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British 21-inch torpedo

{{short description|British weapon used by ships, submarines, and aircraft}}

There have been a number of 21-inch (53.3cm) torpedoes in service with the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom.

Torpedoes of 21-inch calibre were the largest torpedoes in common use in the RN. They were used by surface ships and submarines; aircraft used smaller 18-inch torpedoes.

Mark I

File:HMS Pincher, Beagle-class destroyer - IWM Q 75066.jpg

The first British 21-inch torpedo came in two lengths, "Short" at {{cvt|17|ft|10.5|in|m|2}}, and "Long" at {{cvt|23|ft|1.25|in|m|2}}. The explosive charge was {{cvt|200|lb|kg}} of guncotton, increased later to {{cvt|225|lb|kg}}. The torpedoes were first deployed in the field in 1912 and primarily used by the {{sclass|Beagle|destroyer}}s throughout most of their service during the First World War.{{cite web|url=http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php/Beagle_Class_Destroyer_(1909)|title=Beagle Class Destroyer (1909)|last=The Dreadnought Project|website=www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php}}

Specifications:{{cite web|url=http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WTBR_PreWWII.php|title=Pre-World War II Torpedoes of the United Kingdom/Britain|first=Tony|last=DiGiulian|website=www.navweaps.com}}{{cite web|url=http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php/21-in_Mark_I_Torpedo_(UK)|title=21-in Mark I Torpedo (UK)|last=The Dreadnought Project|website=www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php}}

Mark I Short

  • Entered service: 1910
  • Weight: {{cvt|2100|lb|kg}}
  • Length: {{cvt|17|ft|10.5|in|m}}
  • Explosive charge: {{cvt|200|lb|kg}} Wet guncotton
  • Range and speed: {{cvt|7500|yd|m}} at {{cvt|16|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|1000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|27|kn|kph}}

Mark I Long

  • Entered service: 1910
  • Weight: {{cvt|2800|lb|kg}}
  • Length: {{cvt|23|ft|1.25|in|m}}
  • Explosive charge: {{cvt|200|lb|kg}} Wet guncotton
  • Range and speed: {{cvt|12000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|16|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|1000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|27|kn|kph}}

Mark II

{{Infobox weapon

| name = 21-inch Mark II

| image =

| caption =

| origin = United Kingdom

| type = Heavy Torpedo

| is_ranged = yes

| is_explosive = yes

| is_missile = yes

| is_UK = yes

| service = 1909 – Second World War

| used_by = RN

| wars = First World War, Second World War

| designer =

| design_date = 1909

| manufacturer =

| unit_cost =

| production_date =

| number =

| variants =

| spec_label =

| weight =

| length =

| part_length =

| width =

| height =

| diameter = {{cvt|21|in|mm}}

| crew =

| filling = TNT

| filling_weight = {{cvt|280|to|515|lb|kg}}

| detonation =

| yield =

| engine = Wet Heater

| engine_power =

| payload_capacity =

| propellant =

| fuel_capacity =

| vehicle_range = {{cvt|18000|yd|m}} max depending on model

| speed = {{cvt|18|to|45|kn|kph}}

| guidance =

| steering =

}}

The Mark II, a prolific series of torpedoes used during the First World War, entered service in 1909. Development ran in parallel with the Mark I and shared multiple elements of its design. Developed by the Royal Navy Torpedo Factory design bureau in Greenock and manufactured at the Royal Gun Factory in Woolwich and the Royal Naval Torpedo Factory in Alexandria. During the early part of the Second World War, apart from some older British ships, it was used with the old US (destroyers-for-bases deal) {{sclass2|Town|destroyer|1}}s provided to the UK.

During the First World War, the Mark II was primarily used by battleships and battlecruisers, as well as submarines fitted with 21-inch launch tubes, such as the L, M, and G classes. A wet heater design, it could run at speeds upwards of {{convert|45|kn|km/h}}. Accuracy and depth-keeping reliability were reduced at this high speed. All variants of the Mark II were outfitted at the factory with either a 44.5-knot or a 35-knot high speed setting, but not both.

The Royal Navy employed a system whereby successive modifications of torpedoes were marked with increasingly numerous asterisks. Other markings for the Mark II were suffixes specifying the type of launch tube hardware required for their employment: SL (side lug), HB (hook bracket), VB (a special modification for the foreign-specification torpedo tubes on HMS Canada, TB (a special modification for the foreign-specification torpedo tubes on HMS Chester and HMS Birkenhead.){{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=Naval Weapons of World War One|publisher=Seaforth|location=Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK|year=2011|isbn=978-1-84832-100-7|page=327}}

Specifications:{{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=Naval Weapons of World War One|publisher=Seaforth|location=Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK|year=2011|isbn=978-1-84832-100-7|page=331-332}}{{cite web|url=http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php/21-in_Mark_II_Torpedo_(UK)|title=21-in Mark II Torpedo (UK)|last=The Dreadnought Project|website=www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php}}

Mark II and Mark II SL

  • Entered service: 1909
  • Weight: {{cvt|2822|lb|kg}} (light warhead), {{cvt|2948|lb|kg}} (heavy warhead)
  • Length: {{cvt|22|ft|m}}
  • Explosive charge: {{cvt|280|lb|kg}} or {{cvt|400|lb|kg}} TNT
  • Range and speed: {{cvt|17000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|18|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|14000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|23|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|6000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|35|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|4200|yd|m}} at {{cvt|44.5|kn|kph}}
  • Notes: No submarine variant; compatibility with submarine launch tubes would be developed in successive generations.

Mark II HB

  • Entered service: 1909
  • Weight: {{cvt|2827|lb|kg}}
  • Length: {{cvt|22|ft|m}}
  • Explosive charge: {{cvt|400|lb|kg}} TNT
  • Range and speed: {{cvt|10000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|28|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|4000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|44|kn|kph}}
  • Notes: The hook bracket variant of the Mark II was actually the first type ordered for production, though it was a modification of the principal design.

Mark II*

  • Entered service: 1914
  • Weight: {{cvt|2948|lb|kg}}
  • Length: {{cvt|22|ft|m}}
  • Explosive charge: {{cvt|400|lb|kg}} TNT
  • Range and speed: {{cvt|17000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|18|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|14000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|23|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|6000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|35|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|4200|yd|m}} at {{cvt|44.5|kn|kph}}

Mark II** and Mark II** SL

  • Entered service: 1914
  • Weight: {{cvt|2948|lb|kg}}
  • Length: {{cvt|22|ft|m}}
  • Explosive charge: {{cvt|400|lb|kg}} TNT
  • Range and speed: {{cvt|18000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|18|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|15000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|23|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|6000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|35|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|4500|yd|m}} at {{cvt|44.5|kn|kph}}

Mark II*** and Mark II*** SL

  • Entered service: 1914
  • Weight: {{cvt|2948|lb|kg}}
  • Length: {{cvt|22|ft|m}}
  • Explosive charge: {{cvt|400|lb|kg}} TNT
  • Range and speed: {{cvt|18000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|18|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|15000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|23|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|6000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|35|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|4500|yd|m}} at {{cvt|44.5|kn|kph}}
  • Notes: In submarine use, the Mark II*** had speed settings of {{cvt|10750|yd|m}} at {{cvt|29|kn|kph}} and {{cvt|4200|yd|m}} at {{cvt|45|kn|kph}}.

Mark II*** VB

  • Entered service: 1914
  • Weight: {{cvt|2865|lb|kg}}
  • Length: {{cvt|21|ft|4|in|m}}
  • Explosive charge: {{cvt|302|lb|kg}} TNT
  • Range and speed: {{cvt|6000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|27|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|3500|yd|m}} at {{cvt|36|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|1000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|41|kn|kph}}
  • Notes: Special modification designed to fit foreign-specification launch tubes on HMS Canada.

Mark II*** TB

  • Entered service: 1914
  • Weight: {{cvt|2963|lb|kg}}
  • Length: {{cvt|22|ft|m}}
  • Explosive charge: {{cvt|400|lb|kg}} TNT
  • Range and speed: {{cvt|10000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|28|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|4000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|44|kn|kph}}
  • Notes: Special modification designed to fit foreign-specification launch tubes on HMS Chester and HMS Birkenhead.

Mark II****

  • Entered service: 1915
  • Weight: {{cvt|2950|lb|kg}}
  • Length: {{cvt|22|ft|m}}
  • Explosive charge: {{cvt|400|lb|kg}} TNT
  • Range and speed: {{cvt|18000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|18|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|15000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|23|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|6000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|35|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|4500|yd|m}} at {{cvt|44.5|kn|kph}}
  • Notes: In submarine use, the Mark II**** had speed settings of {{cvt|10750|yd|m}} at {{cvt|29|kn|kph}} and {{cvt|4200|yd|m}} at {{cvt|45|kn|kph}}.

Mark II*****

  • Entered service: 1916
  • Weight: {{cvt|2953|lb|kg}}
  • Length: {{cvt|22|ft|m}}
  • Explosive charge: {{cvt|400|lb|kg}} TNT
  • Range and speed: {{cvt|18000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|19|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|15000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|24|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|6000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|35|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|4500|yd|m}} at {{cvt|45|kn|kph}}
  • Notes: In submarine use, the Mark II***** had speed settings of {{cvt|10750|yd|m}} at {{cvt|29|kn|kph}} and {{cvt|4200|yd|m}} at {{cvt|45|kn|kph}}.

{{clear}}

Mark III

The 21-inch Mark III designation was applied to two separate torpedoes. One was the RGF Mark III, manufactured at the Royal Gun Factory in Woolwich. The RGF Mark III incorporated features of the RGF Mark II***, as well as a novel design for the water bottle, a different gas generator, a double reducer adapted for the use of heavy fuel oil, and a direct oil injection system which was projected to increase the weapon's endurance to {{cvt|13000|yd|m}}. This was not realized, causing the weapon's introduction to be indefinitely postponed, favor being passed on to improved variants of the Mark II. The other was the Whitehead Mark III produced at the Whitehead factory in Weymouth, a torpedo produced for foreign export in two variants, the Mark III and Mark III*. Both variants were propelled by four-cylinder engines. At the outbreak of the First World War, the Royal Navy purchased and introduced into service all stocks of Whitehead Mark II and Mark III foreign export torpedoes present at the Weymouth works.

Specifications:

RGF Mark III{{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=Naval Weapons of World War One|publisher=Seaforth|location=Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK|year=2011|isbn=978-1-84832-100-7|page=331}}{{cite web|url=http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php/21-in_Mark_III_Torpedo_(UK)|title=21-in Mark III Torpedo (UK)|last=The Dreadnought Project|website=www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php}}

  • Prototype date: 1915
  • Weight: {{cvt|2815|lb|kg}}
  • Length: {{cvt|22|ft|m}}
  • Explosive charge: {{cvt|400|lb|kg}} TNT
  • Range and speed: {{cvt|11700|yd|m}} at {{cvt|29|kn|kph}}

Whitehead Mark III{{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=Naval Weapons of World War One|publisher=Seaforth|location=Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK|year=2011|isbn=978-1-84832-100-7|page=333}}{{cite web|url=http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php/21-in_Weymouth_Mark_III_Torpedo|title=21-in Weymouth Mark III Torpedo|last=The Dreadnought Project|website=www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php}}

  • Entered service: 1914
  • Weight: {{cvt|2697|lb|kg}}
  • Length: {{cvt|20|ft|10|in|m}}
  • Explosive charge: {{cvt|300|lb|kg}} TNT
  • Range and speed: {{cvt|6000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|27|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|3500|yd|m}} at {{cvt|36|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|1000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|41|kn|kph}}
  • Notes: Maximal range of {{cvt|10000|yd|m}} at an unknown speed.

Whitehead Mark III*

  • Entered service: 1914
  • Weight: {{cvt|2912|lb|kg}}
  • Length: {{cvt|22|ft|4|in|m}}
  • Explosive charge: {{cvt|330|lb|kg}} TNT
  • Range and speed: {{cvt|10000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|25|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|3500|yd|m}} at {{cvt|38|kn|kph}}
  • Notes: Maximal range of {{cvt|12000|yd|m}} at an unknown speed.

{{clear}}

Mark IV

{{Infobox weapon

| name = 21-inch Mark IV

| image = HMS Monarch, Orion-class battleship, hoisting in a torpedo, Royal Navy. WWI (30238952801).jpg

| caption = A Mark IV torpedo being hoisted onto HMS Monarch, an {{sclass|Orion|battleship|1}}, during the First World War.

| origin = United Kingdom

| type = Torpedo

| is_ranged = yes

| is_explosive = yes

| is_missile = yes

| is_UK = yes

| service = 1916 – Second World War

| used_by = RN

| wars = First World War, Second World War

| designer =

| design_date = 1912

| manufacturer =

| unit_cost =

| production_date =

| number =

| variants =

| spec_label =

| weight = {{cvt|3206|lb|kg}}

| length = {{cvt|22|ft|7.5|in|m}}

| part_length =

| width =

| height =

| diameter = {{cvt|21|in|mm}}

| crew =

| filling = TNT

| filling_weight = {{cvt|515|lb|kg}}

| detonation =

| yield =

| engine = Wet Heater

| engine_power =

| payload_capacity =

| propellant =

| fuel_capacity =

| vehicle_range = {{cvt|8000|to|13500|yd|m}}

| speed = {{cvt|25|to|35|kn|kph}}

| guidance =

| steering =

}}

The Mark IV torpedo was the principal British torpedo of World War I. Designed 1912, initially available 1915, adopted for service 1916. Used by destroyers, torpedo boats, and other surface ships equipped with 21-inch torpedo tubes, such as the {{sclass|Royal Sovereign|battleship}}s. In the Second World War they were carried as auxiliary armament on submarines and various surface ships, including {{HMS|Hood|51|6}}.

Specifications:{{cite web|url=http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WTBR_PreWWII.php|title=Pre-World War II Torpedoes of the United Kingdom/Britain|first=Tony|last=DiGiulian|website=www.navweaps.com}}{{cite web|url=http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php/21-in_Mark_IV_Torpedo_(UK)|title=21-in Mark IV Torpedo (UK)|last=The Dreadnought Project|website=www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php}}

Mark IV

  • Entered service: 1916
  • Weight: Approximately {{cvt|3100-3200|lb|kg}}
  • Length: {{cvt|22|ft|2.5|in|m}} to {{cvt|22|ft|5|in|m}}
  • Explosive charge: {{cvt|400 or 500|lb|kg}} TNT
  • Range and speed: {{cvt|4500|yd|m}} at {{cvt|44.5|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|15000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|25|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|18000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|21|kn|kph}}
  • Notes: Two warhead options were available, the IVa (400 lbs) and the IVb (500 lbs). Depth keeping was extremely unreliable at the 44.5-knot speed setting, prompting a suggestion to limit the top speed to 35 knots.

Mark IV*

  • Entered service: 1917
  • Weight: Approximately {{cvt|3100-3200|lb|kg}}
  • Length: {{cvt|22|ft|2.5|in|m}} to {{cvt|22|ft|5|in|m}}
  • Explosive charge: {{cvt|400 or 500|lb|kg}} TNT
  • Range and speed: {{cvt|4500|yd|m}} at {{cvt|44.5|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|6000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|35|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|11000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|29|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|15000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|25|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|18000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|21|kn|kph}}
  • Notes: Four speed settings and an improved gyro control gear. The Mark IV* was outfitted at the factory with either a 44.5-knot or a 35-knot high speed setting, but not both.

Mark IV Late{{cite book|first = John|last = Campbell|title = Naval Weapons of World War Two|publisher = Naval Institute Press|date = 1985|isbn = 0-87021-459-4|page=84}}

  • Entered service: Circa 1930s
  • Weight: {{cvt|3206|lb|kg}}
  • Length: {{cvt|22|ft|7.5|in|m}}
  • Explosive charge: {{cvt|515|lb|kg}} TNT
  • Range and speed (surface vessel variant): {{cvt|8000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|35|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|10000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|29|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|13500|yd|m}} at {{cvt|25|kn|kph}}
  • Range and speed (submarine variant): {{cvt|6000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|40|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|9500|yd|m}} at {{cvt|30|kn|kph}}
  • Notes: Retrofitted older torpedoes in service during the Second World War. Issued to older warships and motor torpedo boats equipped with 21-inch launch tubes, as well as submarines.

{{clear}}

Mark V

{{Infobox weapon

| name = 21-inch Mark V

| image =

| caption =

| origin = United Kingdom

| type = Torpedo

| is_ranged = yes

| is_explosive = yes

| is_missile = yes

| is_UK = yes

| service =

| used_by =

| wars =

| designer =

| design_date = 1917

| manufacturer =

| unit_cost =

| production_date =

| number =

| variants =

| spec_label =

| weight =

| length = {{cvt|7.1|m|ftin|order=flip}}

| part_length =

| width =

| height =

| diameter = {{cvt|21|in|mm}}

| crew =

| filling =

| filling_weight =

| detonation =

| yield =

| engine = Wet Heater

| engine_power =

| payload_capacity =

| propellant =

| fuel_capacity =

| vehicle_range = {{cvt|4600|to|12400|m|yd|order=flip}}

| speed = {{cvt|20|to|40|kn|km/h}}

| guidance =

| steering =

}}

The Mark V was used by the {{sclass2|A|destroyer|5||1929}} and {{sclass2|B|destroyer|0}} destroyers and, with modification, by the {{sclass|Kent|cruiser|0}} heavy cruisers.

{{clear}}

Mark VII

{{Infobox weapon

| name = 21-inch Mark VII

| image =

| caption =

| origin = United Kingdom

| type = Heavy Torpedo

| is_ranged = yes

| is_explosive = yes

| is_missile = yes

| is_UK = yes

| service = Second World War

| used_by = RN

| wars =

| designer =

| design_date = 1920s

| manufacturer =

| unit_cost =

| production_date =

| number =

| variants =

| spec_label =

| weight =

| length = {{cvt|25|ft|6|in|m}}

| part_length =

| width =

| height =

| diameter = {{cvt|21|in|mm}}

| crew =

| filling = TNT

| filling_weight = {{cvt|740|lb|kg}}

| detonation =

| yield =

| engine = Oxygen enriched air

| engine_power =

| payload_capacity =

| propellant =

| fuel_capacity =

| vehicle_range = {{cvt|5700|yd|m}}

| speed = {{cvt|35|kn|kph}}

| guidance =

| steering =

}}

The Mark VII was issued for use on the British heavy cruisers, i.e. cruisers with 8-inch guns. Designed in the mid-1920s the {{sclass2|County|cruiser|2}}s were built at the same time in the post Washington Naval Treaty period.

The power came from the use of oxygen-enriched air, though torpedo stocks were converted to run on normal air at the start of the Second World War.

{{clear}}

Mark VIII

File:Fighter Seacraft- Motor Torpedo Boats, England, UK, 1943 D12509.jpg 232 in Felixstowe Harbor, 1943.]]

File:Sokol torpedo.jpg submarine {{ORP|Sokół|1940|6}}.]]

File:MK 8 Torpedo.jpg, Wilhelmshaven, Germany. Located in front of submarine U-10 (S-189).]]

The Mark VIII was designed circa 1925 and was the first British burner cycle design torpedo. It was used from 1927 on all submarines, beginning with the later versions of the L class and the Odin class, as well as motor torpedo boats. The principal World War II version was the improved Mark VIII**, used far more than any other torpedo in service, with 3,732 being expended by September 1944 (56.4% of the total number of torpedoes used by Britain during the war).{{cite book|first = John|last = Campbell|title = Naval Weapons of World War Two|publisher = Naval Institute Press|date = 1985|isbn = 0-87021-459-4|page=84}} In 1950-1951, the only system available for a Royal Navy submarine to attack another submerged target was the Mark VIII;{{cite book|first = Eric|last = Grove|title = Vanguard to Trident; British Naval Policy Since World War II|publisher = Naval Institute Press|date = 1987|isbn=0-87021-552-3|page=226-227}} active homing variants of the Mark VIII and Mark IX were being worked on in 1945, without success. Considerable self-noise and reverberation hampered the effort, and the project was halted with funding being cut off as the war ended.{{cite book|first = Geoff|last = Kirby|title = JRNSS Volume 27, No.2 - A History of the Torpedo, Part 3|publisher = Journal of the Royal Navy Scientific Service|date = March 1972|page=90-91}} During trials, the Mark VIII achieved a test depth of {{cvt|200|ft|m}} without issue, but the production units were limited to a maximal depth of {{cvt|44|ft|m}} by their depth control mechanisms.{{cite book|first1 = Peter|last1 = Hennessy|first2 = James|last2 = Jinks|title = The Silent Deep: The Royal Navy Submarine Service Since 1945|publisher = Penguin Books|date = 2015|page=74-75}} At the beginning of the 1960s, the Mark VIII was the only feasible anti-surface ship weapon available to the Royal Navy submarine service.{{cite book|first1 = Peter|last1 = Hennessy|first2 = James|last2 = Jinks|title = The Silent Deep: The Royal Navy Submarine Service Since 1945|publisher = Penguin Books|date = 2015|page=304}} The Mark 20 Bidder, while capable of hitting surface targets, lacked the speed to chase down any warships. During the torpedo capability crisis, in 1969, Admiral Michael Pollock, Flag Officer Submarines, proposed multiple solutions. These included such as purchase of the American Mark 45 ASTOR, the Mark 40 Mod 1 nuclear-armed lightweight torpedo, or the UUM-44 SUBROC; among his proposals was also a modification of the Mark VIII to be fitted with a WE177A nuclear warhead, with a variable yield of 0.5-10 kilotons. The torpedo was still in service with the Royal Navy in a training role until recently, and was used by the Royal Norwegian Navy (Coastal Artillery: Kaholmen torpedo battery at Oscarsborg Fortress) until 1993.{{Cite web |title=21 inch Mk VIII** Torpedo (sectioned) |url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30021853|access-date=2024-06-22|website=Imperial War Museums|language=en}}

Specifications:{{cite web|url=http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WTBR_WWII.htm|title=World War II Torpedoes of the United Kingdom/Britain – NavWeaps|first=Tony|last=DiGiulian|website=www.navweaps.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221135234/http://navweaps.com/Weapons/WTBR_WWII.htm|archive-date=21 February 2009|df=dmy-all}}{{cite book|last=Kemp|first=Paul|title=The T-class Submarine: The Classic British Design|publisher=Naval Institute Press|year=1990|isbn=1-55750-826-7|pages=38-41, 152}}{{cite web|last=WeaponSystems.net|url=https://weaponsystems.net/system/1220-Mark+VIII|title=Mark VIII|access-date=12 December 2024}}{{cite web|last=The National Archives|url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4382269|title=ADM 302/370 21 inch Mk 8 Mod 4 Torpedo Development Trial Report|access-date=12 December 2024}}{{cite web|last=The National Archives|url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C528736|title=ADM 290/282 21 inch Mk 8 2-Star Torpedo|access-date=12 December 2024}}{{cite web|last=Australian War Memorial|url=https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/REL40061|title=Mk VIII 21 inch Torpedo Arming Pistol|access-date=13 December 2024}}{{cite book|last = Richardson|first = Douglas|title = Naval Armament|publisher = Naval Institute Press|date = 1981|page=119|isbn = 0-531-03738-X}}

Mark VIII

  • Entered service: 1927
  • Weight: {{cvt|3452|lb|kg}}
  • Length: {{cvt|21|ft|7|in|m}}
  • Explosive charge: {{cvt|750|lb|kg}} TNT
  • Range and speed: {{cvt|5000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|40|kn|kph}}

Mark VIII* and Mark VIII*E

  • Entered service: 1936
  • Explosive charge: {{cvt|722|lb|kg}} Torpex
  • Range and speed: {{cvt|7000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|41|kn|kph}} (Mark VIII*); {{cvt|6400|yd|m}} at {{cvt|41|kn|kph}} (Mark VIII*E)
  • Notes: Mark VIII*E was a variant for externally-mounted torpedo tubes, with smaller propellers; this variant continued to be produced throughout the war. The Mark VIII*E was also compatible with internal launch tubes.

Mark VIII**

  • Entered service: 1940
  • Explosive charge: {{cvt|722|lb|kg}} Torpex, later increased to {{cvt|805|lb|kg}} Torpex
  • Max depth setting: {{cvt|44|ft|m}}
  • Range and speed: {{cvt|5000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|45.6|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|7000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|41|kn|kph}} (light warhead); {{cvt|4570|yd|m}} at {{cvt|45.5|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|6400|yd|m}} at {{cvt|41|kn|kph}} (heavy warhead)
  • Notes: Most prolific British torpedo during the Second World War. Predominantly fitted with the heavy warhead.

Mark VIII***

  • Entered service: 1960
  • Weight: {{cvt|3384|lb|kg}}
  • Length: {{cvt|22|ft|m}}
  • Explosive charge: {{cvt|805|lb|kg}} Torpex
  • Max depth setting: {{cvt|60|ft|m}}
  • Range and speed: {{cvt|11000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|41|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|15000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|35|kn|kph}}
  • Notes: First postwar modernization and service life extension. Speeds were slightly reduced in exchange for greatly increased accuracy, reliability, and range.

Mark VIII Mod 4

  • Entered service: 1965
  • Notes: Final modernization and service life extension. The policy of denoting successive modifications with increasingly numerous asterisks was finally ended.

The Mark VIII was used in two particularly notable incidents:

  • On 9 February 1945 the Royal Navy submarine {{HMS|Venturer|P68|6}} sank the German submarine {{GS|U-864||2}} with four Mark VIII** torpedoes. This remains the only historically acknowledged intentional sinking of one submarine by another while both were submerged.
  • On 2 May 1982 the Royal Navy submarine {{HMS|Conqueror|S48|6}} sank the Argentine cruiser {{ship|ARA|General Belgrano}} with two Mark VIII Mod 4 torpedoes during the Falklands War.{{cite news |last=Brown |first=Colin |title=Sinking the Belgrano: the Pinochet connection |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/world-history/sinking-the-belgrano-the-pinochet-connection-7609047.html?origin=internalSearch |access-date=2012-05-02 |newspaper=The Independent |date=2012-04-03 |author2=Kim Sengupta |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623025157/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/world-history/sinking-the-belgrano-the-pinochet-connection-7609047.html?origin=internalSearch |archive-date=23 June 2015 |location=London |url-status=dead }} This is the only sinking of a surface ship by a nuclear-powered submarine in wartime and the second (of three) sinkings of a surface ship by any submarine since the end of World War II. The other two sinkings were of the Indian frigate {{INS|Khukri|F149|6}} and the South Korean corvette {{ROKS|Cheonan|PCC-772|6}}.

{{clear}}

Mark IX

File:The_Royal_Navy_during_the_Second_World_War_A1854.jpg

File:Torpedos axb01.jpg in Overloon, Netherlands. The Mark IX is the first from the top.]]

The Mark IX was designed circa 1928 and first deployed in 1930. The design was considerably improved by 1939. The Mark IX was a larger and longer-range sibling to the Mark VIII, employing a very similar four-cylinder radial kerosene-air burner-cycle propulsion system. Used on the {{sclass|Leander|cruiser|1||1931}} and later cruisers, {{sclass2|A- and B|destroyer|1}}s, and later destroyer classes.

Also replaced the old Mark VII torpedo in some {{cvt|8|in|mm}} gun cruisers during the war. The principal version used during the Second World War was the Mark IX**, first issued to J- and K-class destroyers in 1939. In 1943 it was decided to further improve the Mark IX** by lengthening it 12 inches (30.5 cm), and the weapon mass limit to {{cvt|4000|lb|kg}}, up to the capacity of torpedo tubes and ships under construction.{{cite book|first = John|last = Campbell|title = Naval Weapons of World War Two|publisher = Naval Institute Press|date = 1985|isbn = 0-87021-459-4|page=86}} Nitromethane-augmented propulsion was considered, but its implementation required too many alterations to be practical. The final version of what would have become Mark IX*** took up the extra space by enlarging the warhead to {{cvt|930|lb|kg}} of Torpex. None were in service by the end of the war in 1945, by which time the enlarged warhead became unnecessary. The Mark IX torpedo remained in service throughout the 1960s.{{cite book|last = Andrew|first = Doty|title = White Ensign|edition = 2nd|publisher = Admiralty Trilogy Group|date = 2013|page=67}}

Specifications:{{cite web|url=http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WTBR_WWII.htm|title=World War II Torpedoes of the United Kingdom/Britain – NavWeaps|first=Tony|last=DiGiulian|website=www.navweaps.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221135234/http://navweaps.com/Weapons/WTBR_WWII.htm|archive-date=21 February 2009|df=dmy-all}}

Mark IX

  • Entered service: 1930
  • Weight: {{cvt|3732|lb|kg}}
  • Length: {{cvt|286.5|in|m}}
  • Explosive charge: {{cvt|727|lb|kg}} TNT
  • Range and speed: {{cvt|10500|yd|m}} at {{cvt|36|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|13500|yd|m}} at {{cvt|30|kn|kph}}

Mark IX*

  • Explosive charge: {{cvt|727|lb|kg}} TNT
  • Range and speed: {{cvt|11000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|36|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|14000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|30|kn|kph}}

Mark IX**

  • Entered service: 1939
  • Explosive charge: {{cvt|810|lb|kg}} Torpex
  • Range and speed: {{cvt|11000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|41|kn|kph}}, {{cvt|15000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|35|kn|kph}}

{{clear}}

Mark X

From 1939, used by submarines, motor torpedo boats and destroyers from other navies such as the {{sclass|Grom|destroyer|1}}s.{{citation needed|date=July 2019}}

Mark XI

File:Various torpedoes at Explosion Museum 1.jpg at Priddy's Hard. The Mark XI is the yellow-tipped unit at the right.]]

The Mark XI was a reverse-engineered copy of the German G7e, developed after samples of the G7e(TII) were captured in 1940. Prior to the Second World War, the Royal Navy was mostly uninterested in electric torpedoes as they had poor performance compared to the piston-driven units already in service, and trackless torpedoes were deemed of dubious use, since their low speeds and stealthy nature rendered them most suited to sneak attacks against slow vessels, e.g. unrestricted submarine warfare. Following the experience of submarine warfare during the First World War, the British tended to have a cold attitude towards stealthy torpedo attacks in general (for more information, see use of the Jolly Roger by submarines).

The project to reverse-engineer the G7e(TII) torpedoes had a low priority until 1942 and consequently not much work was done. The project commenced in earnest after the Royal Navy saw a need for a weapon which did not leave a bubble track on the surface in the Mediterranean sea. The first prototype was ready in May 1943; obsolete TNT filler was used for the warhead, further underlining the low priority of the weapon. The first production rounds were finally issued to the fleet in August 1944 and some were delivered to the Far East, with the war ending before any were used in action. Due to the size and weight of the weapon, units were issued to surface warships only, mostly destroyers.

The Mark XI never went into volume production. After the war, when the British started to develop ASW homing torpedoes, electric propulsion was revisited for further development since it was inherently quieter. Self-noise, the noise generated by the torpedo's own propulsion system, has a large effect on the sensitive hydrophones of the seeker head. Sophisticated methods of suppressing self-noise, such as narrowband beamforming, were not sophisticated enough at the time; thus, it was logical to suppress propulsion noise in general, with low performance being the trade-off.{{cite report|last = Burke|first = Arthur|year = 2017|title = Torpedoes and their Impact on Naval Warfare|url = https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/AD1033484.pdf| publisher = Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division|format = PDF|chapter = Chapter 17: The Modern Torpedo|pages = 171-172|docket = AD1033484|access-date = 17 December 2024}}

Specifications:{{cite web|url=http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WTBR_WWII.htm|title=World War II Torpedoes of the United Kingdom/Britain – NavWeaps|first=Tony|last=DiGiulian|website=www.navweaps.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221135234/http://navweaps.com/Weapons/WTBR_WWII.htm|archive-date=21 February 2009|df=dmy-all}}{{cite book|first = John|last = Campbell|title = Naval Weapons of World War Two|publisher = Naval Institute Press|date = 1985|isbn = 0-87021-459-4|page=86}}

Mark XI

  • Prototype date: 1943
  • Entered service: 1944
  • Propulsion: Lead-acid battery
  • Weight: {{cvt|3632|lb|kg}}
  • Length: {{cvt|22|ft|5|in|m}}
  • Explosive charge: {{cvt|710|lb|kg}} TNT
  • Range and speed: {{cvt|5500|yd|m}} at {{cvt|28|kn|kph}} (preheated), {{cvt|4500-5000|yd|m}} at {{cvt|28|kn|kph}} (cold)
  • Notes: Produced in small numbers and never used against live targets during the war.

{{clear}}

Mark 12

A design for a high-speed torpedo propelled by high-test peroxide (HTP), based on wartime research by Hellmuth Walter during the Second World War. At first codenamed "Ferry", then "Fancy", the Mark 12 never moved past the prototype stage. The design was conceived in 1945, after the end of the war in Europe, with the arrival of technical documentation from Germany. For economical reasons, the Mark VIII torpedo body was used, in an effort to adapt it to HTP propulsion.{{cite book|first = Geoff|last = Kirby|title = JRNSS Volume 27, No.2 - A History of the Torpedo, Part 3|publisher = Journal of the Royal Navy Scientific Service|date = March 1972|page=100}} The "Ferry" was supposed to be a surface-running torpedo with a gyroscopically-guided search pattern. Prototypes of the weapon were ready in 1953, except for the pattern-running feature, which was then omitted and the weapon was redesignated as "Fancy". In 1954, several prototypes were issued to {{HMS|Maidstone|1937|6}} and over 200 test runs were carried out until a catastrophic accident.

On 16 June 1955, {{HMS|Sidon|P259|6}} was alongside HMS Maidstone in Portland Harbor, preparing to make way to Stage II trials of the "Fancy". Crewmen on the submarine were in the process of loading one of the prototype torpedoes into a launch tube, when the stop valve on the weapon was accidentally opened, triggering the release of reactant in its propulsion unit. The weapon exploded inside the launch tube, simultaneously blowing out the bow caps as well as the rear hatch of the launch tube. A blast of debris and dense carbon dioxide were propelled into the submarine. Two officers and ten seamen were killed instantly, six from the initial blast and six more by asphyxiation from the ejected gases. One more victim, a doctor from the Maidstone, subsequently perished in an effort to rescue the crew from the submarine. The submarine sank in shallow water due to flooding from the blown-open launch tube. Ultimately the accident caused enough damage to have the submarine taken permanently out of service.{{cite book|first1 = Peter|last1 = Hennessy|first2 = James|last2 = Jinks|title = The Silent Deep: The Royal Navy Submarine Service Since 1945|publisher = Penguin Books|date = 2015|page=160-161}} Following this accident, a second Mark 12 Fancy exploded at the Arrochar torpedo range in Loch Long, Scotland. As a consequence of these accidents, and the perceived hazardous nature of HTP propulsion, the program was cancelled in 1959.

Specifications:{{cite web|first=Tony|last=DiGiulian|url=http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WTBR_PostWWII.htm|title=Post-World War II Torpedoes of the United Kingdom/Britain|website=www.navweaps.com}}

Mark 12

  • Prototype date: 1952
  • Weight: {{cvt|3452|lb|kg}}
  • Length: {{cvt|254.5|in|m}}
  • Explosive charge: {{cvt|750|lb|kg}} Torpex
  • Range and speed: Unknown, above {{cvt|40|kn|kph}}

{{clear}}

{{anchor|Mark20Bidder}}

Mark 20 Bidder

{{Infobox weapon

| name = 21-inch Mark 20

| image = HN-British-21-inch-torpedo-Mk-20-1.jpg

| caption = A Mark 20 torpedo exhibit at the Clandestine Immigration and Naval Museum, Haifa, Israel.

| origin = United Kingdom

| type = Torpedo

| is_ranged = yes

| is_explosive = yes

| is_missile = yes

| is_UK = yes

| service = 1955–1988

| used_by = RN

| wars =

| designer =

| design_date = 1945

| manufacturer =

| unit_cost =

| production_date =

| number =

| variants =

| spec_label =

| weight = {{cvt|1810|lb|kg}}

| length = {{cvt|4.11|m|ft|order=flip}}

| part_length =

| width =

| height =

| diameter = {{cvt|21|in|mm}}

| crew =

| filling = Torpex

| filling_weight = {{cvt|196|lb|kg}}

| detonation =

| yield =

| engine = Electric

| engine_power =

| payload_capacity =

| propellant = Battery (perchloric acid)

| fuel_capacity =

| vehicle_range = {{cvt|12000|yd|m}} (Mark 20S), {{cvt|7200|yd|m}} (Mark 20C), {{cvt|14000|yd|m}} (Mark 20I)

| speed = {{cvt|20|kn|kph}}

| guidance = Passive sonar

| steering =

}}

The Mark 20 was a passive-seeker battery-powered torpedo which was initially conceived in 1945, as a 21-inch development of the 18-inch "Dealer" project for a parachute-dropped ASW weapon, conceived in 1943.{{cite book|first = Geoff|last = Kirby|title = JRNSS Volume 27, No.2 - A History of the Torpedo, Part 3|publisher = Journal of the Royal Navy Scientific Service|date = March 1972|page=91}} At the end of the Second World War the "Dealer" project was renamed "Dealer A" and became further branched out into the 21-inch "Bidder" and 18-inch "Dealer B" projects.{{cite book|first = Geoff|last = Kirby|title = JRNSS Volume 27, No.2 - A History of the Torpedo, Part 3|publisher = Journal of the Royal Navy Scientific Service|date = March 1972|page=98-99}} Thus, the Mark 20 was developed alongside the 18-inch Mark 30 Dealer B and shared elements of its design.{{cite book|last = Friedman|first = Norman|author-link = Norman Friedman|title = The Postwar Naval Revolution|publisher = Naval Institute Press|date = 1986|page=79|isbn = 0-87021-952-9}} The development program was elevated in scope and priority after the cancellation of the Mark 21 Pentane. Two variants were developed: the Mark 20S ("Submarine") for use by submarines, and a larger Mark 20E ("Escort") for use by surface ships. The E variant had a length of {{cvt|6.46|m|ft|order=flip}}. The S variant had a single speed of 20 knots, and the E variant had a dual-speed mode of 15 knots and 24 knots, for target search and subsequent autonomously-switched attack run.{{cite book|last = Llewelyn-Jones|first = Malcolm|title = The Royal Navy, 1930-2000; excerpt, The Royal Navy and the Challenge of the Fast Submarine, 1944-1954|publisher = Frank Cass|date = 2005|page=168|isbn = 0-714-65710-7}} In the E configuration, the torpedo was designed to have a total endurance of {{cvt|20000|yd|m}} at the 15 knot speed, and {{cvt|6000|yd|m}} upon switching to the 24 knot speed.{{cite book|last = Llewelyn-Jones|first = Malcolm|title = The Royal Navy, 1930-2000; excerpt, The Royal Navy and the Challenge of the Fast Submarine, 1944-1954|publisher = Frank Cass|date = 2005|page=169|isbn = 0-714-65710-7}} A total of 75 units of the Mark 20E were produced, with trial samples being distributed to the Type 12, Type 14, and Type 15 classes of frigates. As of 1958, the E variant was still not ready for service due to problems with its programming, and the prospect of a medium-range ASW torpedo being carried by the upcoming Westland Wasp helicopter was deemed more desirable. The deficient speed of the Mark 20 was also a motivating factor. As a result, the E variant project was eliminated, leaving only the S variant. This led to several of the frigates that were intended to have used them ({{sclass|Rothesay|frigate|5}} and {{sclass|Whitby|frigate|5}} classes) never being fitted with torpedo tubes or having them removed. As of 1959, the only destroyer class projected to carry the Mark 20 was the {{sclass|Leander|frigate|5}},{{cite book|last = Friedman|first = Norman|author-link = Norman Friedman|title = British Destroyers & Frigates|publisher = Chatham Publishing|date = 2006|page=250|isbn = 1-86176-137-6}} but as of 1963, this design consideration would also be eliminated.{{cite book|last = Friedman|first = Norman|author-link = Norman Friedman|title = British Destroyers & Frigates|publisher = Chatham Publishing|date = 2006|page=268|isbn = 1-86176-137-6}} The final version of the Mark 20 Bidder was referred to as the Mark 20 Improved.{{cite book|last = Richardson|first = Douglas|title = Naval Armament|publisher = Naval Institute Press|date = 1981|page=120|isbn = 0-531-03738-X}} The Mark 20 Improved entered service in 1971, originally developed by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering as an export version. It featured weight reductions to its synchromechanisms and the contra-rotating propeller gearing, and the earlier mechanical course and depth setting devices were replaced by electronic ones, receiving data from the launch console via an umbilical link. These improvements, together with new batteries common to the Mark 23, slightly increased torpedo endurance.{{cite book|first = Antony|last = Preston|title = Warship|volume = 5|chapter = From Fancy to Stingray, British Torpedoes Since 1945|publisher = Conway Maritime Press|date = 1981|isbn=0-87021-980-4|page=195-196}}

A third variant, Mark 20C ("Combined") was designed following the failure of the Mark 20E. This was an alternate version of the S configuration, fitted with the same warhead, using elements of the E project in an effort to make a marginally faster weapon for both ASW and ASuW. Like the Mark 20S, the weapon had a single speed setting. The Mark 20C was ready for service in 1963 and administratively accepted in 1973, with units already deployed in the field throughout the 1960s. The C configuration had a mass of {{cvt|816|kg|lb|order=flip}} and the same body as the S configuration; as of 1961, the performance was a speed of 23 knots and an endurance of {{cvt|7000|yd|m}}, with later versions performing at 24 knots for {{cvt|7200|yd|m}}. The staff requirement for the Mark 20S was TASW 118 (June 1950), and the staff requirement for the Mark 20C was USW 357 (February 1961).{{cite book|first = Antony|last = Preston|title = Warship|volume = 6|chapter = As&As: British Torpedoes|publisher = Conway Maritime Press|date = 1983|isbn=0-87021-981-2|page=11}}{{cite report|author=Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment|date=June 1963|title=Scientific and Technical Progress Report|url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/AD0340078.pdf|page=43|docket=AD 340078|access-date=15 December 2024|quote=MK 20C COMBINED ANTI-SUBMARINE/ANTI-ESCORT TORPEDO}}

In 1965, Captain John Moore of the Royal Navy developed a variant of the Mark 20 which he dubbed "Archimedes". This was an underwater, submarine-launched, equipment delivery vehicle designed to support clandestine operations, particularly those of the frogmen of the Special Boat Service.{{cite book|first1 = Peter|last1 = Hennessy|first2 = James|last2 = Jinks|title = The Silent Deep: The Royal Navy Submarine Service Since 1945|publisher = Penguin Books|date = 2015|page=288}} The warhead was removed and replaced with a sealed cargo capsule. Like other such vehicles of the type, the "Archimedes" could beach itself in a controlled manner, allowing frogmen or other clandestine agents to open the capsule and retrieve its contents. The vehicle could also be directly piloted by a frogman, with variable speeds, functioning as an underwater tug and diver propulsion vehicle. The prototype of the "Archimedes" was a larger Mark 23 torpedo, but the series-production version utilized a Mark 20 body.{{cite book|last = Parker|first = John|title = SBS: The Inside Story of the Special Boat Service|publisher = Headline Book Publishing|date = 1997|page=172-173|isbn = 0-7472-1976-1}} Captain John Moore was quoted as referring to the Mark 20 as "a useless device for its original task".{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/military-obituaries/naval-obituaries/7960494/Captain-John-Moore.html|title=Captain John Moore (obituary)|last=The Daily Telegraph|website=www.telegraph.co.uk|date=23 August 2010}}

The Mark 20 was the only torpedo in service which could fit the short stern launch tubes of the {{sclass|Oberon|submarine|5}} and Porpoise-class submarines. It remained in the submarine service until 1988, which is when the Porpoise class were retired.{{cite book|first1 = Peter|last1 = Hennessy|first2 = James|last2 = Jinks|title = The Silent Deep: The Royal Navy Submarine Service Since 1945|publisher = Penguin Books|date = 2015|page=304-305}} Following experience in the 1982 Falklands War, when an armed Mark 20 became stuck inside its tube and {{HMS|Onyx|S21|6}} was forced to return to Portsmouth to have it removed, the Oberon class would relegate the stern launch tubes for storing beer, retiring the Mark 20 sooner.{{cite book|title=The Encyclopedia of World Sea Power|page=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofwo0000unse_v9e5/page/42 42]|author=Chris Bishop and Tony Cullen|publisher=Crescent Books|year=1988|isbn=0517653427|url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofwo0000unse_v9e5/page/42}}

{{clear}}

Mark 21 Pentane

A project for an autonomous active sonar ASW torpedo to be carried by the Avro Lancaster, Avro Shackleton, Short Sturgeon and Fairey Gannet aircraft in an anti-submarine role, originally conceived in 1947.{{cite book|first = Geoff|last = Kirby|title = JRNSS Volume 27, No.2 - A History of the Torpedo, Part 3|publisher = Journal of the Royal Navy Scientific Service|date = March 1972|page=99}}{{cite book|last = Friedman|first = Norman|author-link = Norman Friedman|title = The Postwar Naval Revolution|publisher = Naval Institute Press|date = 1986|page=79|isbn = 0-87021-952-9}} Development commenced in 1949, and a final design was selected in 1954, delivering functional prototypes with a speed of 30 knots and an endurance of 12000 yards.{{cite book|last = Harding|first = Richard|title = The Royal Navy, 1930-2000: Innovation and Defence|publisher = Frank Cass|date = 2005|page=283|isbn = 0-714-65710-7}} By this time several of the aircraft capable of carrying a 21-inch torpedo were in the process of being withdrawn from service. Following the 1957 Defence White Paper, which de-emphasized the role of aircraft carriers, the RAF Coastal Command was left as the sole operator and the project was cancelled in 1958 due to cost considerations and an assessment that the weapon lacked the speed to counter upcoming nuclear submarine designs. The seeker head development was transferred to Project Ongar, which would later become the Mark 24 Tigerfish.{{cite web |url=http://www.skomer.u-net.com/projects/missiles.htm |title=United Kingdom Aerospace and Weapons Projects - Guided Weapons|date=n.d.|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090601171206/http://www.skomer.u-net.com/projects/missiles.htm |archive-date=1 June 2009}}

Mark 22 Mackle

A wire-guided version of the Mark 20 separately developed by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering (VSEL) as a private venture. The project was cancelled in 1956, but the wire guidance technology was transferred to the Mark 20 Bidder, contributing to the development of the Mark 23 Grog.{{cite book|last = Friedman|first = Norman|author-link = Norman Friedman|title = The Postwar Naval Revolution|publisher = Naval Institute Press|date = 1986|page=200|isbn = 0-87021-952-9}}

Mark 23 Grog

{{Infobox weapon

| name = 21-inch Mark 23

| image = Lynmouth, North Devon, England. Torpedo display.jpg

| caption = A Mark 23 torpedo repainted as an advertisement in front of The Ancient Mariner restaurant in Lynmouth, United Kingdom.

| origin = United Kingdom

| type = Torpedo

| is_ranged = yes

| is_explosive = yes

| is_missile = yes

| is_UK = yes

| service = 1966–1987

| used_by = RN

| wars =

| designer =

| design_date = 1956

| manufacturer =

| unit_cost =

| production_date =

| number =

| variants =

| spec_label =

| weight = {{cvt|907|kg|lb|order=flip}}

| length = {{cvt|4.54|m|ft|order=flip}}

| part_length =

| width =

| height =

| diameter = {{cvt|21|in|mm}}

| crew =

| filling = Torpex

| filling_weight = {{cvt|196|lb|kg}}

| detonation =

| yield =

| engine = Electric

| engine_power =

| payload_capacity =

| propellant = Battery (perchloric acid)

| fuel_capacity =

| vehicle_range = {{cvt|11000|m|yd|order=flip}} low-speed, {{cvt|8100|m|yd|order=flip}} high-speed

| speed = {{cvt|20|kn|km/h}} low-speed, {{cvt|28|kn|km/h}} high-speed

| guidance = Passive sonar, Wire guided

| steering =

}}

A wire-guided version of the Mark 20 with a dual-speed mode, for target approach and attack run.{{cite book|last = Andrew|first = Doty|title = White Ensign|edition = 2nd|publisher = Admiralty Trilogy Group|date = 2013|page=67}}{{cite book|last = Richardson|first = Douglas|title = Naval Armament|publisher = Naval Institute Press|date = 1981|page=120|isbn = 0-531-03738-X}} Wire guidance had been worked on for the "Bidder" project from its inception, and the earliest prototypes of the "Grog" were available for testing in 1955. After the "Mackle" project was cancelled in 1956 the complex wire guidance system was transferred to the "Grog" program. This would be simplified, improved, and the first production units of the Mark 23 Grog were delivered in 1959.{{cite book|first = Geoff|last = Kirby|title = JRNSS Volume 27, No.2 - A History of the Torpedo, Part 3|publisher = Journal of the Royal Navy Scientific Service|date = March 1972|page=99-100}} The earliest production version of the Mark 23 had a single speed of 18 knots and a test depth of {{cvt|800|ft|m}}.{{cite book|last = Ballantyne|first = Iain|title = Hunter Killers: The Dramatic Untold Story of the Royal Navy's Most Secret Service|publisher = Orion Publishing Group|date = 2013|page=281|isbn = 978-1-409-14418-2}} The Mark 23 was fitted with a {{cvt|10000|m|yd}} outboard dispenser that contained a control wire to guide the weapon. Wire guidance was optional, with the control wire spool being a separate module which remained inside the launch tube. An operator onboard the submarine would listen to the torpedo's hydrophones, guiding the weapon past decoys and countermeasures.{{cite book|first1 = Peter|last1 = Hennessy|first2 = James|last2 = Jinks|title = The Silent Deep: The Royal Navy Submarine Service Since 1945|publisher = Penguin Books|date = 2015|page=162}} Entered service in 1966 although already obsolescent,{{cite book|first1 = Peter|last1 = Hennessy|first2 = James|last2 = Jinks|title = The Silent Deep: The Royal Navy Submarine Service Since 1945|publisher = Penguin Books|date = 2015|page=304-305}} considering the common speeds of nuclear-propelled submarines of the era. According to one report, the weapon did not become fully operational until 1971,{{cite book|first = Eric|last = Grove|title = Vanguard to Trident; British Naval Policy Since World War II|publisher = Naval Institute Press|date = 1987|isbn=0-87021-552-3|page=227}} and served until 1987, which is when all stocks of the Mark 24 Tigerfish were converted to Mod 2.

The robustness of the Mark 23 was tested by HMS Dreadnought, Britain's inaugural SSN. Launches of various torpedoes were attempted at different speeds. It was noted that the outboard dispenser of the Mark 23 would not tolerate a submarine speed of more than 6 knots while reeling out the guidance wire. By contrast, the Mark VIII would launch successfully at speeds of up to 18 knots, taking minor damage from collisions with the bow fairing at speeds above that; a speed of 15 knots was considered reliably safe. The Dreadnought was ultimately successful in launching the Mark VIII at speeds of up to 21 knots.{{cite book|last = Ballantyne|first = Iain|title = Hunter Killers: The Dramatic Untold Story of the Royal Navy's Most Secret Service|publisher = Orion Publishing Group|date = 2013|pages=94-95|isbn = 978-1-409-14418-2}} During testing in 1973, on HMS Swiftsure, the Mark 23 was successfully launched from a depth of {{cvt|1000|ft|m}}; however, in one of these tests, the control wire spool - a component designed to stay inside the tube until the control wire was severed - did not disconnect from the launch tube, with the wire left trailing outside. Consequently the bow caps could not close and the tube was rendered inoperable until the obstruction could be cleared at the surface.{{cite book|last = Ballantyne|first = Iain|title = Hunter Killers: The Dramatic Untold Story of the Royal Navy's Most Secret Service|publisher = Orion Publishing Group|date = 2013|page=223|isbn = 978-1-409-14418-2}}

During the trials phase of the Mark 23, in 1965, Captain John Moore of the Royal Navy experimented with a sample of the torpedo body. Royal Navy engineers aboard the submarine depot ship {{HMS|Medway}} (former HMS LCT 1109) modified the torpedo body to his specifications, into a human torpedo prototype, with the primary function of an underwater tug. Supplementary batteries were added, increasing the vehicle's range. Ultimately the Mark 20 torpedo body would be selected for a similar vehicle, which went into series production.{{cite book|last = Parker|first = John|title = SBS: The Inside Story of the Special Boat Service|publisher = Headline Book Publishing|date = 1997|page=172-173|isbn = 0-7472-1976-1}}

During 1973 all of the RN torpedoes had to be taken out of service as the control system was failing at extreme range.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

After months of investigation it was discovered that the fault lay in the Guidance Unit made by GEC. A germanium diode in the automatic gain control (AGC) circuit had been replaced by a silicon diode, following an instruction by RN stores that all germanium diodes had to be replaced by more modern silicon diodes. The silicon diode's different characteristics caused the AGC circuit to fail. Once the mistake was found, replacing the diode with the original type cured the problem.

{{clear}}

Mark 24 Tigerfish

{{Main|Mark 24 Tigerfish}}

The Mark 24 Tigerfish was a high-speed, long-range, wire-guided torpedo originally developed under Project Ongar, named after the Ongar station of the London Underground. The staff requirement for this weapon was written in 1959{{cite book|last = Friedman|first = Norman|author-link = Norman Friedman|title = The Postwar Naval Revolution|publisher = Naval Institute Press|date = 1986|page=79|isbn = 0-87021-952-9}} and the weapon was expected to enter service in the mid-1960s, with an in-service target date of 1969.{{cite book|last = Richardson|first = Douglas|title = Naval Armament|publisher = Naval Institute Press|date = 1981|page=120|isbn = 0-531-03738-X}} The planned speed was 55 knots, with the final product having a dual-speed mode of 24 and 35 knots. The original version of the weapon (Mod 0) had a never-exceed depth of {{cvt|1200|ft|m}}, well short of the test depth of multiple contemporary Soviet submarines, and a minimal depth setting which made it incapable of targeting surface vessels.{{cite book|first1 = Peter|last1 = Hennessy|first2 = James|last2 = Jinks|title = The Silent Deep: The Royal Navy Submarine Service Since 1945|publisher = Penguin Books|date = 2015|page=305-306}} Initial production rounds were delivered in 1974, and a production order was made in 1977. Affected by the budgetary constraints of the 1966 Defence White Paper, the Mark 24 Tigerfish (Mod 1) officially entered service in 1983, after tentative field deployment of both Mod 0 and Mod 1 during previous years. All variants of the Tigerfish were removed from service in 2004.

The Mark 24 Tigerfish had a protracted development program, beginning with the initial two models, then studies to tackle its deficiencies, and finally a Marconi Consolidation Program (nicknamed "Get Well") undertaken in the late 1980s to convert existing units to the Mod 2 standard.

  • Mark 24 Mod 0 Tigerfish (1974)
  • Mark 24 Mod 1 Tigerfish (1978)
  • Mark 24(N) Tigerfish (nuclear payload variant, paper study only)
  • Mark 24 Mod 2 Tigerfish (1987)
  • Mark 24 Mod 3 Tigerfish (simplified inexpensive version, paper study only)

Despite the highly problematic development program of the Tigerfish, Britain would repeatedly decline American offers of the Mark 48. As an example, in February 1980, the United States would offer Britain a free coproduction license for the Mark 48, together with classified new manufacturing processes, and contracts for £150 million worth of purchases of the torpedo thus manufactured. This too was declined.{{cite book|last = Humble|first = Richard|title = Submarines, The Illustrated History|publisher = Basinghall Books|date = 1981|page=176|isbn = 1-11468-416-3}}

Spearfish

{{Main|Spearfish torpedo}}

Much more capable than Tigerfish. Deployed from 1992, and replacing all Tigerfish by 2004.

See also

Notes

{{reflist}}

References

  • {{cite web |last=Tony DiGiulian |url=http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WTBR_PreWWII.htm |title=British torpedoes Pre World War II}}
  • {{cite web |last=Tony DiGiulian |url=http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WTBR_WWII.htm |title=British Torpedoes of World War II}}
  • {{cite web |last=Tony DiGiulian |url=http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WTBR_PostWWII.htm |title=British Torpedoes post World War II}}
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20100311033414/http://middle-watch.com/Torpedoes.htm Post-WWII Whitehead Torpedo and Engineering Works Torpedoes]
  • [http://www.hansonclan.co.uk/Royal%20Navy/rw.htm Robert Whitehead - A Brief History]

{{Royal Navy torpedoes}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}

Category:Torpedoes of the United Kingdom