Mark 13 torpedo

Mark 13 torpedo
A Mark 13B torpedo being loaded onto a Grumman TBF Avenger aboard the Wasp in 1944; the torpedo is fitted with wooden breakaway nose and tail protection which is shed upon hitting the water
TypeAerial torpedo
Place of originUnited States
Service history
In service1936–1953[1]
Used byUnited States Navy
WarsWorld War II, Korean War (Only on the Hwacheon Dam)
Production history
DesignerBureau of Ordnance[2]
Bureau of Aeronautics
Designed1925[2]
ManufacturerNaval Torpedo Station[1]
Pontiac Motor Division
Amertorp Corporation
International Harvester
Produced1942–1945[2]
No. built16,600[2]
VariantsMod 1[3]
Mod 2[3]
Mod 2A – Mod 13[4]
Specifications
Mass2,216 pounds (1,005 kg)[1]
Length161 inches (4.1 m)[1]
Diameter22.5 inches (57 cm)[1]
Effective firing range6,300 yards (5.8 km)[1]
WarheadTorpex[1]
Warhead weight
  • Mod 0: 400 pounds (180 kg)[3]
  • Mod 2: 600 pounds (270 kg)[3]
Detonation
mechanism
  • Mk 4, contact[3]
  • Mk 8, contact[1]
EngineTurbine[1]
Maximum speed 33.5 knots (62.0 km/h)[1]
Guidance
system
gyroscope[1]
Launch
platform
Douglas TBD Devastator[2]
Grumman TBF Avenger
Curtiss SB2C Helldiver
Mark 1 Lightweight Rack [5]

The Mark 13 torpedo was the U.S. Navy's most common aerial torpedo of World War II. It was the first American torpedo to be originally designed for launching from aircraft only.[3] They were also used on PT boats.

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Torpedo History: Torpedo Mk 13". Keyport museum. Navy. Archived from the original on 2014-09-15. Retrieved 2013-06-05.
  2. ^ a b c d e Jolie, E.W. (15 September 1978). "A Brief History of U.S. Navy Torpedo Development". Maritime. United States Navy. Retrieved 2014-10-29.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Torpedo Mark 13, OP 629(A), Description, Adjustment, Care, and Operation. United States Navy. July 1942. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  4. ^ "United States of America Torpedoes Pre-World War II". Navweaps. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  5. ^ Friedman, Norman. U.S. Small Combatants, including PT-Boats, Subchasers, and the Brown Water Navy: An Illustrated Design History. Naval Institute Press. p. 157.