In 1866, Whitehead invented the first effective self-propelled torpedo, the eponymous Whitehead torpedo, the first modern torpedo. French and German inventions followed closely, and the term …

Torpedo, cigar-shaped, self-propelled underwater missile, launched from a submarine, surface vessel, or airplane and designed for exploding upon contact with the hulls of surface vessels and submarines.

Torpedo comes to English by way of Latin torpēdō, which has two quite different meanings. It refers to a state of inertness, sluggishness, or lethargy, and it refers to a creature also known as the electric ray.

Jun 7, 2024 · Torpedo development was minimal during World War I. The Mk 7 was the first steam-driven torpedo that could be fired from both destroyers and submarines. The post-World War I/pre- …

Robert Whitehead’s Invention: The modern torpedo was pioneered by Robert Whitehead, an English engineer. In 1866, he developed the first self-propelled torpedo in Fiume (modern-day Rijeka, …

The development of Torpedo Mk 38, a 21-inch diameter, submarine-launched, antisurface ship torpedo with electric propulsion (primary battery) and active/passive acoustic homing, had been planned for …

Aug 20, 2025 · Few weapons in naval warfare have captured the imagination and shaped maritime strategy quite like the torpedo. From its humble beginnings as a crude, unreliable explosive device to …

The modern torpedo is a self-propelled weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact …

Click diagram to enlarge. The Mark 48 torpedo is the standard torpedo on all U.S. submarines. First entering service in 1971, it is 19 feet (6 m) long, 21 inches (53 cm) in diameter, and weighs 3,450 …

Jun 27, 2018 · torpedo Self-propelled underwater missile used by submarines, small surface warships, and aircraft to destroy enemy vessels. Modern torpedoes may be launched by rocket boosters, and …