The finest.
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Torpedoes are self-propelled underwater weapons designed to detonate on or near a target, typically a ship or submarine. Here’s a breakdown of how they work:
1. Launching
Torpedoes can be launched from:
- Submarines (most common)
- Surface ships
- Aircraft (especially anti-submarine torpedoes)
- Land-based platforms
They are launched using compressed air, a rocket booster, or even dropped directly into the water by aircraft.
2. Propulsion
Once in the water, torpedoes move using one of several propulsion methods:
- Electric motors (quiet but slower)
- Gas turbines or piston engines (faster, often used in heavyweight torpedoes)
- Pump-jets or propellers drive them through the water.
Modern torpedoes can reach speeds of 30–65 knots (35–75 mph) and travel several miles.
3. Guidance and Control
Torpedoes are guided in a few different ways:
- Passive homing: Listens for noise from the target (like a submarine’s engine).
- Active homing: Emits sonar “pings” and listens for the echoes.
- Wire-guided: Connected to the launch platform via a thin wire, allowing real-time control.
- Wake homing: Detects the turbulence left by a ship’s wake and follows it.
Once it’s close enough, it switches to terminal homing for precision.
4. Warhead and Detonation
Torpedoes carry a high-explosive warhead (often around 200–500 kg of explosives). Detonation can happen in two ways:
- Contact fuse: Explodes on direct impact.
- Proximity fuse: Detonates near the target, especially under the hull where damage is most devastating.
A torpedo explosion under a ship can create a gas bubble that lifts the vessel briefly before it collapses, breaking the ship’s back — a method particularly destructive to hull integrity.
Types of Torpedoes
- Heavyweight torpedoes: Launched from submarines, longer range, large warhead.
- Lightweight torpedoes: Dropped by aircraft or ships, used primarily against submarines.
- Supercavitating torpedoes: Use gas bubbles to reduce drag and achieve very high speeds (like Russia’s VA-111 Shkval).
Excellent. Now you’re ready for the Navy SEAL test where you are thrown into the water with your hands tied behind your back. You have 119 seconds.
Good luck. 
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Told you not to buy Chinese torpedoes.
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