In the early years of World War II, few would have predicted that Mk 14 submarine-launched torpedo would play a major role in defeating the Japanese naval and merchant fleets. Initially a problem-plagued and unreliable weapon, the Mk 14 torpedo was the source of much ill will between the Navy's operational forces and weapon developers. But once its problems were corrected, the Newport-developed Mk 14 torpedo redeemed itself and went on to become the single most destructive weapon used by the U.S. Navy during the war. The torpedo was a major innovation; it provided a depth-controlled self-propelled underwater projectile that was difficult to detect and that exploded below the waterline, dramatically increasing warhead effectiveness because it filled the target with water instead of air. Ultimately, the Mk 14 torpedo proved to be a highly reliable and effectiveness weapon that played a major role in the outcome of World War II. The 50,000-man submarine force represented less than 2 percent of the U.S. Navy's complement; yet, fleet submarines, employing Mk 14 torpedoes as their principal weapon, accounted for 55 percent of Japan's maritime losses. These submarines decimated the Japanese merchant fleet, sinking more than 5 million tons of shipping. THis highly effective campaign deprived the island empire of the food and raw materials vitally needed to prosecute the war and drove Japan to the brink of strategic defeat.
Mk 14 Submarine-Launched Torpedo: Four Decades of Service
1994
29 pages
Report
Keine Angabe
Englisch
Underwater Ordnance , Guns , Education, Law, & Humanities , Submarine launched , Antiship warfare , Military history , Homing torpedoes , Submarines , Underwater ordnance , Underwater projectiles , Guided projectiles , Naval warfare , Navy , Naval operations , Mark-14 Torpedoes , World War 2 , Post World War 2 Period
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