12.75 inch Mark 46 (324 mm)

12.75 inch Mark 46 (324 mm) captured in-flight

Description

The 12.75 inch Mark 46 is an American lightweight anti-submarine torpedo introduced in 1963 (in Mod 0 variant), which was quickly replaced in 1967 by Mod 1, addressing initial issues with the propulsion system. Torpedo has seen a series of upgrades until the replacement arrived in 1990 - the Mark 50 Barracuda. Still, struggling with high cost, the Mark 49 received Service Life Extension Programme, and eventually new, cheaper, derivative, the Mark 46 Mod 8, was being developed in 1994 merging the two torpedoes into what eventually became the Mark 54 torpedo, finally replacing the Mark 46 series in 2004.

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

• Chikugo

General info

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Effective damage

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Comparison with analogues

• SET-40 (400 mm) - A Soviet lightweight anti-submarine torpedo. Compared to the Mark 46, it is much slower but has almost double the explosive mass and a slightly longer range

Usage in battles

Characteristic blunt nose of the Mark 46, and a triple launcher on Chikugo (here in the Sea Biathlon event camouflage)

As submarines are not in War Thunder, the Mark 46 will have to be used against surface ships, which with its pathetic explosive mass of 44.5 kg means it will only be effective on boats or sub-chasers. Because it cannot destroy most ships in a single hit, it should be used in conjunction with gun fire to destroy ships. You can soften up targets first by setting them on fire and disabling weapons, before launching a few torpedoes to finish it off, or use it to disable a ship's engines first, and then dissect it with the main battery.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Very fast speed of 91 km/h, can be somewhat reliably used against fast vessels

Cons:

• Tiny explosive mass of 44.5 kg, a destroyer can tank a full salvo of 3 torpedoes

History

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Media

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See also

• 12.75 inch Mark 44 - Similar lightweight anti-submarine torpedo found on the Lübeck

External links

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• topic on the official game forum;
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