Technology and Operations
This forum is for discussing technological & operational matters pertaining to U-boats.
RE: Mk24 and "Cutie"
Posted by:
joe brandt
()
Date: September 26, 2000 03:56PM
The MARK 27 "CUTIE " was a modified MARK 24 torpedo by increasing it's diameter to 21 inch by the addition of 4 wooden rails and addopting the passive-homing device for sub launching instead of air dropping. Unlike other torpedoes this one would swim out of the tube instead of being ejected out. This torpedo was designed to be used against very shallow draft Jap sampans and other small and slow boats used in hunting US subs lurking in shallow waters. These boats were not some harmless or innocent noncombatant but armed anti sub boats that carried various guns,hydrophones,depth charges and in some cases some type of a sonar device, these boats also carried troops between other small islands etc. These boats only moved at around 4 or 5 knots so the speed of the torpedo was more than enough to do the job,I believe if the enemy ship was moving faster than 8.5 knots the accuracy of the torpedo went down greatly. Though the warhead was very small it was used on larger unsuspecting Jap warships, the CUTIE would home in on the prop and wound the boat and disable it till it could be sunk with a standard type torpedo.