Torpedo : The Complete History of the World's Most Revolutionary Naval Weapon

An encyclopedic study of the ship-killer par excellence—from its development to post-World War II usage. “A well-written book, lavishly illustrated.” — International Journal of Maritime History The torpedo was the greatest single game-changer in the history of naval warfare. For the first time it allowed a small, cheap torpedo-firing vessel—and by extension a small, minor navy—to threaten the largest and most powerful warships afloat.The traditional concept of seapower, based on huge fleets of expensive capital ships, required radical rethinking because of this important naval weapon. This book is a broad-ranging international history of the weapon, tracing not only its origins and technical progress down to the present day, but also its massive impact on all subsequent naval wars. Torpedo contains much new technical information that has come to light over the past thirty years and covers all of the improved capabilities of the weapon. Heavily illustrated with photos and technical drawings this is a book no enthusiast or historian can afford to miss. “The torpedo—one of the most fearsome weapons ever created by man—is well worth its own history.” — Forum Navale Part I. The Inventors And Their Torpedoes, Successful And Imaginative. Robert Fulton And His Infernal Devices, 1804-1813 -- Fulton's Legacy -- Der Küstenbrander, The Inspiration For Whitehead, And Others -- Whitehead And The Copies -- The Serious Rivals, The Dead Ends, The Hopefuls And The Hopeless -- The Torpedo Comes Of Age -- Aerial Torpedoes -- The Modern Torpedo Post-second World War -- Part Ii. Torpedo Launchers And Delivery Systems. Spar Torpedo Boats, Drop Collars, Launch Troughs And Rails -- Torpedo Boat Carriers -- Above-water Torpedo Tubes -- Underwater Tubes On Surface Ships -- Submarine Torpedo Launching Gear -- Torpedo Bombers And Stand-off Weapons -- Coast Defence -- Part Iii. Anti-torpedo Defence. Active Defence -- Passive Defence -- Modern Developments -- Part Iv. Notable Torpedo Actions And Incidents. Torpedo Attack Tactics -- Early Torpedo Actions -- The Great War -- The Second World War - The North Sea, Mediterranean And Atlantic -- The Second World War - The Pacific -- Post-second World War -- Conclusion. By Roger Branfill-cook. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 234-235) And Index. The torpedo was the greatest single game-changer in the history of naval warfare. For the first time it allowed any small, cheap torpedo-firing vessel - and by extension a small, minor navy - to threaten the largest and most powerful warships afloat. The A new history of a highly important weapon system, combines technical description and operational narrative. Heavily illustrated with photos and technical drawings.