I know this is an old post, but some thoughts have to be given to the Mk. 27 that has been mentioned.
Fisrt off, Mk. 27 was a defensive weapon. It was meant to be used against surface ships that were attacking the carrying submarine. To achieve the best results fire the weapon when the closing destroyer is making a lot of noise and when you are about to dive. It gives that destroyer something to occupy its time with while you try your ..... to get the f...k out of its way.
The weapon had a range of 5,000 yards, but using it with that range was well not done. It was designed to arm itself at 250 yards after leaving the tube. It had a speed of only 12 knots. And of course it was a passive homing torpedo.
Even though its 95 lb Torpex warhead was small, the weapon did prove an effective one. 106 units were expended during the last year of the war in combat. It achieaved 33 hits with 28 being fatel to Japanese ships. Yes this number seems low, but you have to remember and think about just how many of those 106 torpedoes kept a US sub from becoming a loss. The 'true' value in the weapon is the fact it drove the enemy off....
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