Mark 39 torpedo
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| Type | ASW Homing torpedo[1] |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1946-1956[1] |
| Used by | United States Navy |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Vitro Corporation[1] Ordnance Research Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University |
| Designed | 1946[1] |
| Manufacturer | Philco[1] |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 1275 pounds[1] |
| Length | 133 inches[1] |
| Diameter | 19 inches[1] |
| Effective firing range | 1300 yards[1] (26-minute search duration) |
| Warhead | Mk 39 Mod 0, HBX[1] |
| Warhead weight | 130 pounds[1] |
Detonation mechanism | Mk 19 Mod 10 contact exploder[1] |
| Engine | Electric[1] |
| Maximum speed | 15.5 knots[1] |
Guidance system | Wire[1] |
Launch platform | Submarines[1] |
The Mark 39 torpedo was the first homing torpedo in United States Navy service to use a trailing wire for mid-course guidance through the submarine's fire control system. In 1946, shortly after the Mark 37 Mod 0 had been prototyped, the wire guidance system was reverse-engineered from the G7ef(TX) "Spinne" following the arrival of technical documentation from Germany. This resulted in the development of a wire-guided prototype the same year. The Mark 39 was a Mark 27 Mod 4 torpedo converted for development of wire guidance techniques, which were eventually incorporated into the Mark 37 Mod 1 and the Mark 45. Due to this development, the Mark 39 was considered obsolete and the remaining inventory was scrapped.[1][2]