Bliss-Leavitt Mark 2 torpedo

Bliss-Leavitt Mark 2 torpedo
Type	Anti-surface ship torpedo[1]
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1905–1922[1]
Used by	United States Navy
Production history
Designer	Frank McDowell Leavitt
Designed	1905[1]
Manufacturer	E. W. Bliss Company
Variants	Mod 1[2]
Specifications
Weight	approximately 1500 pounds[1]
Length	197 inches (5.0 meters)[1]
Diameter	21 inches (53.34 centimeters)[1]
Effective firing range	3500 yards[1]
Warhead	wet guncotton[1]
Warhead weight	approximately 200 pounds[1]
Detonation mechanism	War Nose Mk 5 contact exploder[1]
Engine	Contra-rotating turbine[1]
Speed	26 knots[1]
Guidance system	gyroscope[1]
Launch platform	battleships, torpedo boats and cruisers[1]

The Bliss-Leavitt Mark 2 torpedo was a Bliss-Leavitt torpedo adopted by the United States Navy for use in an anti-surface ship role after the E. W. Bliss Company of Brooklyn, New York, which had been building Whitehead torpedoes for the US Navy, began designing and manufacturing their own torpedoes in 1904. It was the first American-built torpedo to feature counter-rotating turbines, each driving a propeller. This design eliminated the unbalanced torque that contributed to the tendency of its predecessor (the Bliss-Leavitt Mark 1 torpedo) to roll.^[1]

Characteristics

The design of the Bliss-Leavitt Mark 1 torpedo was revolutionary, but not without problems. The single-stage turbine engine drove a single propeller, which had a tendency to develop unbalanced torque and thus to roll in the water, affecting its accuracy. This problem was corrected by Navy Lieutenant Gregory Davison in the Mark 2 by using a twin-turbine engine driving twin propellers, thus steadying the torpedo's trajectory.^[3] The Mark 2 was a "hot-running" torpedo, propelled by heated air. About 250 units were built by E. W. Bliss for the US Navy.

The Bliss-Leavitt Mark 2 was launched from battleships, torpedo boats and cruisers.

References