Type 93 torpedo
Type 93 torpedo | |
---|---|
Second World War | |
Production history | |
Designer | Rear Admiral Kaneji Kishimoto and Captain Toshihide Asakuma |
Designed | 1928–1932 |
Variants | Type 97 torpedo, Type 95 torpedo |
Specifications | |
Mass | 2.7 tonnes (6000 lb) |
Length | 9 metres (29 ft 6+5⁄16 in) |
Diameter | 610 mm (2 ft 1⁄64 in) |
Effective firing range | 22,000 m (24,000 yd) at 89–93 km/h (48–50 kn) |
Maximum firing range | 40,400 m (44,200 yd) at 63–67 km/h (34–36 kn) |
Warhead weight | 490 kg (1080 lb) |
Propellant | Kerosene or similar oxidized with oxygen-enriched air |
Maximum speed | 96 km/h (52 kn) |
Launch platform | Surface ships |
The Type 93 (酸素魚雷, designated for
History and development
The Type 93's development (in parallel with a submarine-launched model, the
The Japanese Navy invested heavily in developing a large, heavy, and long-range torpedo, the Type 93. Torpedoes were the only weapon that gave small warships, such as destroyers, the potential to cripple or sink battleships. The IJN's torpedo research and development focused on using highly compressed
Compressed oxygen is dangerous to handle and required lengthy research and development, not to mention additional training for the warship's torpedomen, for safe operational use. Eventually, the IJN's weapons development engineers found that by starting the torpedo's engine with compressed air, and then gradually switching to pure oxygen, they were able to overcome the problem of explosions that had hampered it before. To conceal the use of pure oxygen from the ship's crew and any potential enemy, the oxygen tank was named the secondary air tank. The pure oxygen torpedo was first deployed by the IJN in 1935.
Specification
Some specification examples of ranges by speed:
- 22,000 m (24,000 yd) at 89 to 93 km/h (48 to 50 kn)
- 33,000 m (36,000 yd) at 69 to 72 km/h (37 to 39 kn)
- 40,400 m (44,200 yd) at 61 to 65 km/h (33 to 35 kn)
However, the IJN announced officially the maximum performance of the Type 93 was 11 km (12,000 yd) at 78 km/h (42 kn).
The stated range of over 10 km (11,000 yd) was effective when the targeted warship steamed straight for more than a few minutes while the torpedo approached. This sometimes occurred when USN cruisers chased IJN destroyers breaking away from the scene of the battle at high speed during the night, or when American fleet carriers, engaged in flight operations, were targeted by IJN submarines in the South Pacific in 1942–43.
The Type 93 weighed about 2,700 kg (6,000 lb), with a
Rear Admiral Jungo Rai explained this weapon in the chapter "Torpedo", in collective work The Full Particulars of Secret Weapons (秘密兵器の全貌), first published by Koyo-sha, Japan, in 1952.
The Type 93 torpedo had a main chamber filled with pure compressed oxygen, a joint regulator valve preventing reverse flow, and a small (approximately 13-liter) high-pressure air tank. First, compressed air was mixed with fuel, and the mixture was supplied to a heat starter. Ignition started gently, with the mixture burning steadily in the engine (if oxygen was used at this stage, explosions were common). As the compressed air was consumed and lost pressure, high-pressure oxygen was supplied from the main chamber through the joint valve into the compressed air tank. Soon the air tank was filled with pure oxygen, and combustion continued in the engine.
The torpedo needed careful maintenance. Warships equipped with Type 93 torpedo launchers required an oxygen generator system to use this type of torpedo.
Development of Kaiten from the Type 93
The rotational speed of the gyrocompass was increased to 20,000 rpm for the Kaiten manned torpedo. The warhead of the Type 93 torpedo was 480 kg (1,060 lb) (the same as the 1-ton 410 mm (16 in) gun of an Imperial Japanese battleship), increased to 1.6 tons for Kaiten.
The Type 93 torpedo is 9.61 m (31.5 ft) long and weighs about three tons, while the Kaiten was 15 m (49 ft) long and weighed eight tons. The maximum speed of the Type 93 was 96 km/h (52 kn) and range 22,000 m (24,000 yd). The Kaiten had a range of 23,000 m (25,000 yd) at 56 km/h (30 kn), and 70,000 m (77,000 yd) at 22 km/h (12 kn). The Kaiten had a stable slow cruising capability just beneath the surface.
Operational history
The Type 93 had a maximum range of 40 km (44,000 yd) at 70 km/h (38 kn) with a 490 kg (1,080 lb)
In the early surface battles of 1942–43, Japanese destroyers and cruisers were able to launch their torpedoes from about 20 km (22,000 yd) at the unsuspecting Allied warships attempting to close to gun range. The Allied warships expected that, if torpedoes were used, they would be fired from not more than 10 km (11,000 yd), their own typical torpedo range. The many torpedo hits suffered by Allied warships in such engagements led their officers to believe torpedoes had been fired by undetected Japanese submarines operating in concert with the surface warships. On rare occasions, stray Type 93s struck ships at a much longer range than their intended targets, leading the Allies on occasion to suspect their ships had been mined. The capabilities of the Type 93 went mostly unrecognized by the Allies until examples were captured intact in 1943.
A 45 cm (17.7 in) version, the Type 97, was later developed for midget submarines, but was not a success, and was replaced operationally by Japan's standard aerial torpedo, the Type 91. A 53 cm (21 in) version for use by a few IJN submarines was designated the Type 95, and it was ultimately successful.
A disadvantage of the Type 93 was that its Shimose explosive warhead was far more likely to detonate due to
Ships sunk by Type 93 torpedo
This section includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (December 2015) |
While the Type 93 torpedo was dangerous to its user as well as its intended target, the Imperial Japanese Navy felt that its effectiveness outweighed its risks.
- Dutch destroyer HNLMS Piet Hein 19 February 1942 in Battle of Badung Strait by IJN destroyer Asashio
- Dutch destroyer HNLMS Kortenaer 27 February 1942 by cruiser Haguro
- Dutch cruiser HNLMS Java 27 February 1942 Battle of the Java Sea by IJN cruiser Nachi
- Dutch cruiser HNLMS De Ruyter 27-28 February 1942 by cruiser Haguro
- Second Battle of the Java Sea: and actions at Sunda Strait:
- British cruiser HMS Exeter (68) 1 March 1942 by IJN destroyer Inazuma
- Australian cruiser HMAS Perth (D29) 1 March 1942 by IJN destroyers Mirakumo and Shirakumo
- American cruiser USS Houston (CA-30) 1 March 1942 by IJN cruisers Mogami and Mikuma
- U.S. freighter Bienville, 1 April 1942 by IJN cruiser Chōkai
- British steamship Ganges, 1 April 1942 by IJN cruiser Chōkai
- Battle of Savo Island, 9 August 1942
- Cruiser USS Quincy (CA-39), struck by long lance from IJN cruiser Aoba
- Cruiser USS Vincennes (CA-44), struck by two long lances from IJN cruiser Chōkai
- Destroyer Kawakaze
- Aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8) 26 Oct 1942 by IJN destroyers Akigumo and Makigumo (scuttled)
- Cruiser USS Atlanta (CL-51) 13 November 1942 by IJN destroyer Inazuma or Ikazuchi
- Cruiser USS Juneau (CL-52), 13 November 1942, crippled by IJN destroyer Amatsukaze, finished off by IJN submarine I-26
- Destroyer USS Barton (DD-599) 13 November 1942 by IJN destroyer Amatsukaze
- Destroyer USS Laffey (DD-459) 13 November 1942 by IJN destroyer Yukikaze
- Destroyer USS Walke (DD-416) 14 November 1942 by IJN destroyer Ayanami
- Destroyer USS Benham (DD-397) 14 November 1942 by IJN destroyer Uranami; later scuttled by USS Gwin (DD-433)
- Cruiser USS Northampton (CA-26) 30 November 1942 by IJN destroyer Kawakaze
- Destroyer USS Strong (DD-467) 5 July 1943 by IJN destroyer Niizuki
- Cruiser USS Helena (CL-50) 5 July 1943 by IJN destroyers Suzukaze and Tanikaze
- Destroyer USS Gwin (DD-433) 12 July 1943 by mass torpedo attack from IJN destroyers Yukikaze, Hamakaze, Kiyonami, and Yūgure
- Destroyer USS Chevalier (DD-451) 6 October 1943 by IJN destroyer Yugumo
- Cruiser IJN/HIJMS Mogami 25 October 1944 by 5 torpedo detonations during the Battle of Leyte Gulf
- Destroyer USS Cooper (DD-695) 3 December 1944 probably by IJN destroyer escort Take[11]
Surviving examples
Several examples are displayed in museums. This is an incomplete list:
- Imperial War Museum Duxford, England.
- Papua New Guinea National Museum, Waigani.
- USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
- U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland – displayed outside in small park in front of Dahlgren Hall. The torpedo flanks a pathway on the other side of which is a Type 91Japanese air-launched torpedo.
- Yūshūkan museum, Tokyo, Japan.
- In store at Explosion Museum of Naval Firepower, part of the National Museum of the Royal Navy, Gosport, Hampshire, England
- Navy Yard, Washington D.C.
A number are also located within the war wrecks of Chuuk (Truk) Lagoon, specifically in the holds of the Heian Maru, San Francisco Maru and Seiko Maru.
See also
Notes
References
- ^ a b Boyne 1995, pp. 127, 254.
- ^ Morison 1950, p. 195.
- ISBN 4062037416.
- ^ a b Morison 1984, pp. 23–25.
- National Interest. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
- ^ DiGiulian, Tony (23 April 2022). "Torpedoes of Japan". Navweaps.
- ^ Hornfischer 2004, p. 309.
- ^ IJN Chokai, retrieved 2021-03-22
- ^ Brown 1990, pp. 16, 209.
- ^ Brown 1990, pp. 58–133.
- ^ Brown 1990, p. 133.
Bibliography
- Boyne, Walter (1995). Clash of Titans. NY, US: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-0-684-80196-4.
- Brown, David (1990). Warship Losses of World War Two. London, Great Britain: Arms and Armour. ISBN 978-0-85368-802-0.
- Hornfischer, James D. (2004). Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors. Bantam. ISBN 0-553-80257-7.
- Morison, Samuel Eliot (1950). History of United States Naval Operations in World War II: Breaking the Bismarcks Barrier. New York.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Morison, Samuel Eliot (1984). History of United States Naval Operations in World War Two. Vol. 3. Boston, US: Little, Brown, and Company.
- Shigetaka, Onda (November 1988). "Chapter 5, Between "Kaiten" and "Ohka"". "Tokko" or Kamikaze attack (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan: Kodan-sha. ISBN 978-4-06-204181-2.
- Smyers, Richard Paul (2012). "Question 17/48: Japanese Tuype 93 Oxygen Torpedoes". Warship International. XLIX (2): 172–173. ISSN 0043-0374.
Further reading
- ISSN 0041-798X.
- Ito, Yoji; Sendo, Michio; Shiga, Fujio (November 1976) [1952]. "Torpedo (by Rai Jungo)". "Kimitu Heiki no Zenbo" or The full particulars of secret weapons (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan: Hara-shobo.