How did the Japanese Type 95 compare to the American Mark 14 submarine torpedo?
The following table is a comparison of the standard, high-speed torpedoes used by Japan and the US during WW2. The Japanese Type 95 is a little larger and a little faster. However, using pure oxygen rather than compressed air gives the Type 95 much greater range at 46 knots. The range of the Type 95 was nearly three times that of the Mark 14 torpedo, carried by U. S. submarines, at that same 46 knot speed. It also carried a warhead that was one-third larger than that of the American Mark 14.
| Japanese Type 95 (1935) | US Mark 14 (1931) | |
| Diameter | 21 inches (.533 meters) | 21 inches (.533 meters) |
| Length | 281 inches (7.13 meters) | 246 inches (6.25 meters) |
| Weight | 3,671 pounds (1,665 kg) | 3,215 pounds (1,458 kg) |
| Maximum speed | 50 knots | 46 knots |
| Ranges | 9,900 yards at 50 knots | 4,500 yards at 46 knots |
| 13,000 yards at 46 knots | 9.000 yards at 31 knots | |
| Warhead | 893 pounds (405 kg) | 660 pounds (300 kg) |
| Fuel | kerosene fuel; pure oxygen | 180 proof ethanol; compressed air |
The Japanese Type 95 Mod 2 had an even larger warhead but sacrificed some range. That warhead weighed about 550 kg or 1,210 pounds.