![]() ![]() The first Whitehead torpedo used a two-cylinder, compressed air engine capable of traveling up to 6.5 knots for a distance of 200 yards. His torpedo design was the point where all other concept designs would begin. It was designed to attack the enemy rather than wait for the enemy. In 1866, Robert Whitehead designed the first “automobile” torpedo that was self-propelled. The Confederates used mines extensively to counter the Union’s much larger Navy. Throughout the Civil War, mine warfare continued. The mines, which he sold to the American Navy, could stay in place indefinitely unlike other versions, which were uncontrollable and would move with the tide. Robert Fulton continued Bushnell’s work when he developed floating mines that were anchored to the ocean’s floor. His submarine the Turtle fastened a 150-pound mine to Lord Howe’s flagship but the attack was unsuccessful. The first American use of the torpedo dates back to 1775 when David Bushnell discovered gunpowder could explode underwater. During the American Revolution, kegs of gunpowder took the place of ships in the 1778 Battle of the Kegs. The torpedo is a direct descendant of the mine. The earliest known use of the torpedo dates back to 1585 by the Dutch, which was actually a ship packed with explosives. ![]()
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