Whitehead Mark 1 torpedo

• Name — Whitehead Mark 1 torpedo • Origin — Austria-Hungary • Type — Anti-surface ship torpedo • Is Ranged — yes • Is Explosive — yes • Is Missile — yes • Service — 1894–1913 • Used By — United States Navy • Designer — Robert Whitehead • Manufacturer — Torpedofabrik Whitehead & Co. E. W. Bliss Company • Design Date — 1892 • Variants — Whitehead Mk 1B • Number — 100 • Weight — 845 pounds • Length — 140 inches (3.55 meters) • Diameter — 17.7 inches (45 centimeters) • Range — 800 yards • Filling — wet guncotton • Filling Weight — 118.5 lbs • Detonation — War Nose Mk 1 contact exploder • Engine — 3-cylinder reciprocating • Speed — 26.5 knots • Guidance — depth control • Launch Platform — battleships, cruisers, and torpedo boats

The Mark 1 was ordinarily assembled into three sections: the warhead, the air flask and the after-body. The warhead's charge of dry guncotton weighed 98 3/4 pounds plus 20% water. The Mark 1 was what was known as a "cold-running" torpedo. The three-cylinder reciprocating engine ran on cold, compressed air which was stored in the air flask, which had a capacity of 7.154 cubic feet at 1350 pounds per square inch. The after-body carried the engine and the tail, which contained the propellers. The Mark 1 guidance component included the Pendulum-and-hydrostat control device which was called the "Whitehead Secret". This version of the Whitehead torpedo lacked the gyroscope gear designed by Ludwig Obry, which was incorporated in a later Whitehead model, the Mark 3. The Mark 1 was launched from battleships and torpedo boats.