I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 265

Chapter 265: The Brennan Torpedo

After listening to Tigani's explanation, Charles realized that the "Brennan torpedo" of this period was not the same as the modern wire-guided torpedoes.

The main difference was that the "Brennan torpedo" used the guiding wire not only for control but also for power transmission.

"It is equipped with an electric engine," Tigani explained. "Our batteries can't store enough energy to propel it toward the target, and the generator is too large to fit inside the torpedo body, so we use shore-based power generation to supply it."

The method of generating power made Charles almost laugh. They even set up a boiler room for this torpedo, using a steam engine to generate electricity, which was then sent to the torpedo. The entire setup was like a small power plant.

(The diagram above shows the operating method of the "Brennan torpedo." It is generally deployed on land, with a lookout tower to observe the torpedo's direction, and the base personnel are informed via telephone to adjust the torpedo's trajectory using a "steering wheel.") It was clear that such a large torpedo system could not be taken aboard a torpedo boat.

It was even considered impractical to install it on a destroyer or battleship, as the internal space on those ships was extremely limited, and setting up a dedicated system for the torpedo, along with a lookout to assist, would be more trouble than it was worth compared to using traditional torpedoes with a bit of luck.

However, Charles quickly found a solution.

"Why don't we combine these two types of torpedoes?" Charles proposed. "I mean, take the best of both worlds."

"The best of both worlds..." Tigani suddenly understood. "You mean, install a guiding wire on a traditional torpedo, just for controlling its direction?"

Charles nodded.

By this time, the "Brennan torpedo" already existed, which meant that the electric control system for steering torpedoes was well-developed, and creating a similar system wouldn't be difficult.

Tigani stared blankly for a moment, then suddenly stood up, his face serious. "Thank you very much, Colonel. I'm not sure if this idea will work, but I need to ask them! Of course, there's also this..."

Tigani raised the document in his hand. "I'll come back to see you soon..."

"Wait!" Charles stopped Tigani, who was eager to leave. "Perhaps we should discuss the issue of the torpedo's range."

Tigani turned around like he'd been shocked, his face full of astonishment. "You—you have a way to increase the torpedo's range?"

...

In the 15th district of Paris, in a five-story villa by the Seine River, Wells, wearing pince-nez glasses, was buried in a pile of blueprints, looking utterly frazzled.

During this period, Wells had been working on implementing the two directions Charles had proposed: upgrading the destroyers and improving the torpedoes.

Upgrading the destroyers posed no technical difficulty for the Brest shipyard; it was merely a matter of considering the ship's speed, armor, and firepower.

The key point was that it had a clear objective: the speed needed to surpass that of cruisers and battleships, while the firepower and protection had to be superior to that of British destroyers.

This way, an asymmetric competition could form: the destroyer could escape from those that could match its firepower, and those that could keep up with it would be ineffective in front of it.

In a sense, it would be invincible, able to roam freely on the ocean, with no one able to catch it.

However, improving the torpedoes was more challenging.

The biggest headache was that it used compressed air to drive a turbine that powered the propeller, but compressed air contains only 21% oxygen, which limited the torpedo's range to about 2 kilometers.

(Note: Early whitehead torpedoes had a range of only 640 meters, but later models gradually improved to 10 kilometers.)

To increase the torpedo's range, the only solution seemed to be to increase its size to carry more compressed air, and there didn’t appear to be any other way.

Unless, like the "Brennan torpedo," it was powered by an electrical wire, which could, in principle, allow the torpedo to travel further.

But that was only "in theory," as the length of the wire in actual combat posed a risk of breakage from its own weight, making it difficult for the torpedo’s range to exceed 2 kilometers.

2 kilometers—the number seemed like a curse, firmly constricting Wells' mind and preventing him from surpassing it.

No matter the designer or the design, it couldn’t be done.

The more Wells looked at it, the more frustrated he became. Eventually, he threw the blueprints aside in a huff, stood up angrily, and pulled a cigar from his pocket, muttering irritably, "It's all rubbish. And someone wants to replace the air with oxygen? Don’t they know that would blow themselves to pieces?"

At that moment, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door.

Wells knew it was Tigani. He was puzzled—wasn’t Tigani supposed to be at the City Defense Headquarters?

Just as he thought that, Tigani burst through the door, almost jogging toward Wells' desk, out of breath as he said, "Father, we might have a way to improve the torpedo!"

Wells smiled and sat back in his chair. Did Tigani think he could make a breakthrough? With a mere army brigadier?

Tigani didn’t explain. He glanced at the desk, flipping through the documents and sketches before picking out two sheets and placing them in front of Wells. "Father, look at this. What do you think?"

"What?" Wells asked coldly.

One sheet was a traditional Whitehead torpedo, and the other was a "Brennan torpedo." What else could it be?

Tigani said nothing. He took the Whitehead torpedo and ripped off the blank section at the back, then stacked it on top of the "Brennan torpedo."

Wells froze for a moment, his pupils widening. "Wire-guided? A wire-guided Whitehead torpedo?"

"Yes!" Tigani nodded heavily. "We only control it without supplying power, so we just need to use a thin, light wire and a small battery that doesn’t require much power to control the Whitehead torpedo."

Tigani nodded thoughtfully. The wire was still a major problem.

If it only transmitted control signals without supplying power, it could be made thinner. The thinner it was, the lighter it would be, and the lighter it was, the further it could be launched.

But soon, Wells’ previously bright expression faded. The wire could connect further, but that didn’t matter much if the air supply remained insufficient. That was the real issue.

Tigani seemed to see through Wells’ thoughts. He continued, "Father, as for the range, Charles means that if we can’t find something else to replace the air, we can replace the explosives and fuel instead."

"Explosives and fuel?" Wells looked at Tigani in confusion.

"Yes!" Tigani said excitedly. "For example, a more powerful explosive formula that can penetrate battleship armor, requiring less space, and the same for fuel. If we can save space for both explosives and fuel, we can store more compressed air."

Wells’ eyes lit up.

It was a novel idea, and the logic was simple. But everyone had focused so much on the compressed air issue that they overlooked the easier-to-improve explosives and fuel.

At this thought, Wells couldn’t help but smile in delight.

He realized that supporting Charles was the right decision—his talent could bring about a revolutionary change in the navy!

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