Bliss–Leavitt Mark 8 torpedo

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Bliss–Leavitt Mark 8 torpedo
Turbine[1]
PropellantAir (2800 psi, 23.4 cuft)
Water (90 US pints or 43 L)
Alcohol (49 US pints or 23 L)
Maximum speed 36 knots[1] (65.1 km/h)
Guidance
system
gyroscope[1]
Launch
platform
Destroyers and PT boats

The Bliss–Leavitt Mark 8 torpedo was the

battleships during World War I and cruisers built in the 1920s. All US battleships and most cruisers had their torpedo tubes removed by 1941. The Mark 8 remained in service through World War II on older destroyers, primarily the Wickes and Clemson classes. It also equipped PT boats early in World War II, but was replaced by the Mark 13 torpedo
on most of these in mid-1943.

Under the

Destroyers for Bases Agreement.[1]

Design

The design was originally intended to be used on

surface ship role.[1] When it was first released, it was a highly advanced torpedo, but when it was actually deployed into service during World War II it was showing its age and unable to compete with modern torpedo technology. The low speed of the torpedo was one of the complaints; its Japanese counterpart, the Type 93 torpedo
, was significantly faster and more difficult to spot in the water.

Deployment difficulties

The Mark 8 had many technical difficulties with its design that would be a bane to the torpedomen who would use them. The first issue came with the process of simply launching the torpedo, which was fraught with its own set of difficulties. The

black powder charge to push the torpedo out of the tube. This was a problem in the South Pacific, where the humid climate would cause these charges to misfire, sometimes not putting enough force behind the torpedo to fully eject it from the tube. One other risk of these misfires was what is called "hot running", where the torpedo would run in its tube. Though the warhead
could not detonate, the motor would overheat and explode without water to cool it, sending splinters across the deck. Another issue was that the tubes were heavily lubricated with oil and grease to ensure that the torpedo was smoothly launched from the tube. Sometimes during launch, the charge would ignite the lubricants in the tube causing a fire emitting black smoke that would reveal the location of the torpedo boat.

The torpedo lacked the explosive power of newer models. It carried less than 500 pounds of TNT-based explosives, which was far from a guaranteed ship kill. This frustrated many captains who, when hitting an enemy dead on, had the warhead detonate but not sink the target, and many targets escaped.

Bliss–Leavitt Mark 8 torpedo 1
Bliss–Leavitt Mark 8 torpedo 2

See also

  • American 21 inch torpedo

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Torpedo History: Bliss–Leavitt Torpedo Mk 8". Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  2. ^ "United States of America Torpedoes Pre-World War II". Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  3. ^ "The Mark VIII Torpedo". Archived from the original on 31 January 2013. Retrieved 21 June 2013.

Further reading

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