Quote:
Originally Posted by Capt Jack Harkness
Isn't the range shorter than the blast radius?
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Depends on how you look at it / who you ask. 10, 11 and 15kt yeilds have been quoted for the W34 (same warhead as in the Mk 101 Lulu nuclear depth charge) and according to tests the minimum safe range is 4500 yards @ periscope depth (weapon range is 12-15,000 yards @ 40 knots). Not sure what the depth the torpedo was set to detonate at though. The biggest thing though is, due to the "positive control" aspect of the weapon it had to be wire-guided the whole way and detonation was triggered by the submarine, so anybody launching one of these can't really take any evasive action to try and escape.
As for the conventional Mk 45 "Freedom Torpedo" from what I can tell these were never seriously considered by the USN and I'm not eve sure if any foreign customers bought any. I think both Turkey and Iran were interested (under the Shah the Iranians were buying the ex-USS Trout and I think the conventional Mk 45s were going to come along with it) but this didn't happen due to Cyprus and the Iranian Revolution.