The Mark 14 torpedo was the primary torpedo type used by all but the S Class boats during the war. Early problems with the exploder and depth control were solved and the production numbers ramped up so that by mid-1943 the submarines were well supplied with accurate, deadly torpedoes. Overall it was 20ft 6in long and 21 inch in diameter with a loaded "ready to fire" weight of 3,300Ib. The forward section carried the warhead, which was loaded with 6681b of TPX explosive. The mid body had an air flask that was charged with 3,000psi air and an alcohol tank. These supplied fuel and oxygen to a turbine engine contained in the after body that, through a set of counter-rotating screws, could drive the torpedo to a range of 4,500yds at high speed or 9,000 yards at slow speed. Normally used at ranges less than 1,500yds in high-speed mode, the Mark 14 proved so effective that its service life lasted into the late 1970s. Warhead Air Flask Fuel Flask Starting Gear Gyro Mechanism Depth Mechanism Main Engine Water Compartment Ballast Exploder Mechanism
