2,015 lbs. (914 kg)
Overall Length	196 in (5.004 m)
Explosive Charge	210 lbs. (95 kg) TNT
Range / Speed	7,000 yards (6,400 m) / 27 knots
Power	Wet-heater
Notes: A short torpedo developed for the submerged tubes on battleships. Used by "R" and "S" class submarines in World War II. Last torpedo built by Bliss.

21" (53.3 cm) Mark 10 .

Ship Class Used On	World War I-era Submarines
Date Of Design	About 1917
Date In Service	About 1918
Weight	2,215 lbs. (1,005 kg)
Overall Length	183 in (4.953 m)
Explosive Charge	497 lbs. (225 kg)
Range / Speed	3,500 yards (3,200 m) / 36 knots
Power	Wet-heater
Notes: Still used by "S" class submarines during World War II.

21" (53.3 cm) Mark 11 .

USS Milwaukee CL-5 launching a torpedo ca. 1925 U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 85126
Ship Class Used On	Destroyers and Cruisers
Date Of Design	About 1924
Date In Service	1926
Weight	3,511 lbs. (1,593 kg)
Overall Length	271 in (6.883 m)
Explosive Charge	500 lbs. (227 kg) TNT
Range / Speed	6,000 yards (5,500 m) / 46 knots 10,000 yards (9,150 m) / 34 knots 15,000 yards (13,700 m) / 27 knots
Power	Wet-heater
Notes: Developed by Newport Station. It appears to have been of heavier construction than previous torpedoes.

21" (53.3 cm) Mark 12 .

Ship Class Used On	Destroyers and Cruisers
Date Of Design	about 1928
Date In Service	about 1930
Weight	3,511 lbs. (1,593 kg)
Overall Length	271 in (6.883 m)
Explosive Charge	500 lbs. (227 kg) TNT
Range / Speed	7,000 yards (6,400 m) / 44 knots 10,000 yards (9,150 m) / 34 knots 15,000 yards (13,700 m) / 27 knots
Power	Wet-heater
Notes: A modified Mark 11 with the only difference being a reduction in the high speed setting to improve reliability.

Data from
"Naval Weapons of World War Two" by John Campbell
"US Naval Weapons" and "US Submarines through 1945: An Illustrated Design History" both by Norman Friedman
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"A Brief History of U.S. Navy Torpedo Development" sometimes called OP 353W or TD5436 on line at HNSA
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Naval Undersea Museum
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Special help from Tom Apple

Page History

28 August 2008 - Benchmark
12 January 2009 - Added information on aircraft use of the Mark 7 torpedoes, added pictures of Virginia class battleship and Whitehead torpedo
26 June 2010 - Added information on Mark 8 torpedoes supplied to Britain and corrected typographical errors