The Bliss-Leavitt Mark 4 torpedo was a

Bliss-Leavitt torpedo The Bliss-Leavitt torpedo was a torpedo designed by Frank McDowell Leavitt and manufactured by the E. W. Bliss Company of Brooklyn, New York. It was put into service by the United States Navy in 1904 and variants of the design would remain in it ...

developed and produced by the

E. W. Bliss Company The E. W. Bliss Company is a manufacturer of machine tools founded by Eliphalet Williams Bliss. The company was based in Brooklyn, New York and is now based in Hastings, Michigan as BCN Technical Services. BCN is owned by Schuler Group. History ...

in 1908. It was the first American-built torpedo specifically designed to be launched from a

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

. About 100 Mark 4s were purchased for experimental purposes by the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, which led to design improvements to the

gyro Gyro may refer to: Science and technology * GYRO, a computer program for tokamak plasma simulation * Gyro Motor Company, an American aircraft engine manufacturer * ''Gyrodactylus salaris'', a parasite in salmon * Gyroscope, an orientation-stabi ...

and the reducing valve. It was used on submarines of the C and D classes. The Mark 4, and all other torpedoes designed before the

Bliss-Leavitt Mark 7 torpedo The Bliss-Leavitt Mark 7 torpedo was a Bliss-Leavitt torpedo developed and produced by the E. W. Bliss Company and the Naval Torpedo Station in Newport, Rhode Island in 1911. History The Mark 7 was a major step in the evolution of the modern torp ...

, were considered obsolete and withdrawn from service in 1922.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bliss-Leavitt Mark 4 torpedo Torpedoes Torpedoes of the United States Unmanned underwater vehicles Bliss-Leavitt torpedoes

See also

References