Today in military history: Gulf of Tonkin Incident
On Aug. 4, 1964, the U.S. retaliated against reported North Vietnamese patrol (PT) boat attacks in the Gulf of Tonkin. The Gulf of Tonkin Incident is the catalyst for the…
These were Britain’s ‘manned torpedoes’ in World War II
You’ve probably heard about Japan’s Kamikaze tactics, and maybe you’ve even heard about Japan’s manned rockets and torpedoes. But, oddly enough, Japan wasn’t the only combatant in World War II that had manned torpedoes. Britain used manned torp…
Why America’s World War II torpedoes were horrible
During World War II, the U.S. Navy had some of the most advanced weapons available, like artillery shells with proximity fuses that detonated at set distances from their target. But they also had a secret weakness: Many of their torpedoes would expl…
The largest aircraft carrier sunk in WWII was hit by four torpedoes
It takes a lot to sink an aircraft carrier, even in the days when aircraft carriers weren’t massive floating cities like they are today. But during World War II, there…
The World War II origins of Navy ‘Torpedo Juice’
Going to any bartender that knows their craft and ordering a “torpedo juice,” means you’ll get a cocktail that’s two parts alcohol (any alcohol) and three parts pineapple juice. It’s…
‘The Galloping Ghost of the Java Coast’ was claimed to be sunk 6 times in World War II
The USS Houston was launched in 1929 as a light cruiser, but the treaties signed after World War I required the United States to list it as a heavy cruiser….
The Japanese Navy tried to destroy the Golden Gate Bridge with torpedoes
In the wake of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the American people were left stunned and unsure of what the near future would hold. It left…
‘Exercise Tiger’: The training exercise that might have torpedoed D-Day
If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing well. Nothing has even been more with doing than invading occupied France in 1944. If the Allies were going to successfully land…
This is what a modern torpedo does to a ship
If you have seen films from “Operation Pacific” to “Run Silent, Run Deep,” the portrayals of torpedo attacks have often involved a spread of torpedoes, hoping to get at least one hit to cripple an enemy vessel allowing the sub to close in and …
Remembering the USS Indianapolis (CA 35) on its 75th Anniversary
In the first minutes of July 30, 1945, two torpedoes fired from Japanese submarine I-58 struck the starboard side of USS Indianapolis (CA 35). One ripped off the ship’s bow, followed by another that hit crew berthing areas and kno…