Whitehead Mark 1 torpedo

Whitehead Mark 1 torpedo
Whitehead torpedo mechanism, published 1891
TypeAnti-surface ship torpedo[1]
Place of originAustria-Hungary
Service history
In service1894–1913[1]
Used byUnited States Navy[2]
Production history
DesignerRobert Whitehead
Designed1892[1]
ManufacturerTorpedofabrik Whitehead & Co.[3]
E. W. Bliss Company
No. built100[4]
VariantsWhitehead Mk 1B[5]
Specifications
Mass845 pounds[6]
Length140 inches (3.55 meters)[6]
Diameter17.7 inches (45 centimeters)[6]

Effective firing range800 yards[1]
Warheadwet guncotton[6]
Warhead weight118.5 lbs[6]
Detonation
mechanism
War Nose Mk 1 contact exploder[1]

Engine3-cylinder reciprocating
Maximum speed 26.5 knots[1]
Guidance
system
depth control[1]
Launch
platform
battleships, cruisers, and torpedo boats[1]

The Whitehead Mark 1 torpedo was the first 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. The US Navy made an initial acquisition of 100 Mark 1s, which, by the time they entered American service, were faster, had longer range and carried a larger warhead than Robert Whitehead's earlier models.[2]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Torpedo History: Whitehead Torpedo Mk1". Retrieved 8 June 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Artifact Spotlight: Whitehead torpedo" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 May 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
  3. ^ "Chronology: Torpedo in Word and Picture". Archived from the original on 6 April 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
  4. ^ "United States of America Torpedoes Pre-World War II". Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  5. ^ Silverstone, Paul (2006). The New Navy, 1883–1922. Taylor & Francis Group. pp. xxiii. ISBN 0-415-97871-8.
  6. ^ a b c d e The Whitehead Torpedo. Bureau of Ordnance, United States Navy. 1898.