Mark 13 torpedo
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The Mark 13 torpedo was the U.S. Navy's most common air-launched torpedo of World War II. It was designed from the onset as an aircraft torpedo, with unusually squat dimensions for its type: diameter was 22.4 in (569 mm) and length 13 ft 5 in (4.09 m). In the water, the Mark 13 could reach a speed of 33.5 knots (39 mph) for up to 6,300 yards (5,760 m).
Early models—even when dropped low to the water at slow speeds—were prone to not starting or running on the surface. Later in the war the design was modified to allow drops from as high as 2,400 ft, at speeds up to 410 knots. The final Mark 13 weighed 2,216 lb (1,005 kg); 600 lb (262 kg) of this was the high explosive Torpex.
At the close of the war, the Mark 13 was considered one of the most reliable air-dropped torpedoes available.
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[edit] References
- ↑ National Museum of the United States Air Force (7 February 2005). Mark 13 Torpedo". Retrieved 2 August 2005.
- ↑ NavWeaps (18 February 2005). "USA Torpedoes of WWII". Retrieved 2 August 2005.
