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RE: Torpedo Exploder Mods
Posted by: Don Baker ()
Date: December 08, 2000 07:52PM

<HTML>Hello John

I thought you might be interested in Peter Maas account of the exploder failures. In his book, “The Terrible Hours”, Maas presents an interesting account of the American torpedo exploder failures and the solution to the problem – an incident remarkably similar to the German experience. When the torpedoe failures became untenable, Adm. Lockwood COMSUBPAC brought then Captain “Swede” Momsen aboard to solve the problem which BUORD was either unwilling or unable to undertake. Momsen proposed to shoot live torpedoes against the underwater cliffs of Kahoolawe where those that failed to explode could be recovered in the relatively shallow water. His plan was approved and Momsen and a team of Navy divers accompanied by the submarine Muskellunge and support vessel Widgeon proceeded to the area and commenced firing torpedoes. They were able to repeat the submariners experience that the failure to fire was in some way associated with the angle at which the torpedo struck the target (cliff). Head on impact failed to explode the torpedo; a glancing impact fired the torpedo. Of course firing procedure called for the torpedo to strike the target head-on at a right angle to the target’s track which almost always guaranteed an exploder failure.

Unexploded torpedoes were recovered, dis-assembled, and examined which resulted in the determination that the problem was caused by the combination of firing pin inertia and friction in the pin guides; in short – the pins were too heavy. A number of firing pins were machined down in the shops at Pearl Harbor to reduce the mass. Modified exploders were tested which showed the lightening of the firing pin solved the problem.

Submarine Barb put to sea with a load of twenty modified torpedoes headed for the Japanese shipping lanes and as Lockwood reported later – “All major exploder problems suddenly dissappeared.”

Don B
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Subject Written By Posted
torpedos tony 12/07/2000 07:54PM
RE: torpedos Craig McLean 12/07/2000 10:31PM
RE: Japanese honor code and subs kurt 12/09/2000 11:30PM
RE: Japanese honor code and subs Roy Prince 12/10/2000 12:36AM
RE: Japanese honor code and subs Steve Cooper 12/11/2000 01:00PM
RE: Japanese honor code and subs kurt 12/12/2000 03:15AM
RE: torpedos kpp 12/07/2000 11:00PM
RE: torpedos failures..? Joe Brennan 12/08/2000 02:21AM
RE: torpedos failures..? John R. 12/08/2000 02:17PM
RE: torpedo failures..? j harvey 12/08/2000 05:51PM
RE: torpedo failures..? John R. 12/08/2000 06:03PM
RE: torpedo failures..? jharvey 12/08/2000 07:22PM
RE: torpedo failures..? John R. 12/08/2000 08:25PM
RE: Torpedo Exploder Mods Don Baker 12/08/2000 07:52PM
RE: Torpedo Exploder Mods John R. 12/08/2000 08:29PM
RE: torpedo failures..? John 12/09/2000 05:50PM
RE: torpedo failures..? kurt 12/09/2000 10:51PM
Japanese torpedoes kurt 12/09/2000 11:07PM


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