The Thunder fish, type 91 torpedo (modification 2), was a shallow water aerial torpedo that was designed for and used in the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Conventional torpedoes when launched from aircraft would dive to 100 ft before turning up to hit their targets. The waters of the lagoon at Pearl Harbor were much shallower so wooden fins were added to allow for shallow launching at low altitude.
The words Thunder fish is literally translation of Japanese gyorai that means "torpedo" (gyo = fish, rai = thunder).
The tactic was practised at a bay on Kyūshū island which resembled Pearl Harbor before being used in the attack in December 1941, launched from "Kate" (B5N) bombers. The plan for attack was designed by naval air strategist Minoru Genda for Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto in the face of opposition from the majority Japanese navy view that victory could be achieved by the "The Great All-Out Battle" tactic of luring United States battleships into a major action at sea.
The torpedo measured 18 feet 0 inches (5.49 m) in length, with a diameter of 1 foot 5.7 inches (0.450 m), and weighed 1,841 pounds (835 kg), with an explosive charge of 452 pounds (205 kg). It had a range of 2,200 yards (2,012 m) and a speed of 42 knots. A slight variant was used to sink HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse, launched from "Betty" (G4M) bombers in an action in the South China Sea three days after Pearl Harbor on December 10, 1941.
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