Torpedoes of Russia and the USSR. About the appearance of modern submarine torpedoes Russian torpedoes for submarines

Modern torpedo- a formidable weapon for surface ships, naval aviation and submarines. It allows you to quickly and accurately deliver a powerful blow to the enemy at sea. This is an autonomous, self-propelled and controlled underwater projectile containing 0.5 tons of explosive or nuclear warhead.
The secrets of developing torpedo weapons are the most guarded, because the number of states that own these technologies is even smaller than the members of the nuclear missile club.

Currently, there is a serious increase in Russia's lag in the design and development of torpedo weapons. For a long time, the situation was somehow smoothed out by the presence in Russia of the Shvkal missile-torpedoes, adopted in 1977, but since 2005, similar torpedo weapons have appeared in Germany.

There is information that the German Barracuda missile-torpedoes are capable of developing a higher speed than the Shkval, but for now Russian torpedoes of this type are more widespread. In general, the lag of conventional Russian torpedoes from foreign analogues reaches 20-30 years .

The main manufacturer of torpedoes in Russia is JSC Concern Marine Underwater Weapons - Gidropribor. During the International Naval Show in 2009 (“IMMS-2009”), this enterprise presented its developments to the public, in particular 533-mm universal remote-controlled electric torpedo TE-2. This torpedo is designed to destroy modern enemy submarines in any area of ​​the World Ocean.

The TE-2 torpedo has the following characteristics:
— length with telecontrol coil (without coil) – 8300 (7900) mm;
- total weight - 2450 kg;
- mass of combat charge - 250 kg;
— the torpedo is capable of speeds from 32 to 45 knots at a range of 15 and 25 km, respectively;
- has a service life of 10 years.

The TE-2 torpedo is equipped with an acoustic homing system(active against surface targets and active-passive against underwater targets) and non-contact electromagnetic fuses, as well as a fairly powerful electric motor with a noise reduction device.

The TE-2 torpedo can be installed on submarines and ships of various types and at the request of the customer made in three different versions:
— the first TE-2-01 involves mechanical input of data on a detected target;
- second TE-2-02 electrical data input for a detected target;
— the third version of the TE-2 torpedo has smaller weight and dimensions with a length of 6.5 meters and is intended for use on NATO-style submarines, for example, on German Project 209 submarines.

Torpedo TE-2-02 was specially developed for arming Project 971 Bars class nuclear attack submarines, which carry missile and torpedo weapons. There is information that a similar nuclear submarine was purchased under contract by the Indian Navy.

The saddest thing is that a similar TE-2 torpedo does not already meet a number of requirements for such weapons, and is also inferior in its technical characteristics to foreign analogues. All modern Western-made torpedoes and even new Chinese-made torpedo weapons have hose remote control.

On domestic torpedoes, a towed reel is used - a rudiment of almost 50 years ago. Which actually puts our submarines under enemy fire with much greater effective firing distances.

According to Lend-Lease. In the post-war years, torpedo developers in the USSR managed to significantly improve their combat qualities, as a result of which the performance characteristics of Soviet-made torpedoes were significantly improved.

Torpedoes of the Russian Navy of the 19th century

Alexandrovsky torpedo

In 1862, Russian inventor Ivan Fedorovich Aleksandrovsky designed the first Russian submarine powered by a pneumatic engine. Initially, the boat was supposed to be armed with two linked mines, which were supposed to be released when the boat sailed under an enemy ship and, emerging, covered its hull. It was planned to detonate the mines using an electric remote fuse.
The significant complexity and danger of such an attack forced Aleksandrovsky to develop a different type of weapon. For this purpose, he is designing an underwater self-propelled projectile, similar in design to a submarine, but smaller in size and with an automatic control mechanism. Aleksandrovsky calls his projectile a “self-propelled torpedo,” although later in the Russian Navy the generally accepted expression became “self-propelled mine.”

Alexandrovsky torpedo 1875

Busy with the construction of a submarine, Aleksandrovsky was able to begin manufacturing his torpedo only in 1873, when Whitehead torpedoes had already begun to enter service. The first samples of Aleksandrovsky torpedoes were tested in 1874 on the Eastern Kronstadt roadstead. The torpedoes had a cigar-shaped body made of 3.2 mm sheet steel. The 24-inch model had a diameter of 610 mm and a length of 5.82 m, the 22-inch - 560 mm and 7.34 m, respectively. The weight of both options was about 1000 kg. Air for the pneumatic motor was pumped into a tank with a volume of 0.2 m3 under a pressure of up to 60 atmospheres. through the gearbox, air entered the single-cylinder engine, directly connected to the tail rotor. The depth of travel was regulated using water ballast, and the direction of travel was controlled by vertical rudders.

In tests under partial pressure in three launches, the 24-inch version covered a distance of 760 m, maintaining a depth of about 1.8 m. The speed in the first three hundred meters was 8 knots, in the final - 5 knots. Further tests showed that with high accuracy, maintaining the depth and direction of travel. The torpedo was too slow and could not reach a speed of more than 8 knots even in the 22-inch version.
The second model of the Aleksandrovsky torpedo was built in 1876 and had a more advanced two-cylinder engine, and instead of a ballast system for maintaining depth, a gyrostat was used to control the tail horizontal rudders. But when the torpedo was ready for testing, the Naval Ministry sent Aleksandrovsky to the Whitehead plant. Having familiarized himself with the characteristics of the torpedoes from Fiume, Aleksandrovsky admitted that his torpedoes were significantly inferior to the Austrian ones and recommended that the fleet purchase torpedoes from competitors.
In 1878, Whitehead and Aleksandrovsky torpedoes were subjected to comparative tests. The Russian torpedo showed a speed of 18 knots, losing only 2 knots to Whitehead's torpedo. In the conclusion of the testing commission, it was concluded that both torpedoes have a similar principle and combat qualities, but by that time the license for the production of torpedoes had already been acquired and the production of Aleksandrovsky torpedoes was considered inappropriate.

Torpedoes of the Russian fleet of the early twentieth century and the First World War

In 1871, Russia achieved the lifting of the ban on keeping a navy in the Black Sea. The inevitability of war with Turkey forced the Naval Ministry to speed up the rearmament of the Russian fleet, so Robert Whitehead’s offer to purchase a license for the production of torpedoes of his design came in handy. In November 1875, a contract was prepared for the purchase of 100 Whitehead torpedoes designed specifically for the Russian Navy, as well as the exclusive right to use their designs. Special workshops for the production of torpedoes were created in Nikolaev and Kronstadt under Whitehead’s license. The first domestic torpedoes began to be produced in the fall of 1878, after the start of the Russian-Turkish War.

Mine boat Chesma

On January 13, 1878, at 23:00, the mine transport “Grand Duke Konstantin” approached the Batum roadstead and two of the four mine boats departed from it: “Chesma” and “Sinop”. Each boat was armed with a launch tube and raft for launching and transporting Whitehead torpedoes. At approximately 02:00 on the night of January 14, the boats approached within 50-70 meters of the Turkish gunboat Intibah, which was guarding the entrance to the bay. Two fired torpedoes hit almost the middle of the hull, the ship went on board and quickly sank. "Chesma" and "Sinop" returned to the Russian mine transport without losses. This attack was the first successful use of torpedoes in world warfare.

Despite the repeated order of torpedoes in Fiume, the Naval Ministry organized the production of torpedoes at the Lessner boiler plant, the Obukhov plant and in already existing workshops in Nikolaev and Kronstadt. By the end of the 19th century, up to 200 torpedoes were produced in Russia per year. Moreover, each batch of manufactured torpedoes underwent sighting tests without fail, and only then entered service. In total, until 1917, the Russian fleet had 31 modifications of torpedoes.
Most of the torpedo models were modifications of Whitehead torpedoes, a small part of the torpedoes were supplied by the Schwarzkopf factories, and in Russia the torpedo designs were further developed. Inventor A.I. Shpakovsky, who collaborated with Aleksandrovsky, in 1878 proposed using a gyroscope to stabilize the course of a torpedo, not yet knowing that Whitehead torpedoes were equipped with a similar “secret” device. In 1899, Lieutenant of the Russian Navy I. I. Nazarov proposed his own design of an alcohol heater. Lieutenant Danilchenko developed a project for a powder turbine for installation on torpedoes, and mechanics Khudzynsky and Orlovsky subsequently improved its design, but the turbine was not accepted for mass production due to the low technological level of production.

Whitehead torpedo

Russian destroyers and torpedo boats with fixed torpedo tubes were equipped with Azarov's sights, and heavier ships equipped with rotating torpedo tubes were equipped with sights developed by the head of the mine unit of the Baltic Fleet, A. G. Niedermiller. In 1912, serial torpedo tubes from Ericsson and Co. appeared with torpedo firing control devices designed by Mikhailov. Thanks to these devices, which were used in conjunction with Hertzik’s sights, targeted shooting could be carried out from each device. Thus, for the first time in the world, Russian destroyers could conduct group targeted fire at one target, which made them the undisputed leaders even before the First World War.

In 1912, a unified designation began to be used to designate torpedoes, consisting of two groups of numbers: the first group is the rounded caliber of the torpedo in centimeters, the second group is the last two digits of the year of development. For example, type 45-12 stood for a 450 mm torpedo developed in 1912.
The first completely Russian torpedo of the 1917 model, type 53-17, did not have time to go into mass production and served as the basis for the development of the Soviet torpedo 53-27.

Main technical characteristics of torpedoes of the Russian fleet before 1917

Torpedoes of the USSR Navy

Steam-gas torpedoes

The naval forces of the Red Army of the RSFSR were armed with torpedoes left over from the Russian fleet. The bulk of these torpedoes were models 45-12 and 45-15. The experience of the First World War showed that the further development of torpedoes requires an increase in their combat charge to 250 kilograms or more, so torpedoes of 533 mm caliber were considered the most promising. Development of the 53-17 was discontinued following the closure of the Lessner plant in 1918. The design and testing of new torpedoes in the USSR was entrusted to the “Special Technical Bureau for Military Inventions for Special Purposes” - the Ostekhbyuro, organized in 1921, headed by the inventor Vladimir Ivanovich Bekauri. In 1926, the former Lessner plant, called the Dvigatel plant, was transferred to the Ostekhburo as an industrial base.

Based on the existing developments of models 53-17 and 45-12, the design of the 53-27 torpedo, which was tested in 1927, began. The torpedo was universal in deployment, but had a large number of shortcomings, including a short autonomous range, which is why it entered service with large surface ships in limited quantities.

Torpedoes 53-38 and 45-36

Despite the difficulties in production, by 1938 the production of torpedoes was deployed at 4 factories: Dvigatel and Voroshilov in Leningrad, Red Progress in the Zaporozhye region and plant No. 182 in Makhachkala. Torpedo tests were carried out at three stations in Leningrad, Crimea and Dvigatelstroy (currently Kaspiysk). The torpedo was produced in modifications 53-27l for submarines and 53-27k for torpedo boats.

In 1932, the USSR purchased several types of torpedoes from Italy, including a 21-inch model produced at the Fiume plant, which received the designation 53F. Based on the 53-27 torpedo, using separate components from the 53F, the 53-36 model was created, but its design was unsuccessful and only 100 copies of this torpedo were built during 2 years of production. More successful was the 53-38 model, which was essentially an adapted copy of the 53F. The 53-38 and its subsequent modifications, the 53-38U and 53-39, became the fastest torpedoes of World War II, along with the Japanese Type 95 Model 1 and the Italian W270/533.4 x 7.2 Veloce. The production of 533-mm torpedoes was launched at the Dvigatel and No. 182 (Dagdizel) plants.
Based on the Italian torpedo W200/450 x 5.75 (designation 45F in the USSR), the Mine Torpedo Institute (NIMTI) created the 45-36N torpedo, intended for Novik-class destroyers and as a sub-caliber for 533-mm torpedo tubes of submarines. The production of the 45-36N model was launched at the Krasny Progress plant.
In 1937, the Ostekhbyuro was liquidated, and in its place, the 17th Main Directorate was created in the People's Commissariat of Defense Industry, which included TsKB-36 and TsKB-39, and in the People's Commissariat of the Navy - the Mine-Torpedo Directorate (MTU).
TsKB-39 carried out work to increase the explosive charge of 450-mm and 533-mm torpedoes, as a result of which extended models 45-36NU and 53-38U began to enter service. In addition to increasing their lethality, the 45-36NU torpedoes were equipped with a passive non-contact magnetic fuse, the creation of which began in 1927 at the Ostekhbyuro. A special feature of the 53-38U model was the use of a steering mechanism with a gyroscope, which made it possible to smoothly change the course after launch, which made it possible to fire in a “fan”.

USSR torpedo power plant

In 1939, based on the 53-38 model, TsKB-39 began designing the CAT torpedo (self-guided acoustic torpedo). Despite all efforts, the acoustic guidance system on the noisy steam-gas torpedo did not work. Work was stopped, but resumed after captured samples of T-V homing torpedoes were delivered to the institute. German torpedoes were recovered from the U-250 boat, which was sunk near Vyborg. Despite the self-destruction mechanism with which the Germans equipped their torpedoes, they were able to be removed from the boat and delivered to TsKB-39. The institute compiled a detailed description of German torpedoes, which was handed over to Soviet designers, as well as to the British Admiralty.

The 53-39 torpedo, which entered service during the war, was a modification of the 53-38U model, but was produced in extremely limited quantities. Problems with production were associated with the evacuation of the Red Progress factories to Makhachkala, and then. together with Dagdizel in Alma-Ata. Later, the 53-39 PM maneuvering torpedo was developed, designed to destroy ships moving in an anti-torpedo zigzag.
The latest models of steam-gas torpedoes in the USSR were the post-war models 53-51 and 53-56B, equipped with maneuvering devices and an active non-contact magnetic fuse.
In 1939, the first samples of torpedo engines were built based on twin six-stage counter-rotating turbines. Before the start of the Great Patriotic War, these engines were tested near Leningrad on Lake Kopanskoe.

Experimental, steam turbine and electric torpedoes

In 1936, an attempt was made to create a turbine-powered torpedo, which was calculated to reach a speed of 90 knots, which was twice the speed of the fastest torpedoes of that time. It was planned to use nitric acid (oxidizer) and turpentine as fuel. The development received the code name AST - nitrogen-turpentine torpedo. During testing, the AST, equipped with a standard 53-38 torpedo piston engine, reached a speed of 45 knots with a range of up to 12 km. But creating a turbine that could be housed in a torpedo body proved impossible, and nitric acid was too aggressive for use in production torpedoes.
To create a traceless torpedo, work was carried out to study the possibility of using thermite in conventional combined-cycle engines, but until 1941 it was not possible to achieve encouraging results.
To increase engine power, NIMTI carried out developments to equip conventional torpedo engines with an oxygen enrichment system. It was not possible to bring this work to the creation of real prototypes due to the extreme instability and explosiveness of the oxygen-air mixture.
Work on creating electric torpedoes turned out to be much more effective. The first sample of an electric motor for torpedoes was created at the Ostekhbyuro in 1929. But the industry at that time could not provide sufficient power for torpedo batteries, so the creation of working models of electric torpedoes began only in 1932. But even these samples did not suit the sailors due to the increased noise of the gearbox and the low efficiency of the electric motor produced by the Elektrosila plant.

In 1936, thanks to the efforts of the Central Battery Laboratory, a powerful and compact lead-acid battery B-1 was made available to NIMTI. The Elektrosila plant was ready to produce the DP-4 birotative engine. Tests of the first Soviet electric torpedo were carried out in 1938 in Dvigatelstroy. Based on the results of these tests, a modernized V-6-P battery and an increased-power electric motor PM5-2 were created. In TsKB-39, on the basis of this power and body of the 53-38 steam-air torpedo, the ET-80 torpedo was developed. Electric torpedoes were greeted by the sailors without much enthusiasm, so the tests of the ET-80 were delayed and it began to enter service only in 1942, and also thanks to the appearance of information about captured German G7e torpedoes. Initially, the production of ET-80 was launched on the basis of the Dvigatel plant evacuated to Uralsk and named after. K. E. Voroshilova.

RAT-52 rocket torpedo

In the post-war years, on the basis of captured G7e and domestic ET-80, production of ET-46 torpedoes was established. Modifications ET-80 and ET-46 with an acoustic homing system were designated SAET (homing acoustic electric torpedo) and SAET-2, respectively. The Soviet homing acoustic electric torpedo entered service in 1950 under the designation SAET-50, and in 1955 it was replaced by the SAET-50M model.

Back in 1894, N.I. Tikhomirov conducted experiments with self-propelled jet torpedoes. Created in 1921, the GDL (Gas Dynamic Laboratory) continued work on the creation of jet vehicles, but later began to focus only on rocket technology. After the appearance of the M-8 and M-13 rockets (RS-82 and RS-132), NII-3 received the task of developing a rocket torpedo, but work actually began only at the end of the war, at the Gidropribor Central Research Institute. The RT-45 model was created, and then its modified version RT-45-2 for arming torpedo boats. The RT-45-2 was planned to be equipped with a contact fuse, and its speed of 75 knots left virtually no chance of evading its attack. After the end of the war, work on missile torpedoes continued within the framework of the Pike, Tema-U, Luch and other projects.

Aviation torpedoes

In 1916, the partnership of Shchetinin and Grigorovich began construction of the world's first special seaplane torpedo bomber GASN. After several test flights, the naval department was ready to place an order for the construction of 10 GASN aircraft, but the outbreak of the revolution destroyed these plans.
In 1921, tests of circulating aircraft torpedoes based on the Whitehead model mod. 1910 type "L". With the formation of the Ostekhbyuro, work on the creation of such torpedoes continued; they were designed to be dropped from an aircraft at an altitude of 2000-3000 m. The torpedoes were equipped with parachutes, which were dropped after splashdown and the torpedo began to move in a circle. In addition to torpedoes for high-altitude drops, tests were carried out on VVS-12 (based on 45-12) and VVS-1 (based on 45-15) torpedoes, which were dropped from a height of 10-20 meters from a YuG-1 aircraft. In 1932, the first Soviet aviation torpedo TAB-15 (an aviation high-altitude torpedo-throwing torpedo), intended for release from MDR-4 (MTB-1), ANT-44 (MTB-2), R-5T and float-mounted aircraft, was put into production TB-1 (MR-6). The TAB-15 torpedo (formerly VVS-15) was the world's first torpedo designed for high-altitude bombing and could circulate in a circle or in an unfolding spiral.

Torpedo bomber R-5T

The VVS-12 went into mass production under the designation TAN-12 (low torpedo launching aircraft torpedo), which was intended to be dropped from a height of 10-20 m at a speed of no more than 160 km/h. Unlike the high-altitude torpedo, the TAN-12 was not equipped with a device for maneuvering after being dropped. A distinctive feature of the TAN-12 torpedoes was the suspension system at a predetermined angle, which ensured optimal entry of the torpedo into the water without the use of a bulky air stabilizer.

In addition to 450 mm torpedoes, work was carried out on the creation of 533 mm caliber aircraft torpedoes, which were designated TAN-27 and TAV-27 for high-altitude and conventional release, respectively. The SU torpedo had a caliber of 610 mm and was equipped with a light-signal device for trajectory control, and the most powerful aircraft torpedo was the SU torpedo of 685 mm caliber with a charge of 500 kg, which was intended to destroy battleships.
In the 1930s, aircraft torpedoes continued to be improved. The TAN-12A and TAN-15A models featured a lightweight parachute system and entered service under the designations 45-15AVO and 45-12AN.

Il-4T with 45-36AVA torpedo.

Based on the 45-36 ship-based torpedoes, the Navy NIMTI designed the 45-36AVA (high-altitude aviation Alferova) and 45-36AN (low-altitude aviation torpedo-throwing torpedoes) aircraft torpedoes. Both torpedoes began to enter service in 1938-1939. While there were no problems with the high-altitude torpedo, the introduction of the 45-36AN encountered a number of problems associated with the release. The basic DB-3T torpedo bomber aircraft was equipped with a bulky and imperfect T-18 suspension device. By 1941, only a few crews had mastered releasing torpedoes using the T-18. In 1941, combat pilot, Major Sagayduk developed an air stabilizer, which consisted of four boards reinforced with metal strips. In 1942, the AN-42 air stabilizer, developed by the Navy NIMTI, was put into service, which was a 1.6 m long pipe that was dropped after the torpedo splashed down. Thanks to the use of stabilizers, it was possible to increase the drop height to 55 m and the speed to 300 km/h. During the war, the 45-36AN model became the main aviation torpedo of the USSR, which was equipped with torpedo bombers T-1 (ANT-41), ANT-44, DB-3T, Il-2T, Il-4T, R-5T and Tu-2T.

Suspension of the RAT-52 jet torpedo on the Il-28T

In 1945, a lightweight and effective ring stabilizer CH-45 was developed, which made it possible to release torpedoes at any angle from a height of up to 100 m at speeds of up to 400 km/h. The modified torpedoes with the CH-45 stabilizer were designated 45-36AM. and in 1948 they were replaced by the 45-36ANU model, equipped with the Orbi device. Thanks to this device, the torpedo could maneuver and reach the target at a predetermined angle, which was determined by an aircraft sight and inserted into the torpedo.

In 1949, development of experimental rocket-propelled torpedoes Shchuka-A and Shchuka-B, equipped with liquid propellant engines, was underway. Torpedoes could be dropped from a height of up to 5000 m, after which the rocket engine was turned on and the torpedo could fly at a distance of up to 40 km and then plunge into the water. In fact, these torpedoes were a symbiosis of a missile and a torpedo. Shchuka-A was equipped with a radio guidance system, Shchuka-B was equipped with radar homing. In 1952, on the basis of these experimental developments, the RAT-52 jet aircraft torpedo was created and put into service.
The last steam-gas aircraft torpedoes of the USSR were 45-54VT (high-altitude parachute) and 45-56NT for low-altitude release.

Main technical characteristics of USSR torpedoes

D) by the type of explosive charge in the charging compartment.

Purpose, classification, placement of torpedo weapons.

Torpedois a self-propelled guided underwater projectile equipped with a conventional or nuclear explosive charge and designed to deliver the charge to a target and detonate it.

For nuclear and diesel torpedo submarines, torpedo weapons are the main type of weapon with which they accomplish their main tasks.

On missile submarines, torpedo weapons are the main weapon of self-defense against underwater and surface enemies. At the same time, after firing missiles, missile submarines may be tasked with delivering a torpedo strike against enemy targets.

On anti-submarine ships and some other surface ships, torpedo weapons have become one of the main types of anti-submarine weapons. At the same time, with the help of torpedoes, these ships can also launch a torpedo strike (under certain tactical conditions) against enemy surface ships.

Thus, modern torpedo weapons on submarines and surface ships make it possible, both independently and in cooperation with other naval forces, to deliver effective strikes against enemy underwater and surface targets and solve self-defense tasks.

Regardless of the type of carrier, the following are currently being solved using torpedo weapons: main goals.

Destroying enemy nuclear missile submarines

Destruction of large enemy surface combat ships (aircraft carriers, cruisers, anti-submarine ships);

Destruction of enemy nuclear and diesel attack submarines;

Destruction of enemy transports, landing and auxiliary ships;

Attacking hydraulic structures and other enemy objects located at the water's edge.

On modern submarines and surface ships under torpedo weapons is understood a complex of weapons and technical means, including the following main elements:

torpedoes of various types;

Torpedo tubes;

Torpedo firing control system.

Directly adjacent to the torpedo weapon complex are various auxiliary technical means of the carrier, designed to improve the combat properties of the weapon and the ease of its maintenance. Such auxiliary equipment (usually on submarines) include torpedo loading device(TPU), device for quickly loading torpedoes into torpedo tubes(UBZ), storage system for spare torpedoes, control equipment.

The quantitative composition of torpedo weapons, their role and the range of combat missions solved by these weapons are determined by the class, type and main purpose of the carrier.


So, for example, on nuclear and diesel torpedo submarines, where torpedo weapons are the main type of weapon, their composition most often includes:

Ammunition for various torpedoes (up to 20 pieces), placed directly in the tubes of torpedo tubes and on racks in the torpedo compartment;

Torpedo tubes (up to 10 tubes), having either one caliber or different calibers, which depends on the type of torpedoes used,

A torpedo firing control system, which is either an independent specialized system of torpedo firing control devices (TCD), or a part (block) of a ship-wide combat information and control system (CIUS).

In addition, such submarines are equipped with all the necessary auxiliary devices.

Torpedo submarines, using torpedo weapons, accomplish their main tasks of striking and destroying enemy submarines, surface ships and transports. Under certain conditions, they use torpedo weapons for self-defense against enemy anti-submarine ships and submarines.

The torpedo tubes of submarines armed with anti-submarine missile systems (ASMS) also serve as launchers for anti-submarine missiles. In these cases, the same torpedo loading devices, racks and rapid loader as for torpedoes are used for loading, storing and loading missiles. In passing, we note that submarine torpedo tubes can be used to store and lay mines when performing mine-laying combat missions.

On missile submarines, the composition of torpedo weapons is similar to that discussed above and differs from it only in the smaller number of torpedoes, torpedo tubes and storage locations. The torpedo firing control system is, as a rule, part of the ship's BIUS. On these submarines, torpedo weapons are intended primarily for self-defense against anti-submarine submarines and enemy ships. This feature determines the stock of torpedoes of the appropriate type and purpose.

Information about the target necessary for solving torpedo firing problems on submarines comes mainly from a hydroacoustic complex or hydroacoustic station. Under certain conditions, this information can be obtained from a radar station or from a periscope.

Torpedo weapons of anti-submarine ships is part of their anti-submarine weapons and is one of the most effective types of anti-submarine weapons. The torpedo weapons include:

Ammunition for anti-submarine torpedoes (up to 10 pcs.);

Torpedo tubes (from 2 to 10),

Torpedo firing control system.

The number of torpedoes received, as a rule, corresponds to the number of torpedo tubes, since torpedoes are stored only in the tubes of the torpedo tubes. It should be noted that, depending on the assigned mission, anti-submarine ships can also accept (in addition to anti-submarine) torpedoes for firing at surface ships and universal torpedoes.

The number of torpedo tubes on anti-submarine ships is determined by their subclass and design. As a rule, small anti-submarine ships (MPK) and boats (PKA) are equipped with one- or two-tube torpedo tubes with a total number of tubes of up to four. On patrol ships (skr) and large anti-submarine ships (bpk), two four- or five-tube torpedo tubes are usually installed, placed side by side on the upper deck or in special enclosures on the side of the ship.

Torpedo firing control systems on modern anti-submarine ships are, as a rule, part of a ship-wide integrated anti-submarine weapon fire control system. However, cases of installation of a specialized PTS system on ships cannot be ruled out.

On anti-submarine ships, the main means of detection and target designation to ensure the combat use of torpedo weapons against enemy submarines are hydroacoustic stations, and for firing at surface ships - radar stations. At the same time, in order to more fully use the combat and tactical properties of torpedoes, ships; can receive target designation from external sources of information (interacting ships, helicopters, airplanes). When firing at a surface target, target designation is issued by a radar station.

The composition of the torpedo weapons of surface ships of other classes and types (destroyers, missile cruisers) is in principle similar to that discussed above. The specificity lies only in the types of torpedoes adopted in the torpedo tubes.

Torpedo boats, on which torpedo weapons, as well as on torpedo submarines, are the main type of weapon, carry two or four single-tube torpedo tubes and, accordingly, two or four torpedoes, designed to strike enemy surface ships. The boats are equipped with a torpedo firing control system, which includes a radar station, which serves as the main source of information about the target.

TO positive qualities of torpedoes, influencing the success of their combat use include:

The relative secrecy of the combat use of torpedoes from submarines against surface ships and from surface ships against submarines, ensuring surprise in delivering a strike;

The defeat of surface ships in their most vulnerable part of the hull - under the bottom;

The defeat of submarines located at any depth of their immersion,

The relative simplicity of the devices that ensure the combat use of torpedoes. The wide variety of tasks in which carriers use torpedo weapons has led to the creation of torpedoes of various types, which can be classified according to the following main characteristics:

a) for its intended purpose:

Anti-submarine;

Against surface ships;

Universal (against submarines and surface ships);

b) by media type:

Ship;

Boat;

Universal,

Aviation;

Warheads of anti-submarine missiles and self-propelled mines

c) by caliber:

Small-sized (caliber 40 cm);

Large-sized (caliber more than 53 cm).

With a charge of ordinary explosive;

With nuclear weapons;

Practical (no charge).

e) by type of power plant:

With thermal energy (steam-gas);

Electrical;

Reactive.

f) by control method:

Autonomously controlled (upright and maneuvering);

Homing (in one or two planes);

Remote controlled;

With combined control.

g) by type of homing equipment:

With active heart failure;

With passive HF;

With combined heart failure;

With non-acoustic CH.

As can be seen from the classification, the family of torpedoes is very large. But despite such a wide variety, all modern torpedoes are close to each other in their fundamental design provisions and operating principle.

Our task is to study and remember these fundamental provisions.


Most modern types of torpedoes (regardless of their purpose, nature of the carrier and caliber) have a standard hull design and layout of the main instruments, assemblies and components. They differ depending on the purpose of the torpedo, which is mainly due to the different types of energy used in them and the operating principle of the power plant. Usually, the torpedo consists of four main parts:

charging compartment(with MV equipment).

energy components department(with a control gear compartment - for torpedoes with thermal energy) or battery compartment(for electric torpedoes).

Aft compartment

Tail section.

Electric torpedo

1 - combat charging compartment; 2 - inertial fuses; 3 - battery; 4 - electric motor. 5 - tail section.

Modern standard torpedoes designed to destroy surface ships have:

length– 6-8 meters.

mass- about 2 tons or more.

stroke depth - 12-14m.

range - over 20 km.

travel speed - more than 50 knots

Equipping such torpedoes with nuclear weapons makes it possible to use them not only to strike surface ships, but also to destroy enemy submarines and destroy coastal objects located at the water's edge.

Anti-submarine electric torpedoes have a speed of 30 - 40 knots with a range of 15-16 km. Their main advantage lies in their ability to hit submarines located at a depth of several hundred meters.

The use of homing systems in torpedoes - single-plane, providing automatic guidance of the torpedo to the target in the horizontal plane, or two-plane(in anti-submarine torpedoes) - for aiming a torpedo at a submarine - the target both in direction and in depth sharply increases the combat capabilities of torpedo weapons.

Housings(shells) of torpedoes are made of steel or high-strength aluminum-magnesium alloys. The main parts are hermetically connected to each other and form a torpedo body that has a streamlined shape, which helps reduce drag when it moves in water. The strength and tightness of torpedo bodies allows submarines to fire them from depths that ensure high secrecy of combat operations, and surface ships to strike submarines located at any diving depth. Special guide fittings are installed on the torpedo body to give it a specified position in the torpedo tube.

The main parts of the torpedo hull are located:

Combat affiliation

Power plant

Motion and Guidance Control System

Auxiliary mechanisms.

We will consider each of the components during practical classes on the construction of torpedo weapons.

Torpedo tube is a special installation designed to store a torpedo prepared for firing, enter initial data into the torpedo’s movement and guidance control system, and fire the torpedo at a given departure speed in a certain direction.

All submarines, anti-submarine ships, torpedo boats and some ships of other classes are armed with torpedo tubes. Their number, placement and caliber are determined by the specific design of the carrier. Various types of torpedoes or mines can be fired from the same torpedo tubes, and self-propelled jamming devices and submarine simulators can also be installed.

Some examples of torpedo tubes (usually on submarines) can be used as launchers for firing anti-submarine missiles.

Modern torpedo tubes have individual design differences and can be divided according to the following main characteristics:

A) by media:

- submarine torpedo tubes;

Torpedo tubes of surface ships;

b) by degree of behavior:

- suggestive;

Non-guided (stationary);

Reclining (swivel);

V) by the number of torpedo tubes:

- multi-pipe,

Single-pipe;

G) by type of firing system:

- with a powder system,

With air system;

With hydraulic system;

d) by caliber:

- small-sized (caliber 40 cm);

Standard (caliber 53 cm);

Large (caliber more than 53 cm).

Torpedo tubes on a submarine non-guided. They are usually placed in several tiers, one above the other. The bow part of the torpedo tubes is located in the light hull of the submarine, and the stern part is located in the torpedo compartment. The torpedo tubes are rigidly connected to the hull frame and its end bulkheads. The axes of the torpedo tube tubes are parallel to each other or located at a certain angle to the center plane of the submarine.

On surface ships, homing torpedo tubes are a rotating platform with torpedo tubes located on it. The torpedo tube is guided by turning the platform in a horizontal plane using an electric or hydraulic drive. Non-guided torpedo tubes are rigidly attached to the deck of the ship. The folding torpedo tubes have two fixed positions: traveling, in which they are found in everyday conditions, and combat. The torpedo tube is transferred to the firing position by turning it at a fixed angle, providing the ability to fire torpedoes.

A torpedo tube may consist of one or more torpedo tubes made of steel and capable of withstanding significant internal pressure. Each pipe has a front and a back cover.

On surface ships, the front covers of the apparatus are lightweight, removable, on submarines they are made of steel, hermetically sealing the bow section of each pipe.

The back covers of all torpedo tubes are closed using a special ratchet bolt and are very durable. Opening and closing the front and rear covers of torpedo tubes on submarines is carried out automatically or manually.

The submarine torpedo tube locking system prevents the front covers from opening when the rear covers are open or not fully closed, and vice versa. The rear covers of surface ships' torpedo tubes are opened and closed manually.

Rice. 1 Installation of heating pads in the TA pipe:

/-tube holder; 2-fitting; 3- low-temperature electric heating pad NGTA; 4 - cable.

Inside the torpedo tube, along its entire length, four guide tracks are installed (upper, lower and two side) with grooves for fitting the torpedo, ensuring that it is given a given position during loading, storage and movement when fired, as well as sealing rings. The sealing rings, by reducing the gap between the torpedo body and the internal walls of the device, help create ejection pressure in its rear part at the moment of firing. To keep the torpedo from accidental movements, there is a tail stop located in the rear cover, as well as a stopper that is automatically retracted before firing.

Torpedo tubes on surface ships may have manually operated storm stoppers.

Access to the inlet and shut-off valves and the ventilation device of electric torpedoes is achieved using hermetically sealed necks. The torpedo trigger is released trigger hook. To enter initial data into the torpedo, a group of peripheral devices of the fire control system with manual and remote control drives is installed on each device. The main devices of this group are:

- heading device installer(UPK or UPM) - for entering the angle of rotation of the torpedo after firing, entering angular and linear values ​​that ensure maneuvering in accordance with a given program, setting the activation distance for the homing system, the target side,

- depth stop device(LUG) - for entering the adjustable stroke depth into the torpedo;

- mode setting device(PUR) - to set the secondary search mode for homing torpedoes and turn on the positive power supply circuit.

The input of initial data into the torpedo is determined by the design features of the mounting heads of its instruments, as well as the operating principle of the peripheral devices of the torpedo tube. It can be carried out using mechanical or electrical drives, when the spindles of peripheral devices are connected to the spindles of torpedo devices with special couplings. They are switched off automatically at the moment of firing before the torpedo begins to move in the torpedo tube. Some types of torpedoes and torpedo tubes may have self-sealing electrical plug connectors or contactless data input devices for this purpose.

The firing system ensures that the torpedo is fired from the torpedo tube at a given departure speed.

On surface ships it can be gunpowder or air.

The powder firing system consists of a specially designed chamber located directly on the torpedo tube and a gas pipeline. The chamber has a chamber to accommodate a powder ejection cartridge, as well as a nozzle with a grille - a pressure regulator. The cartridge can be ignited manually or electrically using firing circuit devices. The powder gases generated in this case, flowing through the gas pipeline to the peripheral devices, ensure the uncoupling of their spindles from the installation heads of the heading device and the torpedo depth automatic, as well as the removal of the stopper holding the torpedo. Once the required pressure of the powder gases entering the torpedo tube is reached, the torpedo is fired and enters the water at a certain distance from the side.

For torpedo tubes with an air firing system, the torpedo is fired using compressed air stored in a combat cylinder.

Submarine torpedo tubes may have air or hydraulic firing system. These systems allow the use of torpedo weapons under conditions of significant outboard pressure (when the submarine is at depths of 200 m or more) and ensure the secrecy of a torpedo salvo. The main elements of the air firing system for underwater torpedo tubes are: a combat cylinder with a firing valve and air pipelines, a firing shield, a locking device, a deep-sea time regulator and an exhaust valve of the BTS (bubble-free torpedo firing) system with fittings.

The combat cylinder serves to store high-pressure air and transfer it to the torpedo tube at the moment of firing after opening the combat valve. The opening of the combat valve is carried out by air entering through the pipeline from the firing shield. In this case, the air first flows to the blocking device, which ensures air bypass only after the front cover of the torpedo tube is completely opened. From the locking device, air is supplied to lift the spindles of the depth setting device, the heading device installer, remove the stopper, and then to open the combat valve. The entry of compressed air into the aft part of the torpedo tube filled with water and its effect on the torpedo leads to its firing. As the torpedo moves in the apparatus, its free volume will increase, and the pressure in it will decrease. A drop in pressure to a certain value triggers the deep-sea time regulator, which leads to the opening of the BTS outlet valve. With its opening, air pressure begins to be released from the torpedo tube into the submarine's BTS tank. By the time the torpedo exits, the air pressure is completely released, the BTS exhaust valve is closed, and the torpedo tube is filled with sea water. This firing system facilitates the secrecy of the use of torpedo weapons from submarines. However, the need to further increase the depth of fire requires a significant complication of the BTS system. This led to the creation of a hydraulic firing system, which ensures that torpedoes are fired from the torpedo tubes of submarines located at any diving depth using water pressure.

The hydraulic firing system of a torpedo tube includes: a hydraulic cylinder with a piston and rod, a pneumatic cylinder with a piston and rod, and a combat cylinder with a combat valve. The rods of the hydraulic and pneumatic cylinders are rigidly fastened to each other. Around the torpedo tube in its aft part there is an annular tank with a kingston connected to the rear end of the hydraulic cylinder. In the initial position, the kingston is closed. Before firing, the combat cylinder is filled with compressed air, and the hydraulic cylinder is filled with water. A closed firing valve prevents air from entering the pneumatic cylinder.

At the moment of firing, the combat valve opens and compressed air entering the cavity of the pneumatic cylinder causes the movement of its piston and the associated piston of the hydraulic cylinder. This leads to the injection of water from the cavity of the hydraulic cylinder through the open kingston into the torpedo tube system and the firing of the torpedo.

Before firing, using a data input device located on the tube of the torpedo tube, its spindles are automatically raised.

Fig.2 Block diagram of a five-pipe torpedo tube with a modernized heating system

Steam-gas torpedoes, first manufactured in the second half of the 19th century, began to be actively used with the advent of submarines. German submariners were especially successful in this, sinking 317 merchant and military ships with a total tonnage of 772 thousand tons in 1915 alone. In the interwar years, improved versions appeared that could be used by aircraft. During the Second World War, torpedo bombers played a huge role in the confrontation between the fleets of the warring parties.

Modern torpedoes are equipped with homing systems and can be equipped with warheads with various charges, up to atomic. They continue to use steam-gas engines created taking into account the latest advances in technology.

History of creation

The idea of ​​attacking enemy ships with self-propelled projectiles arose in the 15th century. The first documented fact was the ideas of the Italian engineer da Fontana. However, the technical level of that time did not allow the creation of working samples. In the 19th century, the idea was refined by Robert Fulton, who coined the term “torpedo.”

In 1865, a project for a weapon (or, as they called it then, a “self-propelled torpedo”) was proposed by the Russian inventor I.F. Alexandrovsky. The torpedo was equipped with an engine running on compressed air.

Horizontal rudders were used to control depth. A year later, a similar project was proposed by the Englishman Robert Whitehead, who turned out to be more agile than his Russian colleague and patented his development.

It was Whitehead who began to use the gyrostat and coaxial propulsion system.

The first state to adopt a torpedo was Austria-Hungary in 1871.

Over the next 3 years, torpedoes entered the arsenals of many naval powers, including Russia.

Device

A torpedo is a self-propelled projectile that moves through the water under the influence of the energy of its own power plant. All components are located inside an elongated steel body of cylindrical cross-section.

In the head part of the body there is an explosive charge with devices that ensure detonation of the warhead.

The next compartment contains a fuel supply, the type of which depends on the type of engine installed closer to the stern. The tail section contains a propeller, depth and direction rudders, which can be controlled automatically or remotely.


The operating principle of the power plant of a steam-gas torpedo is based on the use of the energy of a steam-gas mixture in a piston multi-cylinder machine or turbine. It is possible to use liquid fuel (mainly kerosene, less often alcohol), as well as solid fuel (powder charge or any substance that releases a significant volume of gas upon contact with water).

When using liquid fuel, there is a supply of oxidizer and water on board.

The combustion of the working mixture occurs in a special generator.

Since during combustion of the mixture the temperature reaches 3.5-4.0 thousand degrees, there is a risk of destruction of the combustion chamber housing. Therefore, water is supplied to the chamber, reducing the combustion temperature to 800°C and below.

The main disadvantage of early torpedoes with a steam-gas power plant was the clearly visible trail of exhaust gases. This was the reason for the appearance of torpedoes with an electrical installation. Later, pure oxygen or concentrated hydrogen peroxide was used as an oxidizing agent. Thanks to this, the exhaust gases are completely dissolved in water and there is practically no trace of movement.

When using a solid fuel consisting of one or more components, the use of an oxidizer is not required. Thanks to this fact, the weight of the torpedo is reduced, and more intense gas formation of solid fuel ensures an increase in speed and range.

The engine used is steam turbine units equipped with planetary gearboxes to reduce the speed of the propeller shaft.

Principle of operation

On torpedoes of the 53-39 type, before use, you must manually set the parameters for the depth of movement, course and approximate distance to the target. After this, it is necessary to open the safety valve installed on the compressed air supply line to the combustion chamber.

When the torpedo passes the launch tube, the main valve automatically opens and air begins to flow directly into the chamber.

At the same time, kerosene begins to be sprayed through the nozzle and the resulting mixture is ignited using an electrical device. An additional nozzle installed in the chamber supplies fresh water from the on-board tank. The mixture is fed into a piston engine, which begins to spin the coaxial propellers.

For example, the German G7a steam-gas torpedoes use a 4-cylinder engine equipped with a gearbox to drive coaxial propellers rotating in the opposite direction. The shafts are hollow, installed one inside the other. The use of coaxial screws allows the deflecting moments to be balanced and the specified course of movement is maintained.

During startup, part of the air is supplied to the gyroscope spin-up mechanism.

After the head part begins to come into contact with the water flow, the rotation of the fighting compartment fuse impeller begins. The fuse is equipped with a delay device, which ensures that the striker is cocked into firing position after a few seconds, during which the torpedo will move 30-200 m from the launch site.

The deviation of the torpedo from the given course is corrected by the gyroscope rotor, which acts on the rod system connected to the rudders actuating machine. Electric drives can be used instead of rods. The error in stroke depth is determined by a mechanism that balances the spring force with the pressure of the liquid column (hydrostat). The mechanism is connected to the depth steering actuator.


When the warhead hits the ship's hull, the firing pins destroy the primers, which cause detonation of the warhead. German G7a torpedoes of later series were equipped with an additional magnetic detonator, which was triggered when a certain field strength was reached. A similar fuze has been used since 1942 on Soviet 53-38U torpedoes.

Comparative characteristics of some submarine torpedoes of the Second World War are given below.

ParameterG7a53-39 Mk.15mod 0Type 93
ManufacturerGermanyUSSRUSAJapan
Case diameter, mm533 533 533 610
Charge weight, kg280 317 224 610
Explosive typeTNTTGATNT-
Maximum range, mup to 12500up to 10000up to 13700up to 40000
Working depth, mup to 15up to 14- -
Travel speed, knotsup to 44up to 51up to 45up to 50

Targeting

The simplest guidance technique is to program the course of movement. The course takes into account the theoretical linear displacement of the target during the time required to cover the distance between the attacking and attacked ship.


A noticeable change in the speed or course of the attacked ship leads to the torpedo passing by. The situation is partly saved by launching several torpedoes in a “fan” pattern, which makes it possible to cover a larger range. But such a technique does not guarantee hitting the target and leads to excessive consumption of ammunition.

Before the First World War, attempts were made to create torpedoes with course correction via a radio channel, wires or other methods, but it did not reach mass production. An example is John Hammond the Younger's torpedo, which used the light of an enemy ship's searchlight for homing.

To provide guidance, automatic systems began to be developed in the 1930s.

The first were guidance systems based on the acoustic noise emitted by the propellers of the attacked ship. The problem is low-noise targets, the acoustic background from which may be lower than the noise of the propellers of the torpedo itself.

To eliminate this problem, a guidance system was created based on reflected signals from the ship’s hull or the wake jet created by it. To adjust the movement of a torpedo, wire-based telecontrol techniques can be used.

Warhead

The combat charge located in the head of the body consists of an explosive charge and fuses. Early models of torpedoes used in World War I used a single-component explosive (for example, pyroxylin).

For detonation, a primitive detonator installed in the bow was used. The firing of the striker was ensured only in a narrow range of angles, close to the perpendicular impact of the torpedo on the target. Later, whiskers connected to the striker were used, which expanded the range of these angles.


Additionally, inertial fuses began to be installed, which were triggered at the moment of a sharp slowdown in the movement of the torpedo. The use of such detonators required the introduction of a fuse, which was an impeller spun by a flow of water. When using electric fuses, the impeller is connected to a miniature generator that charges a capacitor bank.

A torpedo explosion is possible only at a certain battery charge level. This solution provided additional protection for the attacking ship from self-detonation. By the time the Second World War began, multicomponent mixtures with increased destructive ability began to be used.

Thus, the 53-39 torpedo uses a mixture of TNT, hexogen and aluminum powder.

The use of underwater explosion protection systems led to the appearance of fuses that ensured the detonation of a torpedo outside the protection zone. After the war, models equipped with nuclear warheads appeared. The first Soviet torpedo with a nuclear warhead, model 53-58, was tested in the fall of 1957. In 1973, it was replaced by the 65-73 model, 650 mm caliber, capable of carrying a nuclear charge with a power of 20 kt.

Combat use

The first state to use the new weapon in action was Russia. Torpedoes were used during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 and were launched from boats. The second major war using torpedoes was the Russo-Japanese War of 1905.

During the First World War, weapons were used by all belligerents not only in the seas and oceans, but also on river communications. Germany's extensive use of submarines led to heavy losses in the Entente and Allied merchant fleets. During the Second World War, improved versions of weapons began to be used, equipped with electric motors and improved guidance and maneuvering systems.

Curious facts

Larger torpedoes were developed to carry large warheads.

An example of such weapons is the Soviet T-15 torpedo, which weighed about 40 tons with a diameter of 1500 mm.

The weapon was supposed to be used to attack the US coast with thermonuclear charges with a yield of 100 megatons.

Video

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    ✪ How do fish make electricity? - Eleanor Nelson

    ✪ Torpedo marmorata

    ✪ Ford Mondeo stove. How will it burn?

    Subtitles

    Translator: Ksenia Khorkova Editor: Rostislav Golod In 1800, naturalist Alexander von Humboldt observed a school of electric eels jumping out of the water to protect themselves from approaching horses. Many people found the story unusual and thought that Humboldt had made it all up. But fish that use electricity are more common than you think; and yes, there is such a type of fish - electric eels. Underwater, where there is little light, electrical signals enable communication, navigation and serve to search for, and in rare cases, immobilize prey. Approximately 350 species of fish have special anatomical structures that generate and record electrical signals. These fish are divided into two groups depending on how much electricity they generate. Scientists call the first group fish with weak electrical properties. Organs near the tail, called electrical organs, generate up to one volt of electricity, almost two-thirds that of a AA battery. How it works? The fish's brain sends a signal through the nervous system to an electrical organ, which is filled with stacks of hundreds or thousands of disc-like cells called electrocytes. Normally, electrocytes expel sodium and potassium ions to maintain a positive charge on the outside and a negative charge on the inside. But when a signal from the nervous system reaches an electrocyte, it provokes the opening of ion channels. Positively charged ions flow back inside. Now one end of the electrocyte is charged negatively on the outside and positively on the inside. But the opposite end has opposite charges. These alternating charges can create a current, turning the electrocyte into a kind of biological battery. The key to this ability is that the signals are coordinated to reach every cell at the same time. Therefore, stacks of electrocytes act like thousands of batteries in series. The tiny charges in each battery create an electric field that can travel several meters. Cells called electroreceptors found in the skin allow the fish to constantly sense this field and changes in it caused by the environment or other fish. Peters's gnatonem, or Nile elephant, for example, has an elongated, trunk-like appendage on its chin that is studded with electrical receptors. This allows the fish to receive signals from other fish, judge distances, determine the shape and size of nearby objects, or even determine whether insects floating on the surface of the water are alive or dead. But elephantfish and other species of weakly electric fish do not generate enough electricity to attack prey. This ability is possessed by fish with strong electrical properties, of which there are very few species. The most powerful highly electric fish is the electric knifefish, better known as the electric eel. Three electrical organs cover almost the entire two-meter body. Like weakly electric fish, the electric eel uses signals for navigation and communication, but it reserves its strongest electrical charges for hunting, using a two-phase attack to find and then immobilize its prey. First, it releases a couple of strong pulses of 600 volts. These impulses cause spasms in the victim's muscles and generate waves that reveal the location of its hiding place. Immediately after this, high-voltage discharges cause even stronger muscle contractions. The eel can also coil itself so that the electrical fields generated at each end of the electrical organ intersect. The electrical storm eventually exhausts and immobilizes the victim, allowing the electric eel to eat its dinner alive. Two other species of highly electric fish are the electric catfish, which can release 350 volts with an electrical organ occupying most of its body, and the electric stingray, which has kidney-like electrical organs on the sides of its head that produce 220 volts. However, there is one unsolved mystery in the world of electric fish: why don’t they shock themselves? It is possible that the size of highly electric fish allows them to withstand their own discharges, or that the current leaves their bodies too quickly. Scientists think that special proteins may protect electrical organs, but in fact this is one of the mysteries that science has not yet solved.

Origin of the term

In Russian, like other European languages, the word “torpedo” is borrowed from English (English torpedo) [ ] .

There is no consensus regarding the first use of this term in English. Some authoritative sources claim that the first recording of this term dates back to 1776 and it was introduced into circulation by David Bushnell, the inventor of one of the first prototype submarines, the Turtle. According to another, more widespread version, the primacy of the use of this word in the English language belongs to Robert Fulton and dates back to the beginning of the 19th century (no later than 1810)

In both cases, the term “torpedo” did not designate a self-propelled cigar-shaped projectile, but an egg- or barrel-shaped underwater contact mine, which had little in common with the Whitehead and Aleksandrovsky torpedoes.

Originally in English, the word “torpedo” refers to electric stingrays, and has existed since the 16th century and was borrowed from the Latin language (lat. torpedo), which in turn originally meant “numbness,” “rigidity,” “immobility.” The term is associated with the effect of the “strike” of an electric ramp.

Classifications

By engine type

  • On compressed air (before the First World War);
  • Steam-gas - liquid fuel burns in compressed air (oxygen) with the addition of water, and the resulting mixture rotates a turbine or drives a piston engine;
    a separate type of steam-gas torpedoes are torpedoes from the Walther gas turbine unit.
  • Powder - gases from slowly burning gunpowder rotate the engine shaft or turbine;
  • Jet - do not have propellers, they use jet thrust (torpedoes: RAT-52, “Shkval”). It is necessary to distinguish rocket torpedoes from rocket torpedoes, which are missiles with warheads-stages in the form of torpedoes (rocket torpedoes “ASROC”, “Waterfall”, etc.).
By pointing method
  • Uncontrolled - the first samples;
  • Upright - with a magnetic compass or gyroscopic semi-compass;
  • Maneuvering according to a given program (circulating) in the area of ​​​​the intended targets - used by Germany in the Second World War;
  • Homing passive - by physical target fields, mainly by noise or changes in the properties of water in the wake (first used in World War II), acoustic torpedoes "Zaukenig" (Germany, used by submarines) and Mark 24 FIDO (USA, used only from airplanes, since they could hit their ship);
  • Homing active - have a sonar on board. Many modern anti-submarine and multi-purpose torpedoes;
  • Remote-controlled - targeting is carried out from a surface or underwater ship via wires (fiber optics).

By purpose

  • Anti-ship (initially all torpedoes);
  • Universal (designed to destroy both surface and submarine ships);
  • Anti-submarine (intended to destroy submarines).

“In 1865,” writes Aleksandrovsky, “I presented... to Admiral N.K. Krabbe (manager of the Naval Ministry of Autonomous Republic) a project for a self-propelled torpedo that I had invented. The essence... the torpedo is nothing more than a miniature copy of the submarine I invented. As in my submarine, so in my torpedo, the main engine is compressed air, the same horizontal rudders for direction at the desired depth... with the only difference that the submarine is controlled by people, and the self-propelled torpedo... by an automatic mechanism. Upon presentation of my project for a self-propelled torpedo, N. K. Krabbe found it premature, because at that time my submarine was just being built.”

Apparently the first guided torpedo was the Brennan Torpedo, developed in 1877.

World War I

The Second World War

Electric torpedoes

One of the disadvantages of steam-gas torpedoes is the presence of a trace (exhaust gas bubbles) on the surface of the water, unmasking the torpedo and creating the opportunity for the attacked ship to evade it and determine the location of the attackers, therefore, after the First World War, attempts began to use an electric motor as a torpedo engine. The idea was obvious, but none of the states, except Germany, could implement it before the start of World War II. In addition to the tactical advantages, it turned out that electric torpedoes are relatively simple to manufacture (for example, the labor costs for the manufacture of a standard German steam-gas torpedo G7a (T1) ranged from 3,740 man-hours in 1939 to 1,707 man-hours in 1943; and for the production of one electric torpedoes G7e (T2) required 1255 man-hours). However, the maximum speed of the electric torpedo was only 30 knots, while the steam-gas torpedo reached a speed of up to 46 knots. There was also the problem of eliminating hydrogen leakage from the torpedo’s battery, which sometimes led to its accumulation and explosions.

In Germany, an electric torpedo was created back in 1918, but they did not have time to use it in combat. Development continued in 1923, in Sweden. In the city, the new electric torpedo was ready for mass production, but it was officially put into service only in the city under the designation G7e. The work was so secret that the British learned about it only in 1939, when parts of such a torpedo were discovered during an inspection of the battleship Royal Oak, torpedoed in Scapa Flow on the Orkney Islands.

However, already in August 1941, fully serviceable 12 such torpedoes fell into the hands of the British on the captured U-570. Despite the fact that both Britain and the USA already had prototypes of electric torpedoes at that time, they simply copied the German one and adopted it for service (though only in 1945, after the end of the war) under the designation Mk-XI in British and Mk -18 in the US Navy.

Work on the creation of a special electric battery and electric motor intended for 533 mm torpedoes began in 1932 in the Soviet Union. During 1937-1938 two experimental electric torpedoes ET-45 with a 45 kW electric motor were manufactured. It showed unsatisfactory results, so in 1938 a fundamentally new electric motor was developed with an armature and a magnetic system rotating in different directions, with high efficiency and satisfactory power (80 kW). The first samples of the new electric torpedo were made in 1940. And although the German G7e electric torpedo fell into the hands of Soviet engineers, they did not copy it, and in 1942, after state tests, the domestic ET-80 torpedo was put into service . The first five ET-80 combat torpedoes arrived in the Northern Fleet at the beginning of 1943. In total, Soviet submariners used 16 electric torpedoes during the war.

Thus, in reality, in World War II, Germany and the Soviet Union had electric torpedoes in service. The share of electric torpedoes in the ammunition load of Kriegsmarine submarines was up to 80%.

Proximity fuses

Independently, in strict secrecy, and almost simultaneously, the navies of Germany, England, and the United States developed magnetic fuses for torpedoes. These fuses had a great advantage over simpler contact fuses. Mine-resistant bulkheads located below the armored belt of the ships minimized the destruction caused when a torpedo hit the side. For maximum effectiveness of destruction, a torpedo with a contact fuse had to hit the unarmored part of the hull, which turned out to be a very difficult task. The magnetic fuses were designed in such a way that they were triggered by changes in the magnetic field of the Earth under the steel hull of the ship and exploded the warhead of the torpedo at a distance of 0.3-3.0 meters from its bottom. It was believed that a torpedo explosion under the bottom of a ship caused two or three times more damage than an explosion of the same power at its side.

However, the first German static magnetic fuses (TZ1), which responded to the absolute strength of the vertical component of the magnetic field, simply had to be withdrawn from service in 1940, after the Norwegian operation. These fuses were triggered after the torpedo had passed a safe distance even when the sea was lightly rough, during circulation, or when the torpedo’s movement in depth was not stable enough. As a result, this fuse saved several British heavy cruisers from certain destruction.

New German proximity fuses appeared in combat torpedoes only in 1943. These were magnetodynamic fuses of the Pi-Dupl type, in which the sensitive element was an induction coil fixedly mounted in the fighting compartment of the torpedo. Pi-Dupl fuses responded to the rate of change in the vertical component of the magnetic field strength and to the change in its polarity under the ship’s hull. However, the response radius of such a fuse in 1940 was 2.5-3 m, and in 1943 on a demagnetized ship it barely reached 1 m.

Only in the second half of the war did the German fleet adopt the TZ2 proximity fuse, which had a narrow response band that lay outside the frequency ranges of the main types of interference. As a result, even against a demagnetized ship, it provided a response radius of up to 2-3 m at angles of contact with the target from 30 to 150°, and with a sufficient travel depth (about 7 m), the TZ2 fuse had practically no false alarms due to rough seas. The disadvantage of the TZ2 was its requirement to ensure a sufficiently high relative speed of the torpedo and the target, which was not always possible when firing low-speed electric homing torpedoes.

In the Soviet Union it was an NBC type fuse ( proximity fuse with stabilizer; This is a generator-type magnetodynamic fuse, which was triggered not by the magnitude, but by the speed of change in the vertical component of the magnetic field strength of a ship with a displacement of at least 3000 tons at a distance of up to 2 m from the bottom). It was installed on 53-38 torpedoes (NBC could only be used in torpedoes with special brass combat charging compartments).

Maneuvering devices

During the Second World War, work continued on the creation of maneuvering devices for torpedoes in all leading naval powers. However, only Germany was able to bring prototypes to industrial production (course guidance systems FaT and its improved version LuT).

FaT

The first example of the FaT guidance system was installed on a TI (G7a) torpedo. The following control concept was implemented - the torpedo in the first section of the trajectory moved linearly over a distance from 500 to 12,500 m and turned in any direction at an angle of up to 135 degrees across the movement of the convoy, and in the zone of destruction of enemy ships, further movement was carried out along an S-shaped trajectory (“ snake") at a speed of 5-7 knots, while the length of the straight section ranged from 800 to 1600 m and the circulation diameter was 300 m. As a result, the search trajectory resembled the steps of a ladder. Ideally, the torpedo should have searched for a target at a constant speed across the direction of movement of the convoy. The probability of being hit by such a torpedo, fired from the forward heading angles of a convoy with a “snake” across its course of movement, turned out to be very high.

Since May 1943, the next modification of the FaTII guidance system (the length of the “snake” section is 800 m) began to be installed on TII (G7e) torpedoes. Due to the short range of the electric torpedo, this modification was considered primarily as a self-defense weapon, fired from the stern torpedo tube towards the pursuing escort ship.

LuT

The LuT guidance system was developed to overcome the limitations of the FaT system and entered service in the spring of 1944. Compared to the previous system, the torpedoes were equipped with a second gyroscope, as a result of which it became possible to set turns twice before the start of the “snake” movement. Theoretically, this made it possible for the submarine commander to attack the convoy not from the bow heading angles, but from any position - first the torpedo overtook the convoy, then turned to its bow angles, and only after that began to move in a “snake” across the convoy’s course of movement. The length of the “snake” section could vary in any range up to 1600 m, while the speed of the torpedo was inversely proportional to the length of the section and was for G7a with the initial 30-knot mode set to 10 knots with a section length of 500 m and 5 knots with a section length of 1500 m .

The need to make changes to the design of the torpedo tubes and the computing device limited the number of boats prepared to use the LuT guidance system to only five dozen. Historians estimate that German submariners fired about 70 LuT torpedoes during the war.



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