Torpedo bead

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Cross-section of a torpedo bulge as it was retrofitted on numerous warships from the era of the First World War

A torpedo bead is a part of the underwater protection of a ship, which consists of a side bead attached alongside the hull. The bead is intended to absorb the effects of the explosion of a torpedo or a sea ​​mine on the ship's wall.

Problem

If a ship is hit by a torpedo or a mine on the ship's side, both the pressure wave of the explosion and the fragmentation effect cause destruction.

Before the widespread use of powerful torpedoes, artillery fire was perceived as the greatest threat to warships and underwater protection was neglected. The consequences of this misjudgment were devastating and claimed numerous victims in one day, as was the case with the sinking of three armored cruisers of the Cressy class (of the Royal Navy ) in 1914 by a single German submarine.

So, starting with the Edgar class (of the Royal Navy), capital ships were retrofitted with torpedo bulges as an additional protective measure.

functionality

A torpedo bead initially forces the weapon to explode relatively far away from the ship's vital systems in the hull, so that the explosion gases in the hollow space of the bead can release their energy before they cause serious damage to the ship. However, this only helps to a limited extent against the fragmentation effect of the explosion, so that one experimented with fuel tanks in torpedo bulges. The density of the liquid effectively stopped splinters, but since the liquid was not compressible, it again conducted the pressure wave almost unchecked.

Various solutions to the problem were developed, which often consisted of an empty torpedo bead against the pressure wave, which was combined with an armor plate, the so-called torpedo bulkhead , which was integrated into the hull behind it and was intended to protect against the fragments. Other solutions were different types of shift systems with a combination of fuel tanks and empty compartments. Some solutions use so-called "crumple tubes", steel tubes that are filled into the entire cavity of the bulges, or only parts of it, in order to both intercept some of the energy of the pressure wave when these tubes are deformed and to stop splinters. Such pipes were used, for example, in the protection systems of the British HMS Hood or the Japanese Nagato class .

More modern types of ships were already built with integrated protection systems and no longer had an additional bead on the outside.

literature

  • S-01-09 Technical Mission to Japan, "Underwater Protection", US NAVY, 1946