Sale
Item: ONJR25MAOB075
Original British WWII Royal Navy Mark VIII Torpedo Propeller
In stock
-
Original Item. Only One Available. The Mark VIII was designed circa 1925 and was the first British burner cycle design torpedo. It was used from 1927 on all submarines, beginning with the later versions of the L class and the Odin class, as well as motor torpedo boats. The principal World War II version was the improved Mark VIII**, used far more than any other torpedo in service, with 3,732 being expended by September 1944 (56.4% of the total number of torpedoes used by Britain during the war).This is a gorgeous example of a propeller off of a British Mark VIII torpedo. The propeller has a gorgeous bluish color and retains many of its markings:21” 1X-1X**NABAWRFNCSPITCH35-48DIAR 17-25NO. 797The propeller measures roughly 17¼ x 17¼ x 3¼”. Much of the blue finish has worn away but it still displays gorgeously. Comes ready for further research and display.In 1950-1951, the only system available for a Royal Navy submarine to attack another submerged target was the Mark VIII; active homing variants of the Mark VIII and Mark IX were being worked on in 1945, without success. Considerable self-noise and reverberation hampered the effort, and the project was halted with funding being cut off as the war ended. During trials, the Mark VIII achieved a test depth of 200 ft (61 m) without issue, but the production units were limited to a maximal depth of 44 ft (13 m) by their depth control mechanisms. At the beginning of the 1960s, the Mark VIII was the only feasible anti-surface ship weapon available to the Royal Navy submarine service. The Mark 20 Bidder, while capable of hitting surface targets, lacked the speed to chase down any warships. During the torpedo capability crisis, in 1969, Admiral Michael Pollock, Flag Officer Submarines, proposed multiple solutions. These included such as purchase of the American Mark 45 ASTOR, the Mark 40 Mod 1 nuclear-armed lightweight torpedo, or the UUM-44 SUBROC; among his proposals was also a modification of the Mark VIII to be fitted with a WE177A nuclear warhead, with a variable yield of 0.5-10 kilotons. The torpedo was still in service with the Royal Navy in a training role until recently, and was used by the Royal Norwegian Navy (Coastal Artillery: Kaholmen torpedo battery at Oscarsborg Fortress) until 1993.
- This product is available for international shipping.
- Eligible for all payments - Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX, Paypal & Sezzle
We Buy Military Antiques
Our team expert buyers travels the world to pay fair prices for entire estate collections to singular items.
START SELLING TODAY
