Category:Torpedo (FR)
This article is a start at cataloguing the French torpedoes as I have done for the British, but it must be considered a stub. — TONY LOVELL, Editor.
Torpedoes
1907
Torpedoes under manufacture at Toulon were said to number 300, but production actually seemed to reach just 50 a year. Messrs. Schneider and Company were to take up manufacture at Havre to increase output. The model was a 45-cm Fiume-type torpedo working at 1,351 psi in the chamber, with an Obry gyro. Practices were run at just 500 yards at the high speed of 32 knots and extreme ranges were 2,000 yards.
1913
In May 1913, the British recovered a French torpedo near Hastings. It was a 45-cm cold torpedo "of modern type" with the following features:[2]
- massive tail construction
- absence of small pipes
- steel exercise head, empty and ballasted; indicating flag attached wth water tripper device and spring.
- 1,800 pounds pressure remaining in air vessel, working pressure 150 kilos per square cm, or 2133 pounds. Pitting suggested it was stored in and fired from a submarine external frame.
- Ulan depth gear giving turning angle of 0.924 degrees per foot error in depth
1916
In 1916, the British noted that the French seemed to have just three kinds of 18-in torpedoes in use, and each with just a single setting and employing Ulan-type depth gear, "spear head" net cuttters and like lengthier Fiumes.[3]
| Ships Using | Range | Knots | Warhead | Pressure | Length (in) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Submarines | 1,000m | 42 | 255.7 lbs gun cotton |
2130 psi | 206.69 | longer than British 21-in Mark II |
| Battleships | 6,000m | 25-26i | 215.35 | |||
| New Battleships | 9,000m | 26-27 | 2500 psi | 265.75 |
They never exceeded 26-33 feet on initial dive and assume their normal depth of 13 feet at 200 metres.[4]
Tubes
The French submerged tubes were generally like the British. The bar was worked hydraulically. The above water tube was ordinary, suspending torpedoes from the top.[5]
Sights
The French used a telescope on a sighting angle base located in the conning tower for their submerged tubes, setting an angle in accordance with instructions from the gunnery plot, which used tables to assist in the calculation. The scope was able to dip but could be locked in pitch. It seemed that the torpedo target had to be same as the gunnery target.[6]
Footnotes
Bibliography
See Also
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