A torpedo is a self-propelled underwater weapon, launched above or below the water's surface, that carries an explosive warhead intended to detonate on or near contact with its target. The English engineer Robert Whitehead built the first effective self-propelled torpedo in 1866 at the Stabilimento Tecnico di Fiume, a factory he managed in Fiume, and presented it to the Austrian Imperial Naval commission on December 21, 1866. The invention transformed naval warfare by letting small, fast vessels threaten even the most powerful battleships, driving the development of torpedo boats, torpedo boat destroyers and eventually submarines as major classes of warship.
Facts
YearSourced to the subject's own account SignificanceSourced to the subject's own accountThe Whitehead torpedo grew out of a commission Austro-Hungarian naval officer Giovanni Luppis gave Robert Whitehead in 1864, and gave the self-propelled torpedo class of naval weapon its name. 1 FAQs
Did Robert Whitehead invent the torpedo on his own?
Whitehead developed the torpedo from an earlier design by Giovanni Luppis and added its depth control.
No. In 1864 Whitehead made a contract with Giovanni Biagio Luppis, a retired captain of the Austrian Navy, to develop Luppis's 1860 invention of the first prototypes of a self-propelled torpedo. Whitehead's own greatest contribution was solving the problem of holding the torpedo at a constant depth, which he did with a hydrostatic system that controlled the depth vanes.
Connections
Associated With
Source Robert Whitehead (Grace's Guide)
In Field
Source Torpedo (Wikipedia)
Invented By
Source Robert Whitehead (Grace's Guide)
In the Other Atlases
Same As
Also in War and Military Atlas: the same subject.
Sources
1. Torpedo (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHistory section, Whitehead invention sentence
In 1866, Whitehead invented the first effective self-propelled torpedo, the eponymous Whitehead torpedo, the first modern torpedo.
History section, Luppis commission sentence
In 1864, Luppis presented Whitehead with the plans of the Salvacoste ("Coastsaver"), a floating weapon driven by ropes from the land that had been dismissed by the naval authorities due to the impractical steering and propulsion mechanisms.
In Field: Marine Engineering, Introduction
A torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target.
View the Source Robert Whitehead (Grace's Guide)
Associated With: Robert Whitehead, Biography
was an English engineer who developed the first successful self-propelled torpedo
Invented By: Robert Whitehead, Biography
was an English engineer who developed the first successful self-propelled torpedo
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