Category:Torpedo (DE)
This article is a start at cataloguing the German torpedoes as I have done for the British, but it must be considered a stub. — TONY LOVELL, Editor.
The British learned about German torpedoes by the occasional discovery and capture of one that was lost in battle or found on an enemy ship.
1915
The British recorded particulars of "two early types" — a 45cm (~17.8-in) bronze one and a 45cm steel one from Emden which they surmised was the first German heater. The Germans also purchased and used 21-in Schwartzkopf torpedoes.[1]
1916
The British studied[2]
- three more 45cm bronze torpedoes
- a 45cm steel Fiume torpedo (No. 11582, originally ordered for Brazil)
- a 50cm (~19.7-in) steel dry heater torpedoes No 5955 from captured U.B. 26
- another, No. 7460 from the sea off Haddingtonshire
- a 45cm Fiume ex-Italian torpedo was recovered off Fiume by the French
- a 45cm example courtesy of the Russians, similar to the 50cm model
- a fragment of a torpedo indicating it was from a wet heater
By mid-1017, these discoveries brought the present understanding of German types to the following.
| diam | Type | Date | Heater | Range (m) | Est. Knots | Warhead | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17.8-in | Bronze, submarine |
1895-1898 | None | 2,400 | 18 | 250 lb wet G.C. | Similar to 18-in Mark IV w/ heavier head |
| Emden | 1907 | Dry | 4,000 | 24-25 | 300 lb wet G.C. | like 18-in F III** H, set to lower speed/greater range | |
| Improved Emden |
— | Dry | — | — | — | like 18-in Weymouth I* | |
| Fiume | 1913 | Dry | 4,000 | 29 | 361 lb Hexonite | No. 11582, ordered for Brazil, picked up by trawler Cornet and given to Laburnum | |
| ?Italy | Wet | 6,000 | — | — | manufactured for Italy | ||
| Swartzkopf | Recent | Steam | 4,000 | 30 | 255 lbs TNT | ||
| 19.7-in | "G" submarine | 1911 | Dry | 6,000 12,000 |
30 20 |
357 lbs Hexonite | like 21-in Mark I w/ heavier head, lower speed, same range No. 5955 from U.B. 26 |
| — | 1913 | Wet | 12,000 | — | — | ||
| 21-in | Schwartzkopf | Recent | Steam | 2,000 4,000 6,000 10,000 |
42 38 32 20 |
397 lbs TNT | like 21-in Weymouth II |
| 21.6-in | Naval | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 23.6-in | Naval | — | — | — | — | — |
It was otherwise assumed that the latest German torpedoes would be at least as good as a British Mark II***.[3] That the German range at Eckernforde was known to be 14,000 yards was taken as implication that the normal range for a German torpedo might be 12,000 metres. Some torpedoes sighted at Jutland had been estimated to be making 20 knots, a speed at which it was estimated the 197.-in designs might reach 12,000m.[4]
Torpedo No 11582 seemed to have been damaged badly by the explosion of another torpedo, and had been at the bottom of the sea for perhaps over a year. It was 45cm with no net cutter, a four bladed prop and Fiume tail and counter marked to 4,000 metres and air=spun, angled gyro, with estimated data of 17 feet overall, 2100 psi for 11.5 cubic feet, 1,500 pounds uncharged, 488.5 lbs head with 351 lbs explosive. The Fiume inertia pistol was designed to be safe for just 25 yards[5]
Torpedo No 5955 was removed complete with net cutter from salved U.B. 26 by the French.[6]
Torpedo No 7460 had seemingly been lost on a practice run and offered the following data. Length oa 19ft 4 in, 160 kgs/sq cm (2375 psi) for 19 cubic feet. 1570 lbs uncharged, head 433 lbs 3 oz with 357 lbs 1 oz hexonite. Top suspension, 6,000m marked on counter, at estimated 30 knots. 3 bladed prop with Woolwich tail and air-driven, angled gyro. The net cutter was explosive.[7]
The understanding of German broadside tubes was based solely on the fittings of the 18-in Emden torpedo. It was estimated that the German torpedo would slew 3.75 degrees vertically and 2.75 degrees in the tube, as opposed to 9 and 9.5 degrees for the British 18-in G.S. 1 torpedo. Inferences were made as to the tube design (possibly side-loading) and that the torpedo would deflect 20 degrees with an ejection velocity of 50 fps.[8]
The U.B. 26 tube and torpedo were fitted with gyro angling gear able to go 90 degrees either side in coarse 15 degree increments "which would not be at all easy to manage." The firing buttons were on the deck below the conning tower, and a voicepipe from the upper conning tower ran direct to the tubes. Interlocking gear was "elaborate and complete." Gyro angles could be applied to torpedoes in the tube by pulling a knob out and then turning it to either side through keyed detent positions.[9]
Footnotes
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1916, p. 110. alluding to reference in ARTS, 1915
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1916, p. 110.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1916, p. 110.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1916, p. 111.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1916, p. 111. Plates 36-7, pistol in Plates 38-39
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1916, p. 113. Servo motor depicted Plate 41. Photo of parted torpedo in Plate 42.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1916, p. 114. Net cutter in Plate 40.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1916, p. 114-115.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1916, p. 116. Gyro angle setting assembly diagrammed on p. 116, air discharge arrangements in Plate 43, depth-keeping mechanism in Plate 44.
Bibliography
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