Torpedo, Electric.
(a) A fish, the Raia Torpedo, which possesses the power of giving
electric shocks. (See Ray, Electric.)
(b) An instrument of war; a torpedo whose operations include electrical
discharge or other electric function or factor of operation.
Torpedo, Sims-Edison.
A torpedo driven by an electric motor, and also steered by electricity.
Its motions are all controlled from the shore. The torpedo proper is
carried some distance below the surface of the water by a vessel
immediately above it, from which it is suspended by two rigid bars. In
the torpedo is a cable reel on which the conducting cable is disposed.
An electric motor and controlling gear are also contained within the
torpedo. In its front the explosive is placed. It is driven by a screw
propeller actuated by the electric motor. As it moves it pays out cable
so that it has no cable to draw after it through the water, the cable
lying stationary in the water behind it. This avoids frictional
resistance to its motion. The maintenance of the torpedo at a proper
depth is one of the advantages of the system.