22. Discovering the Mark 14’s Flaws at the Worst Possible Time
The Mark 14 Torpedo’s defects only became apparent when America joined the war – which is the worst possible time to discover that a standard-issue weapon is seriously defective. Within the first month of hostilities, submarine skippers correctly reported that the Mark 14 had serious problems. Not least was the trouble maintaining accurate depth so as to pass within the correct distance beneath an enemy ship’s keel.
The magnetic detonator often detonated prematurely, or failed to detonate at all. The contact detonator failed to set off the torpedo, even when it struck an enemy’s hull at a perfect angle with a loud clang that was clearly audible in the firing submarine. Worst of all, it could boomerang, missing its target and running in a wide circle to come back and strike the firing submarine. At least two submarines, the USS Tang and USS Tullibee, are known to have been sunk by their own Mark 14s circling back to hit them.
