It would take the Americans two years to develop a torpedo that could compete with it.The bogey man of the U.S. Navy during the Torpedo attacks, especially night torpedo attacks, had become a Japanese speciality and had been highly successful in both the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 and the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. To most Americans, “Made in Japan” had been a synonym for cheap and tinny. Just for giggles, let's take a look at the statistics on the standard US Navy destroyer torpedo of the war, the Mark 15. But there was nothing shoddy or substandard about the Long Lance, as American sailors discovered the hard way in the waters around Guadalcanal. At the outbreak of the war, the Japanese Navy possessed some of the world's finest torpedoes, including the fabled Long Lance. This weapon, coupled with the flexible battle tactics practiced by Japan's cruisers and destroyers, led to victory after victory in the early stages of the war. The Type 95 torpedo was a torpedo used by submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.. The first encounter between the U.S. fleet and torpedo-carrying Japanese cruisers and destroyers came the day after the landings on Guadalcanal, August 8, 1942. Naval Intelligence knew that the Japanese had torpedoes but thought they must be similar to the American Mark 14. Here's an interesting (if a little bit beaten up) picture of the
In Japan's view, some means must be found to offset its disadvantage in capital ships It was anticipated that at some location in the Western Pacific a decisive battle would be fought. First, I don't think any submarines in WWII had torpedoes with 20,000 yard range. The resulting weapon, the Type 93 torpedo, was fantastically advanced in comparison with its Western counterparts, possessing an unequaled combination of speed, range, and hitting power.
Laboring as she did under the unfavorable 5:5:3 ratio of capital ships imposed by the Washington Naval Treaty, Japan would most likely be at a disadvantage in any Pacific conflict with the United States. Compressed air is nearly 77% nitrogen, which is useless for combustion, and also contributes to the visibility of the torpedo by leaving a bubble track on the surface.
However, the Japanese overcame these hurdles.
The quality of these weapons was no accident, but rather the result of Japan's intensive efforts during the 1920's and 30's to make good the shortcomings of her battle fleet. She also knew well enough that the U.S. modeled its fighting doctrine on the famous 'Plan Orange', which called for an advance of the American battle fleet across the Pacific to relieve the Phillipines. I'm not really an expert on Japan's airborne torpedoes, so I don't have much in the way of enlightenment to dole out on the subject. The Imperial Navy equipped its cruisers and destroyers with the big torpedoes, which were launched from 24-inch tubes mounted on deck. Only as American radar and gunfire control became increasingly sophisticated would the Japanese advantage in night battles begin to disappear, and even then a Long Lance-armed Japanese destroyer was still a thing to be feared. The normal range for the long lance was 22kms, and it's maximum range was 44kms...this is why it was such an effective weapon. Japanese Long Lance torpedo "Long Lance" redirects here. The long lance torpedo in the game is given a maximum range of 10kms...this is laughable. Designing and perfecting the Long Lance required solving some extremely difficult technical problems, most of which centered around the usage of pure oxygen as a fuel (rather than compressed air). This may have saved South Dakota during Guad II when several LLs aimed at her prematured as a result of Washington's wake. Like everything else about this torpedo, its warhead was also outsized—1,180 pounds—and its maximum range was an incredible 22,000 yards (11 nautical miles) at a speed of 49 knots, or 40,000 yards at 36 knots. When a Long Lance was retrieved intact from Point Cruz on Guadalcanal in 1943, the Americans were amazed by the torpedo’s size and, after performing a series of tests, by its sophistication. The most glaring of these was how to use pure oxygen safely aboard a ship or submarine, given its inherently inflammable nature. Most of these tubes could be quickly reloaded, essentially doubling the number of torpedoes that could be used in a skirmish with enemy ships.What Will the Sixth-Generation Jet Fighter Look Like?Using pure oxygen instead of compressed air also allowed the torpedo to travel faster and farther. The usage of pure oxygen promised far greater power and propulsive efficiency, but it came with certain costs.
The Long Lance had the speed and the range to sink American warships while they were still trying to get within gun range of Japanese warships. I mean, they worked, and went 'Boom' and so on. For the American Indian writer, see Chief Buffalo Child Long Lance.