Whitehead Mark 3 torpedo

Whitehead Mark 3 torpedo
Mark 3 Whitehead torpedo fired from East Dock, Goat Island, Newport Torpedo Station, Rhode Island, 1894
Type	Anti-surface ship torpedo
Place of origin	Austria-Hungary
Service history
In service	1898–1922
Used by	United States Navy
Production history
Designer	Robert Whitehead
Designed	1893
Manufacturer	Torpedofabrik Whitehead & Co. E. W. Bliss Company
Specifications
Weight	845 pounds
Length	140 inches (3.55 meters)
Diameter	17.7 inches (45 centimeters)
Effective firing range	800 yards
Warhead	wet guncotton
Warhead weight	118 pounds
Detonation mechanism	War Nose Mk 1 contact exploder
Engine	3-cylinder
Speed	26.5 knots
Guidance system	gyroscope
Launch platform	battleships and torpedo boats

The Whitehead Mark 3 torpedo was a Whitehead torpedo adopted by the United States Navy for use in an anti-surface ship role after the E. W. Bliss Company of Brooklyn, New York secured manufacturing rights in 1892.

The primary difference between the Mark 3 and the previous versions of the 3.55-meter Whiteheads was the inclusion of the Obry steering gyro for azimuth control. This device reduced the maximum deviation right or left of the target from 24 to 8 yards. About 100 Mark 3s were purchased from the E. W. Bliss Company; in 1913, these were redesignated Torpedo Type A. These were withdrawn from service use in 1922 when all torpedoes designed before the Bliss-Leavitt Mark 7 torpedo were condemned.

The Mark 3 was ordinarily assembled into three sections: the warhead, the air flask and the after-body. The warhead's charge of wet guncotton weighed 118 pounds. The Mark 3 was what was known as a "cold-running" torpedo. The three-cylinder engine ran on cold, compressed air which was stored in the air flask. The after-body carried the engine and the tail, which contained the propellers.

The Mark 3 was launched from battleships and torpedo boats.