Mark 27 torpedo

The Mark 27 torpedo was the first of the United States Navy 19-inch (48-cm) submarine-launched torpedoes.[2] This electrically-propelled torpedo was 125 inches (3.175 m) long and weighed 1174 pounds (534 kg).[2] The torpedo employed a passive acoustic guidance system and was intended for both submarine and surface targets.[2] Nicknamed "Cutie" [3] by submarine crews, the Mark 27 entered service in 1943 as a defensive weapon.[4] The torpedo was classified as obsolete in the 1960s.[2]

Mark 27 torpedo
TypeAcoustic torpedo[1]
Place of originUnited States
Service history
In service1943-1946[1]
Used byUnited States Navy
WarsWorld War II
Production history
DesignerBell Telephone Laboratories
Designed1943[1]
ManufacturerWestern Electric
No. built1000[1]
VariantsMark 27 Mod 4
Specifications
Mass720 pounds (330 kg)[1]
Length90 inches (2.3 m)[1]
Diameter19 inches (48 cm) (21-inch (53 cm) guide rails)[1]
Effective firing range5,000 yards (4.6 km) (approx. 12 minutes search duration)[1]
WarheadMk 27 Mod 0[1]
Detonation
mechanism
Mk 11 Mod 2 contact exploder
EngineElectric[1]
Maximum speed 12 knots (22 km/h)[1]
Guidance
system
Gyroscope[1]
Launch
platform
Submarines[1]

The Mark 27 was essentially a Mark 24 mine which had been modified for submarine launching in a 21-inch (53 cm) submerged torpedo tube by the addition of 1" (25 mm) wooden guide studs mounted on the torpedo's outer shell.[1][5]

Modifications and improvements
Mark 27 Mod 4 torpedo
TypeAcoustic torpedo[1]
Place of originUnited States
Service history
In service1946-1960
Used byUnited States Navy
Production history
DesignerOrdnance Research Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University
Designed1946[1]
ManufacturerAvco[1]
Naval Ordnance Station Forest Park
Produced1946-1954[1]
No. built3000[1]
Specifications
Mass1,175 pounds (533 kg)[1]
Length125.75 inches (3.194 m)[1]
Diameter19 inches (48 cm) (with 21-inch (53 cm) guide rails)[1]
Effective firing range6,200 yards (5.7 km) (12 minutes search duration)[1]
WarheadMk 27 Mod 2, HBX[1]
Warhead weight128 pounds (58 kg)[1]
Detonation
mechanism
Mk 11 Mod 2 contact exploder
EngineElectric[1]
Maximum speed 15.9 knots (29.4 km/h)[1]
Guidance
system
Gyroscope[1]
Launch
platform
Submarines[1]

The Mark 27 Mod 4 torpedo was designed by the Ordnance Research Laboratory of Pennsylvania State University in 1946 as an improved version of the Mark 27 torpedo.[1]

Fully compatible with electrical setting fire control systems through the use of the standard 65-pin umbilical cable, this weapon was in service on submarines for about ten years. It was withdrawn from service use in 1960 with the introduction of the Mark 37 torpedo.

See also

Notes
  1. Jolie, E.W. (15 September 1978). "A Brief History of US Navy Torpedo Development: Torpedo Mk 27 Mod 0". Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  2. Kurak, September 1966, p.145
  3. "USS Pampanito - Mk 27 Torpedo". Archived from the original on 2010-12-03. Retrieved 2009-01-06.
  4. Jones, Edward Monroe; Roderick, Shawn S. (2014-11-19). Submarine Torpedo Tactics: An American History. McFarland. pp. 111, 113. ISBN 9781476617589.
  5. US Navy torpedo history, part 2

References
  • Kurak, Steve (September 1966). "The U. S. Navy's Torpedo Inventory". United States Naval Institute Proceedings. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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