British 24.5-inch torpedo

The 24.5" Mark I torpedo was a British torpedo carried only on Nelson-class battleships. This was the type of torpedo that HMS Rodney fired at the German battleship Bismarck, "the only known occasion that a battleship fired torpedoes at an enemy battleship."[1]

British 24.5-inch torpedo
Wrecked 24.5-inch Mark I torpedoes after HMS Nelson was torpedoed in 1941
TypeTorpedo
Place of originUnited Kingdom
Service history
In service1925[1]
Used byRoyal Navy
Production history
Designed1923
Specifications
Mass5,700 pounds (2,600 kg)
Length26 feet 7 inches (8.10 m)
Diameter24.5 inches (62 cm)

Effective firing range15,000 yards (14,000 m) at 35 knots (65 km/h)
20,000 yards (18,000 m) at 30 knots (56 km/h)
WarheadTNT
Warhead weight743 pounds (337 kg)

PropellantOxygen-enriched air
Maximum speed 30 knots (56 km/h) - 35 knots (65 km/h)
Launch
platform
Nelson-class battleships

This torpedo design was the inspiration for the Japanese Type 93 'Long Lance' torpedoes.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ a b "British Torpedoes Pre-WWII". Retrieved 29 June 2013.