| Bliss-Leavitt Mark 1 torpedo | |
| Origin: | United States |
| Type: | Anti-surface ship torpedo[1] |
| Is Ranged: | yes |
| Is Explosive: | yes |
| Is Missile: | yes |
| Service: | 1904–1922 |
| Used By: | United States Navy |
| Designer: | Frank McDowell Leavitt |
| Manufacturer: | E. W. Bliss Company |
| Design Date: | 1904 |
| Number: | 250[2] |
| Variants: | Mod 1 Mod 2 |
| Weight: | approximately 1500 pounds |
| Length: | 197 inches (5.0 meters) |
| Diameter: | 21 inches (53.34 centimeters) |
| Range: | 4000 yards |
| Filling: | wet guncotton |
| Filling Weight: | approximately 200 pounds |
| Detonation: | War Nose Mk 1 contact exploder |
| Engine: | Single, vertical turbine |
| Speed: | 27 knots |
| Guidance: | gyroscope |
| Launch Platform: | battleships, torpedo boats and cruisers |
The Bliss-Leavitt Mark 1 torpedo was a Bliss-Leavitt 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, which had been building Whitehead torpedoes for the US Navy, began designing and manufacturing their own torpedoes in 1904.[1]
The air flask pressure of the Bliss-Leavitt Mark 1 was ; the earlier Whitehead models had a lower flask pressure of 1500psi. The air in the Mark 1 was heated by burning alcohol in a chamber upstream from the engine; the increased air flask pressure and heated air served to increase the range of the Bliss-Leavitt Mark 1 to at . However, it used a single vertical turbine wheel rotating about the torpedo's longitudinal axis and driving a single propeller. This caused an unbalanced torque that was sufficient to cause the Mark 1 to have a tendency to roll.[1]
The Bliss-Leavitt Mark 1 was launched from battleships, torpedo boats and cruisers.