Shackelton Torpedo

[oldpax]

Tried this on another well known forum but no replies,think there must be more ancient aviators on this forum!!
I was twice witness(as starter crew on MK2 SHACK) to two loads of ordnance falling to the ground after the nav and armourer got the 24 way bomb system wrong!The first load had depth charges (getting rid of old ones) practice bombs and sonobouys(?).The second load was similar but had a Torpedo ,I recall it was rather fat in diameter and had a slped nose ?Can anyone enlighten me as to what this type of torpedo would have been ,this is 1960.

[meleagertoo]

Originally Posted by oldpax

I recall it was rather fat in diameter and had a slped nose ?Can anyone enlighten me as to what this type of torpedo would have been ,this is 1960.

Google (your friend) revealed this to be a Mk30, capable of all of 2500m range at a heady 12Kts.

[Heathrow Harry]

Originally Posted by meleagertoo

Google (your friend) revealed this to be a Mk30, capable of all of 2500m range at a heady 12Kts.

fine against conventional subs at the time (1954) but not so good against an SSN I guess - but in the first Russian SSN's only started to come in about 1958/59 IIRC so still a useful weapon

Tho why we persisted with them to 1970 is another matter

[Herod]

That must have been fun...launching a torpedo from a Shack, and watching it pull ahead of you!!

[meleagertoo]

Originally Posted by Herod

That must have been fun...launching a torpedo from a Shack, and watching it pull ahead of you!!

If you could drop this from a Nimrod you'd watch it pull away...just 17 years later the USSR had this freakish thing operational!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VA-111_Shkval