Robert Whitehead - Key Innovations

Key Innovations

Whitehead added two important features to the torpedo.

  • A self-regulating device that kept the torpedo at a constant preset depth. This consisted of a hydrostatic valve and pendulum balance, connected to a horizontal rudder, which controlled the running depth.
  • Gyroscopic stabilization to fix the torpedo's direction. In 1898, Whitehead purchased the newly invented gyroscope mechanism from Ludwig Obry, who was also a naval officer.

Whitehead was fiercely jealous of his trade secrets, and employees were often sworn to secrecy about the guidance mechanisms employed in his torpedoes.

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