Mark 45 torpedo

Mark 45 torpedo
Mark 45 torpedo on display in Aiea, Hawaii, United States
TypeNuclear antisubmarine torpedo[1]
Place of originUnited States
Service history
In service1959–1976[1][2]
Used byUnited States Navy
Production history
DesignerApplied Research Laboratory, University of Washington[1]
Westinghouse Electric
Designed1957[1]
ManufacturerWestinghouse Electric[1]
Produced1959[1]
No. built600
VariantsMark 45 Mod 1[1]
Mark 45 Mod 2
Specifications
Mass2,400 pounds (1,100 kg)
Length227 inches (580 cm)
Diameter19 inches (48 cm)

WarheadW34 nuclear warhead
Blast yield11 kilotons

EngineElectric[1]
Operational
range
5–8 miles (8–13 km)
Maximum speed 40 knots
Guidance
system
Gyroscope and wire
Launch
platform
Submarines[1]

The Mark 45 anti-submarine torpedo, a.k.a. ASTOR, was a submarine-launched wire-guided nuclear torpedo designed by the United States Navy for use against high-speed, deep-diving, enemy submarines. This was one of several weapons recommended for implementation by Project Nobska, a 1956 summer study on submarine warfare.[3] The 19-inch (480 mm)-diameter torpedo was fitted with a W34 nuclear warhead. The need to maintain direct control over the warhead meant that a wire connection had to be maintained between the torpedo and submarine until detonation. Wire guidance systems were piggybacked onto this cable, and the torpedo had no homing capability. The design was completed in 1960, and 600 torpedoes were built between 1963 and 1976, when ASTOR was replaced by the Mark 48 torpedo.

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Jolie, E.W. (15 September 1978). "A Brief History of US Navy Torpedo Development: Torpedo Mine Mk45". Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference NavWeaps1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Friedman, Norman (1994). U.S. Submarines Since 1945: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. pp. 109–114. ISBN 1-55750-260-9.