In 1866, Whitehead invented the first effective self-propelled torpedo, the eponymous Whitehead torpedo, the first modern torpedo. French and German inventions followed closely, and the …

Torpedo, cigar-shaped, self-propelled underwater missile, launched from a submarine, surface vessel, or airplane and designed for exploding upon contact with the hulls of surface vessels …

Torpedo comes to English by way of Latin torpēdō, which has two quite different meanings. It refers to a state of inertness, sluggishness, or lethargy, and it refers to a creature also known …

Robert Whitehead’s Invention: The modern torpedo was pioneered by Robert Whitehead, an English engineer. In 1866, he developed the first self-propelled torpedo in Fiume (modern-day …

2 days ago · Northrop Grumman has entered full production of the MK54 MOD 2 lightweight torpedo for the United States Navy, marking a major upgrade to the fleet’s anti-submarine …

TORPEDO definition: a self-propelled, cigar-shaped missile containing explosives and often equipped with a homing device, launched from a submarine or other warship, for destroying …

Dec 29, 2025 · Four Japanese torpedo boats launch an attack on the Suvorov. Despite burning steadily for several hours and now taking a torpedo to the stern, the ship still lashes out at its …

Aug 20, 2025 · Few weapons in naval warfare have captured the imagination and shaped maritime strategy quite like the torpedo. From its humble beginnings as a crude, unreliable …

The commander of a torpedo boat sends his unit in pursuit of a Japanese battleship.

Today’s definition of a torpedo is “a long metal cylinder with an explosive warhead, propelled through the water by an internal combustion engine or batteries.