"Dan" wrote

The old torpedoes did burn alcohol. The running gag in McHale's Navy TV
series and many movies is they would drink the stuff. If memory serves it
wasn't safe to drink since it was wood alcohol. The problem with alcohol
burning in torpedoes is you get wakes that can be seen visually and heard
by hydrophones. That's why they went to batteries for electric drive. That
and gyros could be electric instead of pressure driven.

Interesting, but your post made me run to Goggle and investigate. I did not
think batteries were the only thing being used, because we had a very
controversial hazardous waste incinerator nearby, and it burned a LOT of old
torpedo fuel, which was said to be very nasty stuff.

The fuel used since WWII was called OTTO fuel , and later OTTO II fuel. It
of course has its own oxidizer in the fuel.

The history of the torpedo since WWII is split between chemical fuel and
battery power for propulsion. The battery gained ground until the Soviet
subs got so fast that the battery powered torpedoes were not fast enough,
then the chemical fuels came back. The methods of combustion ranged from
steam generation for turbines or jet propulsion, to combustion engines, some
with radical designs like pistons driving external swashplates.

So, if OTTO fuels contain alcohol, I might be guilty of breathing my torpedo
juice.... g

Nevertheless, I have done some pretty strange tool modifications, with a
minimum of sophisticated tools at hand.

This was only a crude drill modification. It does not have to be perfect to
work well. Modify, measure, test, repeat as necessary, to get desired
result.

Or was that the instructions on my shampoo? ;-)
--
Jim in NC