In 1866, Whitehead invented the first effective self-propelled torpedo, the eponymous Whitehead torpedo, the first modern torpedo. French and German inventions followed closely, and the term …

Torpedo, cigar-shaped, self-propelled underwater missile, launched from a submarine, surface vessel, or airplane and designed for exploding upon contact with the hulls of surface vessels and submarines.

Torpedo comes to English by way of Latin torpēdō, which has two quite different meanings. It refers to a state of inertness, sluggishness, or lethargy, and it refers to a creature also known as the electric ray.

Robert Whitehead’s Invention: The modern torpedo was pioneered by Robert Whitehead, an English engineer. In 1866, he developed the first self-propelled torpedo in Fiume (modern-day Rijeka, …

Jun 7, 2024 · Torpedo development was minimal during World War I. The Mk 7 was the first steam-driven torpedo that could be fired from both destroyers and submarines. The post-World War I/pre- …

3 days ago · The MK54 MOD 2 is an advancement over the MK54 MOD 0 and MOD 1, with a more advanced and lethal warhead, and enhanced target tracking and classification system. Northrop …

Modern torpedoes are wire-guided: a thin wire spooling from the torpedo links it to the submarine's fire control computer, from which guidance commands in the form of digital electronic signals flow.

Aug 20, 2025 · Few weapons in naval warfare have captured the imagination and shaped maritime strategy quite like the torpedo. From its humble beginnings as a crude, unreliable explosive device to …

With that in mind, we thought we’d share a brief evolutionary tale of the torpedo. Today’s definition of a torpedo is “a long metal cylinder with an explosive warhead, propelled through the water by an …

4 days ago · Northrop Grumman has entered full production of the MK54 MOD 2 lightweight torpedo for the United States Navy, marking a major upgrade to the fleet’s anti-submarine arsenal. The new …