The original Bangalore torpedo was designed in 1912 by Captain
McClintock, an engineer who worked for Bengal, Bombay and Madras
Sappers and Miners.
Developed in Bangalore, India, the original design was not intended
for warfare, but to clear pre-existing barbed-wire obstacles
leftover from the Boer War and Russo-Japanese War.
The World War II era M1A1 Bangalore Torpedo was a pipe-shaped Class
V anti-personnel mine-clearing charge capable of blasting a ten- to
20-foot wide path through a minefield or section of barbed
wire.
Short connecting sleeves were used to attach the threaded ends of
two or more tubes in order to create a longer explosive device. A
rounded nose sleeve was placed on the leading end of a tube in
order to push the tube through obstacles. The torpedo was set off
by placing a blasting cap in the recessed end cap well and igniting
it with a time-delayed (electric or non-electric) fuse.
The Bangalore torpedo is still employed today by the United States
Army. A modern M1A2 Bangalore torpedo kit contains 10 five-foot
torpedo sections, 10 five-inch connecting sleeves, and 1 nose
sleeve.
Tube Length: 5' Tube
Diameter: 2 1/8"
Tube Wall: 24 gauge
Weight: 13 lbs. (9 pounds of explosives)
Explosive Type: TNT
Connecting Sleeve: 5" Nose Sleeve: 3 3/4"[/img]
