Mark 14 torpedo

Mark 14 torpedo
Mark 14 torpedo side view and interior mechanisms, as published in a service manual
Type	Anti-surface ship torpedo[1]
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	Unknown–1980
Used by	United States Navy
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designer	Naval Torpedo Station Newport, Rhode Island[1]
Designed	1931[1]
Manufacturer	Naval Torpedo Station Newport, RI[1] Naval Torpedo Station Alexandria, VA Naval Torpedo Station Keyport, Washington Naval Ordnance Plant Forest Park, IL
Produced	1942-1945[2]
No. built	13,000[2]
Specifications
Mass	Mod.0: 3,000 lb (1,361 kg) Mod.3: 3,061 lb (1,388 kg)
Length	20 ft 6 in (6.25 m)
Diameter	21 in (530 mm)
Effective firing range	4,500 yards (4,100 m) at 46 knots (85 km/h) 9,000 yards (8,200 m) at 31 knots (57 km/h)
Warhead	Mod.0 TNT Mod.3 Torpex
Warhead weight	Mod.0: 507 lb (230 kg) Mod.3: 643 lb (292 kg)
Detonation mechanism	Contact or magnetic pistol
Engine	Wet-heater combustion / steam turbine with compressed air tank
Propellant	180 proof ethanol blended with methanol or other denaturants
Maximum speed	46 knots (85 km/h)
Guidance system	Gyroscope
Launch platform	Submarines

The Mark 14 torpedo was the United States Navy's standard submarine-launched anti-ship torpedo of World War II. This weapon was plagued with many problems which crippled its performance early in the war. It was supplemented by the Mark 18 electric torpedo in the last two years of the war. From December 1941 to November 1943 the Mark 14 and the destroyer-launched Mark 15 torpedo had numerous technical problems that took almost two years to fix.^[3] After the fixes, the Mark 14 played a major role in the devastating blow U.S. Navy submarines dealt to the Japanese naval and merchant marine forces during the Pacific War.

By the end of World War II, the Mark 14 torpedo was a reliable weapon ultimately remaining in service for almost 40 years in the U.S. Navy, and even longer with other navies.