25. A Problem-Plagued Weapon
It was only after America found herself at war that the Mark 14 Torpedo’s grave flaws became apparent. During the first weeks of the war, submarine commanders reported that the Mark 14 had serious problems with maintaining accurate depth so as to pass within the correct distance beneath an enemy ship’s keel. There was also trouble with the magnetic detonator, which frequently detonated prematurely or failed to detonate at all.
The contact detonator was no better, as it often 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 was the Mark 14’s tendency to boomerang, missing its target and running in a wide circle to come back and strike the firing submarine. At least two American submarines were sunk by their own Mark 14 circling around and coming back to blow them up.
