World War II

53.3 cm (21") W 270/533.4 x 7.2 Veloce

Ship Class Used On Submarines
Date Of Design 1935?
Date In Service 1939?
Weight 3,748 lbs. (1,700 kg)
Overall Length 23 ft. 7 in. (7.200 m)
Explosive Charge 595 lbs. (270 kg)
Range / Speed 3,300 - 4,400 yards (3,000 - 4,000 m) / 50 knots
13,100 yards (12,000 m) / 30 knots
Power Wet-heater

High speed Fiume (Whitehead) torpedo which had a slimmer head than usual which was apparently good for an extra 2 knots of speed. The Japanese were so impressed with the design that they copied it for several of their own torpedoes.

53.3 cm (21") W 270/533.4 x 7.2 "F"

Ship Class Used On Submarines
Date Of Design 1935?
Date In Service 1939?
Weight 3,417 lbs. (1,550 kg)
Overall Length 21 ft. 4 in. (6.500 m)
Explosive Charge 551 lbs. (250 kg)
Range / Speed 3,300 yards (3,000 m) / 43 knots
10,900 yards (10,000 m) / 28 knots
Power Wet-heater

Fiume (Whitehead) torpedo.

53.3 cm (21") W 250/533.4 x 6.5

Ship Class Used On Submarines
Date Of Design 1935?
Date In Service 1939?
Weight 3,417 lbs. (1,550 kg)
Overall Length 23 ft. 7 in. (7.200 m)
Explosive Charge 595 lbs. (270 kg)
Range / Speed 4,400 yards (4,000 m) / 48 knots
13,100 yards (12,000 m) / 30 knots
Power Wet-heater

Fiume (Whitehead) torpedo.

53.3 cm (21") Si 270/533.4 x 7.2 "I"

Ship Class Used On Submarines
Date Of Design 1935?
Date In Service 1939?
Weight 3,748 lbs. (1,700 kg)
Overall Length 23 ft. 7 in. (7.200 m)
Explosive Charge 595 lbs. (270 kg)
Range / Speed 3,300 yards (3,000 m) / 42 knots
7,650 yards (7,000 m) / 32 knots
10,060 yards (9,200 m) / 30 knots
13,100 yards (12,000 m) / 26 knots
Power Wet-heater

Fiume (Whitehead) torpedo. A very similar torpedo of slightly shorter length [22 ft. 6 in. (6.860 m)] was also in service.

53.3 cm (21") W 250/533.4 x 6.72

Ship Class Used On Submarines
Date Of Design N/A
Date In Service N/A
Weight N/A
Overall Length 23 ft. 7 in. (7.200 m)
Explosive Charge 595 lbs. (270 kg)
Range / Speed 4,400 yards (4,000 m) / 49 knots
8,750 yards (8,000 m) / 38 knots
Power Wet-heater

Naples (Silurificio Italiano) Torpedo.

53.3 cm (21") Si 270/533.4 x 7.2 "M"

Ship Class Used On Cruisers and Destroyers
Date Of Design N/A
Date In Service N/A
Weight 3,748 lbs. (1,700 kg)
Overall Length 23 ft. 7 in. (7.200 m)
Explosive Charge 595 lbs. (270 kg)
Range / Speed 4,400 yards (4,000 m) / 46 knots
8,750 yards (8,000 m) / 35 knots
13,100 yards (12,000 m) / 29 knots
Power Wet-heater

Naples (Silurificio Italiano) Torpedo. Later versions were 48 knots, 38 knots and 30 knots for the same ranges as above.

45 cm (17.7") W 200/450 x 5.75

Ship Class Used On Cagni Class Submarines
Date Of Design N/A
Date In Service N/A
Weight N/A
Overall Length 18 ft. 10.5 in. (5.750 m)
Explosive Charge 441 lbs. (200 kg)
Range / Speed 3,300 yards (3,000 m) / 44 knots
8,750 yards (8,000 m) / 30 knots
Power Wet-heater

Fiume (Whitehead) torpedo. Also used with sub-caliber fittings to enable it to be fired from 21" (533 mm) tubes.

45 cm (17.7") Si 200/450 x 5.36

Ship Class Used On MAS Boats
Date Of Design N/A
Date In Service N/A
Weight 2,050 lbs. (930 kg)
Overall Length 17 ft. 7 in. (5.750 m)
Explosive Charge 441 lbs. (200 kg)
Range / Speed about 2,200 yards (2,000 m) / 44 knots
Power Wet-heater

Naples (Silurificio Italiano) Torpedo.

45 cm (17.7") W 200/450 x 5.25

Ship Class Used On MAS Boats
Date Of Design N/A
Date In Service N/A
Weight 1,896 lbs. (860 kg)
Overall Length 17 ft. 2.5 in. (5.250 m)
Explosive Charge 441 lbs. (200 kg)
Range / Speed 4,400 yards (4,000 m) / 46 knots
Power Wet-heater

Naples (Silurificio Italiano) Torpedo.

45 cm (17.7") F200/450 x 5.46

Ship Class Used On Aircraft
Date Of Design N/A
Date In Service N/A
Weight 1,995 lbs. (905 kg)
Overall Length 17 ft. 11 in. (5.460 m)
Explosive Charge 441 lbs. (200 kg)
Range / Speed 3,300 yards (3,000 m) / 40 knots
Power Wet-heater

Fiume (Whitehead) torpedo. Early versions had a 375 lbs. (175 kg) warhead. This torpedo was also used by the Germans and designated "F5W" type.

45 cm (17.7") Si 200/450 x 5.36

Ship Class Used On Aircraft
Date Of Design N/A
Date In Service N/A
Weight 2,145 lbs. (973 kg)
Overall Length 17 ft. 7 in. (5.360 m)
Explosive Charge 441 lbs. (200 kg)
Range / Speed 3,300 yards (3,000 m) / 40 knots
Power Wet-heater

Naples (Silurificio Italiano) Torpedo. This torpedo was also considered for use by the Germans and designated "F5I" type, however, none are known to have been used by them.

50 cm (19.7") W 120/500 x 2.6

Ship Class Used On Aircraft
Date Of Design N/A
Date In Service N/A
Weight 772 lbs. (350 kg)
Overall Length 8 ft. 6.5 in (2.600 m)
Explosive Charge 265 lbs. (120 kg)
Range / Speed 16,400 yards (15,000 m) / 13.5 knots (initial) down to 3.9 knots (end)
Power Battery

Fiume (Whitehead) Torpedo. This was a short parachute-dropped torpedo that ran in circles, spirals and curves. Dropping conditions were about 150 knots from 200 to 600 feet (60 to 180 m). Lacked depth control and lateral control was said to be "primative" resulting in runs that varied considerably in depth and were irregular spirals and curves. This torpedo was also used by the Germans and designated "LT350" type.

45 cm (17.7") Designation Not Known

Ship Class Used On Aircraft
Date Of Design N/A
Date In Service N/A
Weight 617 lbs. (280 kg)
Overall Length N/A
Explosive Charge 198 lbs. (90 kg)
Range / Speed 13,100 yards (12,000 m) / 13.5 knots (initial) down to 3.9 knots (end)
Power Battery

Aircraft launched circling torpedo, details not available at this time. Designated by the Germans as the "LT280" type, but not believed to have been used by them.

Post-World War II

21" (53.3 cm) Cangaro ("Kangaroo")

Ship Class Used On Surface ships
Date Of Design about 1960
Date In Service about 1965
Weight N/A
Overall Length N/A
Explosive Charge N/A
Range / Speed N/A
Power Battery

Anti-submarine torpedo consisting of an ex-German G6e, wire-guided, which in turn launched a USA Mark 44 homing torpedo upon reaching the target area.

21" (53.3 cm) A-184

Ship Class Used On Submarines and Surface ships
Date Of Design 1971
Date In Service 1974
Weight 2,788 lbs. (1,265 kg)
Overall Length 236 in. (6.000 m)
Explosive Charge 551 lbs. (250 kg)
Range / Speed 10,900 yards (10,000 m) / 36 knots
27,300 yards (25,000 m) / 24 knots
Power Silver-zinc battery

Whitehead-Motofides torpedo that replaced Cangaro. This torpedo was wire guided with digital active and passive terminal homing. Used contra-rotating propellers.

12.75" (32.4 cm) A-244 and A-244/S


Ship Class Used On		 ASW ships and helicopters
Date Of Design 1968
Date In Service A-244: 1971
A-244/S: 1984
A-244/S Mod 1: 1987
Weight A-244: 485 lbs. (220 kg)
A-244/S: 518 lbs. (235 kg)
Overall Length 108.s in. (2.75 m)
Explosive Charge 75 lbs. (34 kg)
Range / Speed 6,600 yards (6,000 m) / 30 knots
Power Lead-acid Battery

A-244 was conceived as a replacement for the Mark 44 Mod 2. A-244 homes passively/actively using a single frequency. A-244/S homes passively/actively using triple frequency pulses and a programmable seeker. The A-244/S Mod 1 uses multiple pre-formed beams, the shape of which can be changed to suit acoustic conditions.

12.75" (32.4 cm) A-290

Ship Class Used On Submarines
Date Of Design 1987
Date In Service 1992
Weight N/A
Overall Length 108.3 in. (2.75 m)
Explosive Charge Shaped Charge
Range / Speed 10,900 yards (10,000 m) / 50 knots
Power Aluminum-silver oxide battery

The replacement for the A-244 torpedo. Improvements include greater power, a pump-jet propulsion system, improved tracking range, better passive capability and a greater capability to classify shallow targets in warm water.

Sources

"Naval Weapons of World War Two" by John Campbell
"Italian Warships of World War II" by Aldo Fraccarolli
"The Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapon Systems 1991/92" by Norman Friedman

Page History

15 May 2006 - Benchmark
05 February 2011 - Added photographs of 50 cm W 120/500 x 2.6
10 September 2016 - Converted to HTML 5 format