| Mark 27 torpedo | |
| Origin: | United States |
| Type: | Acoustic torpedo[1] |
| Is Ranged: | yes |
| Is Explosive: | yes |
| Is Missile: | yes |
| Service: | 1943-1946 |
| Used By: | United States Navy |
| Wars: | World War II |
| Designer: | Bell Telephone Laboratories |
| Manufacturer: | Western Electric |
| Design Date: | 1943 |
| Number: | 1000 |
| Variants: | Mark 27 Mod 4 |
| Weight: | 720lb |
| Length: | 90inches |
| Diameter: | 19inches (21inches guide rails) |
| Range: | 5000yd (approx. 12 minutes search duration) |
| Filling: | Mk 27 Mod 0 |
| Detonation: | Mk 11 Mod 2 contact exploder |
| Engine: | Electric |
| Speed: | 12kn |
| Guidance: | Gyroscope |
| Launch Platform: | Submarines |
The Mark 27 torpedo was the first of the United States Navy 19-inch (48-cm) submarine-launched torpedoes.[2] This electrically-propelled torpedo was 125 inches (3.175 m) long and weighed 1174 pounds (534 kg). The torpedo employed a passive acoustic guidance system and was intended for both submarine and surface targets. Nicknamed "Cutie" [3] by submarine crews, the Mark 27 entered service in 1943 as a defensive weapon.[4] The torpedo was classified as obsolete in the 1960s.
The Mark 27 was essentially a Mark 24 mine which had been modified for submarine launching in a 21-inch (53 cm) submerged torpedo tube by the addition of 1" (25 mm) wooden guide studs mounted on the torpedo's outer shell.[1] [5]
| Mark 27 Mod 4 torpedo | |
| Origin: | United States |
| Type: | Acoustic torpedo |
| Is Ranged: | yes |
| Is Explosive: | yes |
| Is Missile: | yes |
| Service: | 1946-1960 |
| Used By: | United States Navy |
| Designer: | Ordnance Research Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University |
| Manufacturer: | Avco Naval Ordnance Station Forest Park |
| Design Date: | 1946 |
| Production Date: | 1946-1954 |
| Number: | 3000 |
| Weight: | 1175lb |
| Length: | 125.75inches |
| Diameter: | 19inches (with 21inches guide rails) |
| Range: | 6200yd (12 minutes search duration) |
| Filling: | Mk 27 Mod 2, HBX |
| Filling Weight: | 128lb |
| Detonation: | Mk 11 Mod 2 contact exploder |
| Engine: | Electric |
| Speed: | 15.9kn |
| Guidance: | Gyroscope |
| Launch Platform: | Submarines |
The Mark 27 Mod 4 torpedo was designed by the Ordnance Research Laboratory of Pennsylvania State University in 1946 as an improved version of the Mark 27 torpedo.[1]
Fully compatible with electrical setting fire control systems through the use of the standard 65-pin umbilical cable, this weapon was in service on submarines for about ten years. It was withdrawn from service use in 1960 with the introduction of the Mark 37 torpedo.