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April 2011 www.sname.org/sname/mt authors, it ranks with the Wright Flyer III , the Hughes ying boat, the research submarine Albacore, the Saturn rocket, and the Apollo Command module. e total cost was on the order P G N J M M J P O J O F B S M Z T N P O F Z B C P V U U I F T B N F B T U I F D P T U of a manned mission to the moon. e reader can decide how successful the project was in terms of what was recovered, and whether the expenditure was justied by the results. Perhaps the only criticism I would have is the confusion caused by the many false explanations provided by other authors, but described in this text. ere are eight appendi- ces that provide explicit details of the project. In my judgment, this book provides the most denitive explanation yet pub- lished of this highly classied eort. MTRon Kiss is a PE and past President of SNAME who was acting associate ad- ministrator for shipbuilding and ship operations at the Maritime Adminis- tration while the Glomar Explorer was berthed in the reserve ?eet. REVIEWED BY DR. JOHN SIRMALIS AND BERNARD MYERS The torpedo is a remarkable weapon. Its devel- opment over time has led to the design and evolution of new warships (destroyers, submarines, PT boats), torpedo-bear- ing aircraft, and new naval tactics, and it has had a major impact on 20th cen- tury warfare at sea. This book is a welcome history of the development, pro- duction, and employment of torpedoes. It has been said that the torpedo is one of the most complex weapons ever developed. In the early years development was accomplished through the eorts of highly-skilled artisans working without the solid scientic basis now available to todays torpedo developers. rough their eorts, remarkable progress was made. Judging by the numerous early inventors, a wide array of torpedo designs was built and tested. ere were numerous false starts and set- backs, but the evolution of early designs both in the U.S. and in Europe progressed rapidly, with major improvements to per- formance in speed, range, and warhead size, and in the control of the run in both horizontal and vertical planes. Many initial problems were encountered in each of these areas and were generally addressed in follow-on improvements. In some cases, however, the actual in-water performance was not fully known by the developers. is can especially be seen in the signicant problems uncovered with U.S. torpedo performance in the rst 18 months of World War II. is last topic is covered in detail. e problems with the exploder and depth mechanism caused by the war- time emphasis on torpedo production at the expense of realistic testing, extreme secrecy, and lack of ties between torpedo developers, production managers, and the eet, led to much adverse publicity. But once these problems were solved, the torpedo went on to greatly improved perfor- mance. American torpedoes are credited with sinking some 1,300 Japanese ships for a total of more than 5,100,000 tons of shipping, accounting for more than 50% of all Japanese World War II shipping losses. One of the lessons learned from these events is the importance of putting the eort and funding into rigorous in-water testing of all compo- nents of the torpedo, up through full-up system testing of the entire warshot conguration. A stronger emphasis on lessons learned from this period of torpedo history would have been worthwhile if for no other reason than to keep it in the minds of todays developers as not to be repeated. e books description of the evolution from straight- running to guided torpedoes recounts in some detail the advances made during World War II, including the rst homing torpedoes, nicknamed Fido and Cutie (Mk 24 and Mk 27), and concludes with todays advanced capability MK 48 torpedoes. Ship Killers oers a comprehensive overview of the full spectrum of torpedo development, starting around 1775 with pre-automobile devices up to the present. It also presents several sidebars covering German, Japanese and Russian tor- pedo developments. Covering as it does such a long period, the book oers a decent survey of torpedo history and man- ages to cover most major aspects. e rapid development of the MK 48 mod 4 torpedo in response to the Soviet Alpha submarine threat is notable. Because torpedo development has often followed dual paths, the authors have portrayed the history in a way that is not strictly chronological. Although this may be confus- ing at times, it does enable a more logical presentation of torpedo development. Ship Killers is a well-written and easily-read book that should attract a broad audience of readers, from those interested in a good overview to more serious history buffs. MTDr. John Sirmalis, PE, is a retired technical director of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center. Bernard Myers is a retired deputy technical director of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center. He recently edited A History of Torpedo Sys- tems Development 1869-2009 for the center. Ship Killers: A History of the American Torpedo By Thomas Wildenberg and Norman PolmarPUBLISHED BY THE NAVAL INSTITUTE PRESS