The combined-cycle torpedo 53-39 of the 1941 type is a weapon that was mainly used to equip Soviet submarines, destroyers and naval aviation torpedo planes. A new Soviet torpedo was created taking into account the available data obtained in the course of military operations in the Atlantic during the first stage of the Second World War. The main purpose of the new weapons was the enemy’s large surface warships, commercial and cargo ships of large tonnage, submarines and coastal facilities and communications.
The reasons for the creation and design features of the torpedo 53-39
The main reason for the creation of a new torpedo was the unsatisfactory performance characteristics of the main torpedo 53-38, adopted by the Navy in 1938. The subsequent modernization of the existing torpedo was undertaken by a team of Soviet naval engineers under the leadership of D.A. Kokryakova, V.D. Orlova and N.N. Ostrovsky.
It was decided to change the power plant, providing the projectile with a more powerful gas-steam plant. Combat performance improved by increasing the volume of fuel tanks, increasing speed and increasing the power of the charge, bringing the mass of the warhead to 300 kg. Under the index combined-cycle torpedo 53-39 of the sample in 1941 weapons adopted.
Soviet designers managed to create torpedo weapons of unprecedented power, which at that time had no analogues.
Tactical and technical characteristics of the Soviet torpedoes 53-39 1941 sample
- Caliber - 533 mm.
- Weight - 1800 kg.
- The mass of the combat charge - 317 kg.
- Length - 7480 mm.
- Travel speed - 51/39/34 knots.
- The course range is 4/8/10 km.
- Depth of stroke - from 1 to 14 m.
- Engine - steam-gas, power - 485/230/168 hp
Despite the high fighting qualities, it was not until 1943 that mass mass production of the new torpedo could be established. In total, during the war years, Soviet submariners and sea pilots used 22 torpedoes, 53-39 of 1941, in combat conditions. In the postwar years, the production of a torpedo of this type was curtailed.
Photo torpedoes
