Torpex began as a torpedo explosive before it became widely available as a filling for other weapons. British 18-inch and 21-inch torpedoes were under development in the late 1930s. The 21-inch Mark IX** reached full use with a new engine and Torpex warhead, and its internal arrangement appears better suited to that combination than to the earlier TNT configuration. The fit suggests that designers understood the coming explosive well enough to shape internal space and performance around it before mass deployment.
Chapter · 23:11-25:39
Torpex and the Mark IX torpedo develop together
Late-1930s British torpedo work appears to have anticipated the new explosive's compact, more powerful warhead.