Re: Old video on a Steam Tug
Posted: Fri May 01, 2020 2:46 pm
"I have doubts that any torpedo will ever be developed that greatly exceeds 60 knots for these basic reasons."
Your reasoning for that statement is that the torpedo's noise would allow defensive measures to attack the torpedo before it strikes the target. That may be the situation in today's world, but long before these modern countermeasures were developed, there were torpedoes developed that far exceeded 60 knots.
In the history of driven torpedoes, starting in the 19th century, there were no guidance systems for the torpedo, they were just a dumb missile, point and shoot. Guided torpedoes generally did not come along until after WWII. As far as a defense against torpedoes by detecting and attacking the torpedo when it is coming at you, there was virtually nothing available until approximately after WWII. And before WWII the the philosophy of "Fast Torpedoes are better" was prevalent, and indeed the military did strive for fast torpedoes. In the 1930s they were able to make very fast steam driven torpedoes, and successfully test it in controlled conditions of calm waters. However in the service of actual ocean conditions, control of torpedo submerged depth became virtually impossible. When the fast torpedo, traveling at close to 200 feet per second, would make a depth adjustment, it would often exit the water surface, with resulting very severe turbine over-speed, destroying itself.
More modern torpedo guidance systems are electronic, allowing depth control (as well as directional control) to function even with very fast torpedoes.
Your reasoning for that statement is that the torpedo's noise would allow defensive measures to attack the torpedo before it strikes the target. That may be the situation in today's world, but long before these modern countermeasures were developed, there were torpedoes developed that far exceeded 60 knots.
In the history of driven torpedoes, starting in the 19th century, there were no guidance systems for the torpedo, they were just a dumb missile, point and shoot. Guided torpedoes generally did not come along until after WWII. As far as a defense against torpedoes by detecting and attacking the torpedo when it is coming at you, there was virtually nothing available until approximately after WWII. And before WWII the the philosophy of "Fast Torpedoes are better" was prevalent, and indeed the military did strive for fast torpedoes. In the 1930s they were able to make very fast steam driven torpedoes, and successfully test it in controlled conditions of calm waters. However in the service of actual ocean conditions, control of torpedo submerged depth became virtually impossible. When the fast torpedo, traveling at close to 200 feet per second, would make a depth adjustment, it would often exit the water surface, with resulting very severe turbine over-speed, destroying itself.
More modern torpedo guidance systems are electronic, allowing depth control (as well as directional control) to function even with very fast torpedoes.