page_title: Whitehead torpedo
section_title: Design
hierarchical_section_title: Whitehead torpedo / Design
caption_attribution_description: English: The MkI, MkII and MkIII Whitehead torpedo's General Profile as illustrated in The Whitehead Torpedo, U.S.N. published in 1898. The manual covers the 45c/m. x 3.55m. Mark I, Mark II, Mark III and and 45c/m. x 5m. Mark I. A war-head. B air-flask. B' immersion-chamber. CC' after-body. C engine-room. DDDD drain-holes. E shaft-tube. F steering-engine. G bevel-gear box. H depth-index. I tail. K charging and stop-valves. L. locking-gear. M engine bed-plate. P primer-case. R rudder. S steering-rod tube. T guide-stud. UU propellers. V valve-group. W war nose, comprising fuse, safety, and exploder. Z strengthening-band.
context_page_description: The Whitehead torpedo was the first self-propelled or "locomotive" torpedo ever developed. It was perfected in 1866 by Robert Whitehead from a rough design conceived by Giovanni Luppis of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. It was driven by a three-cylinder compressed-air engine invented, designed, and made by Peter Brotherhood. Many naval services procured the Whitehead torpedo during the 1870s, including the US Navy. This early torpedo proved itself in combat during the Russo-Turkish War when, on January 16, 1878, the Ottoman ship Intibah was sunk by Russian torpedo boats carrying Whiteheads, though this story has been disputed in one book.
  The term "torpedo" comes from the Torpedo fish, which is a type of ray that delivers an electric shock to stun its prey.
context_section_description: In 1868, Whitehead offered two types of torpedoes to the world's navies: one was 11 feet, seven inches (3.5 m) in length with a diameter of 14 inches (35.5 cm). It weighed 346 pounds (157 kg) and carried a 40-pound (18.1 kg) warhead. The other was 14 feet (4.3 m) long with a 16-inch (40.6 cm) diameter. It weighed 650 pounds (295 kg) and carried a 60-pound (27.2 kg) warhead. Both models could do 8-10 knots (17 km/h) with a range of 200 yards (183 m).
  The United States Navy started using the Whitehead torpedo in 1892 after an American company, E. W. Bliss, secured manufacturing rights. As manufactured for the US Navy, the Whitehead torpedo was divided into four sections: the head, the air flask, the after-body and the tail. The head contained the explosive charge of guncotton; the air flask contained compressed air at 1350 pounds per square inch, or 90 atmospheres; the after-body contained the engine and the controlling mechanism, and the propellers and rudder were in the tail. The air flask was constructed from heavy forged steel. The other parts of the shell of the torpedo were made of thin sheet steel. The interior parts were generally constructed out of bronze. The torpedo was launched above or below the waterline from a tube, using air or gunpowder discharge.
caption: Whitehead torpedo's general profile, as illustrated in The Whitehead Torpedo manual, published by the US Navy in 1898: A. war-head B. air-flask. B'. immersion-chamber CC'. after-body C. engine-room DDDD. drain-holes E. shaft-tube F. steering-engine G. bevel-gear box H. depth-index I. tail K. charging and stop-valves L. locking-gear M. engine bed-plate P. primer-case R. rudder S. steering-rod tube T. guide-stud UU. propellers V. valve-group W. war-nose Z. strengthening-band
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