British Torpedoes Pre-World War II

British Torpedoes
Pre-World War II

Updated 12 January 2009

18" (45 cm) Torpedoes . Whitehead 18" (45 cm) .

Midshipmen training on Whitehead Torpedo around 1896 Photograph courtesy of Steve Johnson of Cyberheritage
Ship Class Used On	Surface Ships
Date Of Design	about 1888
Date In Service	1894
Weight	845 lbs. (383 kg)
Overall Length	140 in (3.556 m)
Explosive Charge	118 lbs. (53.5 kg) wet gun-cotton
Range / Speed	800 yards (730 m) / 26.5 knots
Power	Air-flask (cold running) compressed air powered, three cylinder, radial Brotherhood pattern engines
Notes: N/A

18" (45 cm) Mark V .

Ship Class Used On	"River" and "Tribal" destroyers of the early 1900s
Date Of Design	about 1899
Date In Service	1901
Weight	1,353 lbs. (614 kg)
Overall Length	N/A
Explosive Charge	296 lbs. (134 kg) including pistol
Range / Speed	N/A
Power	Air-flask (cold running) compressed air powered
Notes: Had a working pressure of 2,000 psi (141 kg/cm²).

18" (45 cm) Mark VI .

Ship Class Used On	Destroyers of the early 1900s
Date Of Design	about 1904
Date In Service	1905
Weight	N/A
Overall Length	N/A
Explosive Charge	N/A
Range / Speed	4,000 yards (3,650 m) / 28.5 1,000 yard (910 m) / 41 knots
Power	Air-flask (cold running) compressed air powered
Notes: N/A

18" (45 cm) Mark VII and Mark VII* .

18" (45 cm) Torpedo Tube on HMS Swift This single-tube installation was typical of early torpedo boats as torpedoes were thought of as being something in the way of "sniper" weapons
Well-known photograph of Sopwith T 1 Cuckoo dropping a torpedo during a practice run Photograph from J.M. Bruce/G.S. Leslie Collection
Ship Class Used On	Pre-World War I torpedo boats, destroyers and Flying Boats in the 1920s
Date Of Design	1907
Date In Service	1910
Weight	N/A
Overall Length	N/A
Explosive Charge	320 lbs. (145 kg) TNT
Range / Speed	Mark VI 6,000 - 7,000 yards (4,570 - 7,650 m) / 30 knots 3,000 yards (3,280 m) / 41 knots Mark VI* 5,000 yards (4,570 m) / 35 knots 7,000 yards (6,400 m) / 29 knots
Power	Wet-heater
Notes: Introduced on the 1908 members of the 'Tribal' class. First Torpedo to be designed with wet-heater propulsion.

18" (45 cm) Mark VIII .

Ship Class Used On	World War I Submarines, aircraft in 1920-1937
Date Of Design	1913
Date In Service	1914
Weight	3,828 lbs. (1,736 kg)
Overall Length	N/A
Explosive Charge	320 lbs. (145 kg) TNT
Range / Speed	2,500 yards (2,300 m) / 35 knots 4,000 yards (3,650 m) / 29 knots
Power	Wet-heater
Notes: N/A

18" (45 cm) Mark XI .

Ship Class Used On	Aircraft Launched
Date Of Design	about 1934
Date In Service	1936
Weight	1,500 lbs. (680 kg)
Overall Length	N/A
Explosive Charge	465 lbs. (211 kg) TNT
Range / Speed	1,500 yards (1,370 m) / 40 knots 4,000 yards (3,660 m) 24-25 knots
Power	Burner-cycle
Notes: Was specified to be able to be dropped from 30 - 100 feet (9 - 30 m) at 150 knots and not dive below 60 feet (18 m) and then recover to set depth within 400 yards (360 m).

21" (53.3 cm) Torpedoes

21" (53.3 cm) Mark I "Short" and "Long"

Ship Class Used On	Destroyers
Date Of Design	About 1908
Date In Service	About 1910
Weight	Short: 2,100 lbs. (953 kg) Long: 2,800 lbs. (1,270 kg)
Overall Length	Short: 17 ft 10.5 in (5.45 m) Long: 23 ft 1.25 in (7.04 m)
Explosive Charge	Original: 200 lbs. (91 kg) wet gun-cotton Modified: 225 lbs. (102 kg) wet gun-cotton
Range / Speed	Short 1,000 yards (910 m) @ 50 knots 7,500 yards (6,850 m) @ 30 knots Long 1,000 yards (910 m) @ 50 knots (?) 12,000 yards (11,000 m) @ 30 knots Modified 2,000 yards (1,820 m) @ 50 knots 10,800 yards (9,900 m) @ 30 knots
Power	Wet-heater, 2,100 psi (148 kg/cm²)
Notes: The first 21" (53.3 cm) "heater" torpedo. Introduced on the Beagle class destroyers. Cost £1,086 in 1914 and £1,193 in 1917.

21" (53.3 cm) Marks II, II* and II** .

Preparing a torpedo aboard HMS Vanoc in August 1941 This is probably a Mark II or Mark IV torpedo Office of War Information. Overseas Picture Division. Washington Division; 1944 Library of Congress Photograph ID LC-USZ62-132627
Ship Class Used On	World War I destroyers, former USA Lend-Lease destroyers, some submarines
Date Of Design	About 1910
Date In Service	About 1914
Weight	N/A
Overall Length	N/A
Explosive Charge	Original design: 280 lbs. (127 kg) wet gun-cotton Early versions: 400 lbs. (181 kg) TNT Later versions: 515 lbs. (234 kg) TNT
Range / Speed	World War I 5,500 yards (5,000 m) / 30 knots about 4,000 yards (3,600 m) / 35 knots World War II Submarines, only: 5,000 yards (4,570 m) / 35 knots Destroyers, only: 8,000 yards (7,300 m) / 29 knots
Power	Wet-heater
Notes: Earliest versions dated to before World War I. Still used on old ships during World War II. Also used on ex-US Lend-Lease Flush Deck destroyers during World War II. The earliest version had a high speed setting for 3,000 yards (2,700 m) at 45 knots, but it was erratic at this speed, so it was reduced to 35 knots.

21" (53.3 cm) Mark II*** .

Ship Class Used On	World War I battleships and battlecruisers
Date Of Design	About 1914
Date In Service	About 1915
Weight	N/A
Overall Length	N/A
Explosive Charge	515 lbs. (234 kg) TNT
Range / Speed	4,500 yards (4,110 m) / 45 knots 10,750 yards (9,830 m) / 31 knots
Power	Wet-heater
Notes: An improved version of the Mark II used mainly on capital ships.

No information available on Mark III .

21" (53.3 cm) Mark IV and Mark IV* .

Ship Class Used On	World War I - Destroyers World War II - Hood, older destroyers, MTBs
Date Of Design	About 1912
Date In Service	About 1916
Weight	3,206 lbs. (1,454 kg)
Overall Length	22 ft 7.5 in (6.896 m)
Explosive Charge	515 lbs. (234 kg) TNT
Range / Speed	8,000 yards (7,300 m) / 35 knots 10,000 yards (9,150 m) / 29 knots 13,500 yards (12,350 m) / 25 knots World War II Submarines, only: 6,000 yards (5,500 m) / 40 knots 9,500 yards (8,700 m) / 35 knots
Power	Wet-heater
Notes: Principal British Torpedo of World War I. Still used in World War II by most older ships and by MTB's in the absence of newer torpedoes.

21" (53.3 cm) Mark V .

21" (53.3 cm) Mark V torpedo being hoisted aboard HMS York Photograph copyrighted by Mrs. Josephine Burston
Ship Class Used On	"A" and "B" destroyers, Kent Class Cruisers
Date Of Design	About 1917
Date In Service	1918
Weight	3,828 lbs. (1,736 kg)
Overall Length	23 ft 3 in (7.086 m)
Explosive Charge	N/A
Range / Speed	5,000 yards (4,570 m) / 40 knots 13,500 yards (12,340 m) / 25 knots
Power	Wet-heater
Notes: Replaced by Mark IX. Kent class cruisers used a modified version with a strengthened tail assembly.

21" (53.3 cm) Mark VII .

Ship Class Used On	8" (20.3 cm) Cruisers
Date Of Design	1925 (?)
Date In Service	N/A
Weight	4,106 lbs. (1,862 kg)
Overall Length	25 ft 6 in (7.772 m)
Explosive Charge	740 lbs. (336 kg) TNT
Range / Speed	Mark VIIC: 5,700 yards (5,200 m) / 35 knots
Power	Oxygen-enriched air
Notes: These torpedoes were all converted to natural air during the early part of World War II.

24.5" (62.2 cm) Torpedoes . 24.5" (62.2 cm) Mark I .

Wreckage of 24.5" (62.2 cm) Mark I torpedoes after HMS Nelson was torpedoed in 1941. These are the same type of torpedoes that HMS Rodney fired at the German battleship Bismarck, the only known occasion that a battleship fired torpedoes at an enemy battleship. It is possible that one torpedo struck Bismarck. IWM Photograph
Ship Class Used On	Nelson Class
Date Of Design	About 1923
Date In Service	About 1925
Weight	5,700 lbs. (2,585 kg)
Overall Length	26 ft 7 in (8.103 m)
Explosive Charge	743 lbs. (337 kg) TNT
Range / Speed	15,000 yards (13,700 m) / 35 knots 20,000 yards (18,300 m) / 30 knots
Power	Oxygen-enriched Air
Notes: Carried only by Nelson class Battleships, the last battleship class designed with internal tubes.

Data from
"The Grand Fleet: Warship Design and Development 1906-1922" by D.K. Brown
"Naval Weapons of World War Two" by John Campbell
"Battleship Nelson: The Story of HMS Nelson" by Ronald Careless
"Naval Aviation in the First World War: Its Impact and Influence" by R.D. Layman
"Torpedo Warfare: A Successful Prediction" article by D.J. Lyon in "Warship Volume VII"

Page History

03 February 2008 - Benchmark
12 January 2009 - Added data on Mark V, added picture of Vanoc