Mark 18 torpedo
Encyclopedia
The Mark 18 torpedo was an electric torpedo used by the US Navy during World War II
.
The Mark 18 was built in competition to the Bureau of Ordnance
electric torpedoes, which had been in development at the Newport Torpedo Station (NTS), Newport
, Rhode Island
, since the 1920s, in particular the Mark II, originated in 1941 in collaboration with General Electric
and Electric Storage Battery Company (Exide)
In 1942, several German G7e electric torpedoes ran ashore, leading CNO
, Admiral Ernest J. King, to prod BuOrd into building an electric torpedo for the U.S. Navy's own submarines. BuOrd told NTS to get the Mark 2 in shape, or drop it in favor of a copy, with the primary emphasis being speed of introduction. "Newport, typically, preferred its own finely machined project", but neither General Electric
nor NTS had the facilities. As a result, BuOrd had to turn to Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, which on 10 March 1942 got all data and designs for electric torpedoes NTS had produced so far.
Westinghouse quickly decided to copy the G7e, and "went to work with a speed and fervor that was dazzling" (certainly in comparison to NTS's languid pace). Design was complete by mid-April, and a contract for 2,000 Mark 18s, 2,020 warheads, 543 exercise heads (for training shots), tools, spares, and workshop gear was issued 2 May. The first test models were delivered just 15 weeks after Westinghouse started work and the Mark 18 was promised to the Submarine Force by summer 1942.
Then the trouble started. The batteries (provided by Exide) did not deliver hoped-for performance and gave off too much hydrogen gas (a hazard for fire shipboard, and potentially lethal in submarines), and there were bugs in production, in part because of the fine tolerances necessary and the need to use unskilled labor. NTS, as usual, "offered no help", refusing even to pass on trial data. Trials, supervised by Commander Oliver G. Kirk (whose Lapon
was sent to Newport to aid in testing in July 1943), aided by "Spike" Hottel (relieved from command of Grouper
in October), did not go well. Eli Reich, Lapon' s exec, described NTS's attitude as near to sabotage. Kirk and Reich drafted a scathing memo, which ended up on the desk of Admiral Lockwood
, who took the matter to William H. "Spike" Blandy
, Chief of BuOrd, who (after months of disparaging submariners over the problems with the Mark 14
, and while still complaining he could not get a good project officer from Lockwood) agreed to push the Mark 18 ahead.
The first submarines to use Mark 18s (still not perfected) were Eugene Sands' Spearfish
and Mush Morton's Wahoo
in September 1943. Wahoo disappeared, and Sands "experienced enough torpedo problems to drive an ordinary man berserk": one sank, one broached and ran wild, three fishtailed at launch and hit the outer doors before disappearing, and seven missed astern. His results, as described by his squadron commander, "Gin" Styer, in a masterpiece of understatement, "were disappointing".
The main advantage was they did not produce a wake of bubbles or turbine exhaust pointing back to the submarine firing it - a major advantage in daytime engagements. The torpedo also lacked the depth-keeping and exploder problems that had plagued the Mark 14. The disadvantages were the low speed compared to the Mark 14's 45 knots, the need to regularly withdraw the torpedoes from their tubes for recharging, sensitivity of the batteries to water temperature, and onerous maintenance procedures. The Mark 18 shared one major flaw with the Mark 14: it had no protection against circular runs, a defect which claimed Tang
for certain, and possibly other U.S. submarines, as well; "Donc" Donaho
's Flying Fish
was nearly sunk by a trial model in October 1943.
Some 30% of torpedoes fired by U.S. submarines in the Pacific War
were Mark 18s.
The design was dropped from service in 1950 in favor of faster and more reliable later types.
The Mark 18 was 20 ft (6 m) long, weighed 3,154 lb (1430 kg), had a warhead of 575 lb (260 kg) of Torpex
with a contact exploder, and had a speed of 29 kt (54 km/h, 33 mph) and a maximum range of 4,000 yards (3,650 m). By July 1944, an improved version had appeared. These torpedoes were easier to build than the wet heater types, using about ⅔ of the labor of the Mark 14
.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The Mark 18 was built in competition to the Bureau of Ordnance
Bureau of Ordnance
The Bureau of Ordnance was the U.S. Navy's organization responsible for the procurement, storage, and deployment of all naval ordnance, between the years 1862 and 1959.-History:...
electric torpedoes, which had been in development at the Newport Torpedo Station (NTS), Newport
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, since the 1920s, in particular the Mark II, originated in 1941 in collaboration with General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
and Electric Storage Battery Company (Exide)
In 1942, several German G7e electric torpedoes ran ashore, leading CNO
Chief of Naval Operations
The Chief of Naval Operations is a statutory office held by a four-star admiral in the United States Navy, and is the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Navy. The office is a military adviser and deputy to the Secretary of the Navy...
, Admiral Ernest J. King, to prod BuOrd into building an electric torpedo for the U.S. Navy's own submarines. BuOrd told NTS to get the Mark 2 in shape, or drop it in favor of a copy, with the primary emphasis being speed of introduction. "Newport, typically, preferred its own finely machined project", but neither General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
nor NTS had the facilities. As a result, BuOrd had to turn to Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, which on 10 March 1942 got all data and designs for electric torpedoes NTS had produced so far.
Westinghouse quickly decided to copy the G7e, and "went to work with a speed and fervor that was dazzling" (certainly in comparison to NTS's languid pace). Design was complete by mid-April, and a contract for 2,000 Mark 18s, 2,020 warheads, 543 exercise heads (for training shots), tools, spares, and workshop gear was issued 2 May. The first test models were delivered just 15 weeks after Westinghouse started work and the Mark 18 was promised to the Submarine Force by summer 1942.
Then the trouble started. The batteries (provided by Exide) did not deliver hoped-for performance and gave off too much hydrogen gas (a hazard for fire shipboard, and potentially lethal in submarines), and there were bugs in production, in part because of the fine tolerances necessary and the need to use unskilled labor. NTS, as usual, "offered no help", refusing even to pass on trial data. Trials, supervised by Commander Oliver G. Kirk (whose Lapon
USS Lapon (SS-260)
, a Gato-class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the lapon, a scorpionfish of the Pacific coast of the United States of America....
was sent to Newport to aid in testing in July 1943), aided by "Spike" Hottel (relieved from command of Grouper
USS Grouper (SS-214)
USS Grouper , a Gato-class submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the grouper, a salt-water fish noted as a gamefish and for its food values....
in October), did not go well. Eli Reich, Lapon
Charles A. Lockwood
Charles Andrews Lockwood was an admiral of the United States Navy. He is known in submarine history as the legendary commander of Submarine Force Pacific Fleet during World War II...
, who took the matter to William H. "Spike" Blandy
William H. P. Blandy
William Henry Purnell Blandy , known to friends as "Spike", was an admiral in the United States Navy during World War II.-Biography:...
, Chief of BuOrd, who (after months of disparaging submariners over the problems with the Mark 14
Mark 14 torpedo
The Mark 14 torpedo was the United States Navy's standard submarine-launched anti-ship torpedo of World War II.This weapon was plagued with many problems which crippled its performance early in the war, and was supplemented by the Mark 18 electric torpedo in the last 2 years of the war...
, and while still complaining he could not get a good project officer from Lockwood) agreed to push the Mark 18 ahead.
The first submarines to use Mark 18s (still not perfected) were Eugene Sands' Spearfish
USS Spearfish (SS-190)
USS Spearfish , a Sargo-class submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the spearfish, any of several large, powerful, pelagic fishes of the genus Tetrapturus allied to the marlins and sailfishes....
and Mush Morton's Wahoo
USS Wahoo (SS-238)
was a Gato-class submarine, the first United States Navy ship to be named for the wahoo, a dark blue food fish of Florida and the West Indies....
in September 1943. Wahoo disappeared, and Sands "experienced enough torpedo problems to drive an ordinary man berserk": one sank, one broached and ran wild, three fishtailed at launch and hit the outer doors before disappearing, and seven missed astern. His results, as described by his squadron commander, "Gin" Styer, in a masterpiece of understatement, "were disappointing".
The main advantage was they did not produce a wake of bubbles or turbine exhaust pointing back to the submarine firing it - a major advantage in daytime engagements. The torpedo also lacked the depth-keeping and exploder problems that had plagued the Mark 14. The disadvantages were the low speed compared to the Mark 14's 45 knots, the need to regularly withdraw the torpedoes from their tubes for recharging, sensitivity of the batteries to water temperature, and onerous maintenance procedures. The Mark 18 shared one major flaw with the Mark 14: it had no protection against circular runs, a defect which claimed Tang
USS Tang (SS-306)
USS Tang was a Balao-class submarine of World War II. She was built and launched in 1943.In her short career, the Tang sank 33 ships displacing 116,454 tons Her commanding officer received the Medal of Honor for her last two engagements...
for certain, and possibly other U.S. submarines, as well; "Donc" Donaho
Glynn R. Donaho
Glynn Robert "Donc" Donaho was a U.S. Navy officer known principally for his exploits as a submarine commander during World War II, for which he received the Navy Cross four times, the Silver Star twice, and the Bronze Star twice. Donaho was born in George, Texas...
's Flying Fish
USS Flying Fish (SS-229)
USS Flying Fish , a Gato-class submarine, was the first submarine and second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the flying fish, a family of fishes of tropic and warm temperate seas whose long winglike fins make it possible for them to move some distance through the air.The keel of...
was nearly sunk by a trial model in October 1943.
Some 30% of torpedoes fired by U.S. submarines in the Pacific War
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
were Mark 18s.
The design was dropped from service in 1950 in favor of faster and more reliable later types.
The Mark 18 was 20 ft (6 m) long, weighed 3,154 lb (1430 kg), had a warhead of 575 lb (260 kg) of Torpex
Torpex
Torpex is a secondary explosive 50% more powerful than TNT by mass. Torpex is composed of 42% RDX, 40% TNT and 18% powdered aluminium. It was used in the Second World War from late 1942. The name is short for Torpedo Explosive', having been originally developed for use in torpedoes...
with a contact exploder, and had a speed of 29 kt (54 km/h, 33 mph) and a maximum range of 4,000 yards (3,650 m). By July 1944, an improved version had appeared. These torpedoes were easier to build than the wet heater types, using about ⅔ of the labor of the Mark 14
Mark 14 torpedo
The Mark 14 torpedo was the United States Navy's standard submarine-launched anti-ship torpedo of World War II.This weapon was plagued with many problems which crippled its performance early in the war, and was supplemented by the Mark 18 electric torpedo in the last 2 years of the war...
.