How Torpedoes Work
A “sub”lime naval weapon
Last weekend, my uncle and I hopped on a plane and visited OMSI (the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry).
Along with their indoor exhibits, the museum’s grounds also harbored a decommissioned submarine, the USS Blueback. After purchasing tour tickets, I got to explore the inside of the boat and learn about each of its different rooms.
One of my highlights from the tour was the torpedo room, which I found to be the most comfortable and coldest room aboard the Blueback — necessary to preserve the missiles’ fettle. When in service, submariners could also use the torpedo room as a sleeping area or an additional storage space for chilled foods.
Inside the chamber, the tour guide pointed out that the room contained both new, nuclear powered torpedoes as well as older models. To me, both types of torpedoes didn’t look very different. They were all muted colors and shaped like long cylinders. They also seemed bigger than what I had imagined.
Despite the physical similarities, torpedoes from separate time periods operated very differently. The older torpedoes worked like oversized bullets, shooting into the sides of their designated target and puncturing holes into the ship.
