Monday 15 June 2015

How to drown a ship? Fire a torpedo!


The concept of a torpedo existed many centuries before it was developed as a working device. A possible early description is found in the works of Syrian engineer Hassan al-Rammah in 1275, who described, "...an egg which moves itself and burns. Though, torpedos came into use after the mid-19th century. Torpedos have evolved since the 19th century into extremely effective undersea weapons.

A torpedo has a propulsion system, a guidance system and some sort of explosive device. Torpedoes can travel several miles on their way to the target, and therefore they need a propulsion system that can run for 10 to 20 minutes. In this article we will know how the earlier torpedos as well as the modern torpedos work.
  
1.)    Torpedo propels itself powered by tank of compressed air
2.)    On launch a valve opens and the air is released into the engine which contains two pistons. Their motion drives a propeller which pushes the torpedos for the water

But the air propelled torpedo consists of a major flaw the compressed air that leaves the torpedo leaves a trail of bubbles which eventually come on the surface and makes their path of travel visible which can be easily traced. So it was in during the World War II when the German Navy designed a torpedo that didn’t advertise its position with the wake of bubbles. The torpedo which was designed didn’t run on compressed air but worked with the help of an electric motor that ran on an enormous battery. But to accommodate the battery the torpedo were needed to be at least 7 meters long.


Today USS Pennsylvania submarine contains advanced torpedos that are like high tech robots that can be guided on to their target.  An optic fiber spooning out of the torpedo connects the torpedo to the submarine to obey the officer’s command to guide it on to the target. As the torpedo closes in, it’s on board sensors lock on and hit the target.  Torpedos are powerful enough to sink an entire ship or a submarine.


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