|
Museum History Activities
|
USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. DD850 Destroyer Museum
at Battleship Cove, Fall River, Massachusetts.
Torpedo Away!!
MK 32 Torpedo launcher For short range attack, the Mk 46 torpedo was placed in two trainable MK 32 launchers. Each launcher carried three 12.75 inch Mk 46 torpedoes. The launchers were placed one on each side of the ship and forward of the quarterdeck on the weather deck. A torpedo shop was located on the Port side of the helo hanger area. After water entry, the torpedo powered up and chased the sub using either passive or active sonar. The MK-46 torpedo is designed to attack high performance submarines, and is presently identified as the NATO standard.The MK-46 Mod 5 torpedo is the backbone of the Navy's lightweight ASW torpedo inventory and is expected to remain in service until the year 2015. Primary Function: Air and ship-launched lightweight torpedo Contractor: Alliant Techsystems Power Plant: Two-speed, reciprocating external combustion; Mono-propellant (Otto fuel II) fueled Length: 102.36 in. tube launch configuration (from ship) Weight: 517.65 lbs (war-shot configuration) Diameter: 12.75 inches Range: 8,000 yards Depth: Greater than 1,200 ft (365.76 meters) Speed: Greater than 28 knots (32.2 mph, 51.52 kph) Guidance System: Homing mode: Active or passive/active acoustic homing Launch/search mode: Snake or circle search Warhead: 98 lbs. of PBXN-103 high explosive (bulk charge) Date Deployed: 1966 (Mod 0); 1979 (Mod 5)  Return to the Weapon/Sensors Page |