One of the most damaging secrets of World War II was the systematic failure of the U.S. Navy’s torpedo exploder mechanisms. The Mark 6 magnetic exploder and the contact exploder pins both proved defective under combat conditions, causing torpedoes to run too deep, detonate prematurely, or fail to explode on impact. Submarine commanders who correctly identified the problem were initially disbelieved by BuOrd, and months of patrols were spent at grave risk with weapons that refused to function. This April 1956 All Hands article revisited the faulty firing pin controversy, giving the Navy’s submariners belated recognition for their persistence in bringing the defects to light.
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