Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 59:23-1:01:13

British homing-torpedo development in World War II

British scientists worked on homing torpedoes, but operational use relied on Allied development and a British weapon arrived after the war.

Anti-Submarine WarfareHoming TorpedoesNaval Weapons DevelopmentRoyal NavyWorld War II
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Question

Did Britain have a homing torpedo during World War II?

Short answer

Britain worked on the technology and participated in Allied development, but did not field its own wartime homing torpedo before the postwar Mark 30.

Notes

The answer distinguishes wartime research from a fielded indigenous weapon. British scientists participated in the Allied effort while the United States moved a weapon toward operational use. That cooperation reduced the need to rush a separate British system into service during the war. The postwar Mark 30 marks the later point at which Britain fielded its own homing torpedo rather than evidence of a wartime deployment.