Frank McDowell Leavitt
Encyclopedia
Frank McDowell Leavitt was an American
engineer
and inventor. Leavitt devised one of the earliest machines for manufacturing tin can
s and later invented the Bliss-Leavitt torpedo
, the chief torpedo weapon used by United States Navy
in World War I
. Leavitt was part of an emerging cadre of American engineers whose design feats were putting United States manufacturing might on the map at the dawn of the twentieth century.
, on March 3, 1856, the son of Rev. John McDowell Leavitt
, later president of Lehigh University
, and his wife Bethia (Brooks) Leavitt of Cincinnati, Ohio
. Leavitt married Ohio
-born Gertrude Goodsell at Brooklyn, New York, on November 8, 1893, and settled in Brooklyn Heights, New York
, where he pursued his career as an engineer.
Within a decade of his marriage, Leavitt had patented an early – and lucrative – process to manufacture tin cans. By 1904 he turned his attention to weaponry: Shortly afterwards Leavitt began working with the civilian contracting firm E. W. Bliss & Co. of Brooklyn to design a new type of torpedo. The recently concluded Russian-Japanese War had caught the attention of United States Naval
officials, because both nation's fleets had lost most of their battleships to underwater explosives. The race was on to perfect the deadly armaments, and the United States Navy
was becoming the world leader in torpedo technology.
Previous torpedoes were powered by radial engines powered by compressed air. Leavitt's idea was to use steam turbines to drive the torpedo. In 1904 Leavitt designed a new class of torpedoes, manufactured by his employer the Bliss Company. The first model of the inventor's new torpedo was called the Bliss-Leavitt Mk 1. The weapon was powered by a single-stage, vertical turbine engine, fuelled by alcohol used to heat the air before entering the engine.
The design was seen as groundbreaking in the armaments race. "New, Deadlier Torpedo," headlined The New York Times
in a front-page story on the development. "Missiles Equipped with Turbine Engines the Navy's Latest Acquisition". In the story that followed, The Times noted that "the United States Government is supplying its Navy with a new engine of destruction which will be a deadly step in the evolution of modern warfare.... The new invention is known as the Bliss-Leavitt torpedo." The new devices, the newspaper noted, would cost the government $4,000-to-$6,000 apiece.
The design was revolutionary, but not without problems. The single-stage turbine engine drove a single propeller, which had a tendency to develop unbalanced torque and thus to roll in the water, throwing off its accuracy. The manufacturer and its inventor Leavitt corrected the problem in subsequent models of the Bliss-Leavitt torpedo by using a twin-turbine engine driving twin propellers, thus steadying the armament's waterborne trajectory. The Bliss-Leavitt Mk 2 and Mk 3 models of the weapon incorporated improvements to the design by Lt. Gregory Davison of the United States Navy
. Ultimately, the Brooklyn manufacturing company introduced a Bliss-Leavitt Mk 4 model, an 18-inch torpedo used in the torpedo boats and submarine
s of the era.
The Bliss Company had long enjoyed a close relationship with the United States Navy, acting as the virtual sole supplier of torpedoes to the service. But an English competitor emerged, Whitehead, and the competition between the two firms subsequently drove torpedo technology forward, resulting in a flurry of new models following the turn of the twentieth century. In short order the Bliss Company turned out its Mk 6 model, which used horizontal turbines and could be launched above-water (but with limited range of 2,000 yards). A subsequent Mk 7 was the next great leap of technology, utilizing a water spray into the engine's combustion chamber to create a steam-powered torpedo.
The Bliss-Leavitt Mk 7 was so cutting-edge that its design changed the face of naval warfare. Building on inventor Frank M. Leavitt's initial design, and incorporating his later improvements, the Mk 7 had a range of 6,000 yards at a brisk clip of 35 knots. The torpedo carried 326 pounds of TNT or TPX
explosive. The Bliss-Leavitt Mk 7 was introduced into the United States Navy
Fleet in 1912, and the design proved so resilient and far-sighted that it remained in use for an unprecedented 33 years – up to and including service in World War II
. (During the Second World War, the Mk 7 was used to arm reactivated World War I destroyers still carrying 18-inch torpedo tubes. Also pressed into service during the conflict were several subsequent models of Bliss-Leavitts, including the Mk 9, Mk 11 and Mk 12).
The Navy considered the new weapon so essential to its arsenal that it sued in federal court in 1913 to prevent the Bliss Company from revealing any details of its manufacture to foreign countries. In its petition asking an injunction preventing company officials from telling British officials the technical details of the revolutionary torpedo, Assistant United States Attorney General Malcolm A. Coles told a U.S. District Court Judge that the court must "protect the right arm of the nation's defense" – the Navy – by granting a U.S. Government request for an injunction preventing Bliss from revealing the technical specifications of the weapon to a British company.
During the First World War, most United States Navy ships were still functioning chiefly as anti-submarine escorts, and the use of torpedoes as offensive weapons was limited. On May 21, 1917, the USS
destroyer
Ericsson
reportedly fired a single torpedo at a German U-Boat
. But the German Navy
, on the other hand, subsequently put the torpedo at the centerpiece of its naval efforts – a pairing of ship and weapon that would prove devastatingly effective during World War II
.
, on August 6, 1928. The Ohio-born inventor and his wife had no children. His sister Anna Brooks Leavitt, who married USN Commander
James C. Cresap, had a grandchild named in honor of the inventor: U.S. Navy Lieut. Commander Frank McDowell Leavitt Davis, who graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy
at Annapolis
. Lieut. Commander Davis later commanded a Naval torpedo bombing plane squadron in World War II, and perished while on duty in a Navy plane crash off Malta
in 1946. Frank McDowell Leavitt Davis is honored with a plinth at the Naval Academy cemetery. Frank M. L. Davis and his father, Lieut. Ralph Otis Davis, both were assigned to the Navy submarine service.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
and inventor. Leavitt devised one of the earliest machines for manufacturing tin can
Tin can
A tin can, tin , steel can, or a can, is a sealed container for the distribution or storage of goods, composed of thin metal. Many cans require opening by cutting the "end" open; others have removable covers. Cans hold diverse contents: foods, beverages, oil, chemicals, etc."Tin" cans are made...
s and later invented the Bliss-Leavitt torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
, the chief torpedo weapon used by United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Leavitt was part of an emerging cadre of American engineers whose design feats were putting United States manufacturing might on the map at the dawn of the twentieth century.
Early life and career beginnings
Frank M. Leavitt was born at Athens, OhioAthens, Ohio
Athens is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Athens County, Ohio, United States. It is located along the Hocking River in the southeastern part of Ohio. A historic college town, Athens is home to Ohio University and is the principal city of the Athens, Ohio Micropolitan Statistical Area. ...
, on March 3, 1856, the son of Rev. John McDowell Leavitt
John McDowell Leavitt
Rev. Dr. John McDowell Leavitt, D.D., LL.D. was an early Ohio lawyer, Episcopal clergyman, poet, novelist, editor and professor. Leavitt served as the second President of Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and as President of St...
, later president of Lehigh University
Lehigh University
Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...
, and his wife Bethia (Brooks) Leavitt of Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
. Leavitt married Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
-born Gertrude Goodsell at Brooklyn, New York, on November 8, 1893, and settled in Brooklyn Heights, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, where he pursued his career as an engineer.
Within a decade of his marriage, Leavitt had patented an early – and lucrative – process to manufacture tin cans. By 1904 he turned his attention to weaponry: Shortly afterwards Leavitt began working with the civilian contracting firm E. W. Bliss & Co. of Brooklyn to design a new type of torpedo. The recently concluded Russian-Japanese War had caught the attention of United States Naval
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
officials, because both nation's fleets had lost most of their battleships to underwater explosives. The race was on to perfect the deadly armaments, and the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
was becoming the world leader in torpedo technology.
Previous torpedoes were powered by radial engines powered by compressed air. Leavitt's idea was to use steam turbines to drive the torpedo. In 1904 Leavitt designed a new class of torpedoes, manufactured by his employer the Bliss Company. The first model of the inventor's new torpedo was called the Bliss-Leavitt Mk 1. The weapon was powered by a single-stage, vertical turbine engine, fuelled by alcohol used to heat the air before entering the engine.
The design was seen as groundbreaking in the armaments race. "New, Deadlier Torpedo," headlined The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
in a front-page story on the development. "Missiles Equipped with Turbine Engines the Navy's Latest Acquisition". In the story that followed, The Times noted that "the United States Government is supplying its Navy with a new engine of destruction which will be a deadly step in the evolution of modern warfare.... The new invention is known as the Bliss-Leavitt torpedo." The new devices, the newspaper noted, would cost the government $4,000-to-$6,000 apiece.
The design was revolutionary, but not without problems. The single-stage turbine engine drove a single propeller, which had a tendency to develop unbalanced torque and thus to roll in the water, throwing off its accuracy. The manufacturer and its inventor Leavitt corrected the problem in subsequent models of the Bliss-Leavitt torpedo by using a twin-turbine engine driving twin propellers, thus steadying the armament's waterborne trajectory. The Bliss-Leavitt Mk 2 and Mk 3 models of the weapon incorporated improvements to the design by Lt. Gregory Davison of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. Ultimately, the Brooklyn manufacturing company introduced a Bliss-Leavitt Mk 4 model, an 18-inch torpedo used in the torpedo boats and submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s of the era.
The Bliss Company had long enjoyed a close relationship with the United States Navy, acting as the virtual sole supplier of torpedoes to the service. But an English competitor emerged, Whitehead, and the competition between the two firms subsequently drove torpedo technology forward, resulting in a flurry of new models following the turn of the twentieth century. In short order the Bliss Company turned out its Mk 6 model, which used horizontal turbines and could be launched above-water (but with limited range of 2,000 yards). A subsequent Mk 7 was the next great leap of technology, utilizing a water spray into the engine's combustion chamber to create a steam-powered torpedo.
Bliss-Leavitt Torpedo Changes the Game
"In 1912, the E. W. Bliss Company produced its finest torpedo to date, the Bliss-Leavitt Mk 7," writes Anthony Newpower in his authoritative Iron Men and Tin Fish. "This innovative design featured the use of steam, generated from water sprayed into the combustion pot along with the fuel. The resulting mixture dramatically boosted the efficiency of the torpedo, leading to markedly improved performance."The Bliss-Leavitt Mk 7 was so cutting-edge that its design changed the face of naval warfare. Building on inventor Frank M. Leavitt's initial design, and incorporating his later improvements, the Mk 7 had a range of 6,000 yards at a brisk clip of 35 knots. The torpedo carried 326 pounds of TNT or TPX
Torpex
Torpex is a secondary explosive 50% more powerful than TNT by mass. Torpex is composed of 42% RDX, 40% TNT and 18% powdered aluminium. It was used in the Second World War from late 1942. The name is short for Torpedo Explosive', having been originally developed for use in torpedoes...
explosive. The Bliss-Leavitt Mk 7 was introduced into the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
Fleet in 1912, and the design proved so resilient and far-sighted that it remained in use for an unprecedented 33 years – up to and including service in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. (During the Second World War, the Mk 7 was used to arm reactivated World War I destroyers still carrying 18-inch torpedo tubes. Also pressed into service during the conflict were several subsequent models of Bliss-Leavitts, including the Mk 9, Mk 11 and Mk 12).
The Navy considered the new weapon so essential to its arsenal that it sued in federal court in 1913 to prevent the Bliss Company from revealing any details of its manufacture to foreign countries. In its petition asking an injunction preventing company officials from telling British officials the technical details of the revolutionary torpedo, Assistant United States Attorney General Malcolm A. Coles told a U.S. District Court Judge that the court must "protect the right arm of the nation's defense" – the Navy – by granting a U.S. Government request for an injunction preventing Bliss from revealing the technical specifications of the weapon to a British company.
During the First World War, most United States Navy ships were still functioning chiefly as anti-submarine escorts, and the use of torpedoes as offensive weapons was limited. On May 21, 1917, the USS
United States Ship
United States Ship is a ship prefix used to identify a commissioned ship of the United States Navy and only applies to a ship while she is in commission. Before commissioning, she is referred to as "Pre Commissioning Unit" .After decommissioning, she is referred to by name, with no prefix.From the...
destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
Ericsson
USS Ericsson (DD-56)
USS Ericsson was an built for the United States Navy prior to the American entry into World War I. The ship was the second U.S...
reportedly fired a single torpedo at a German U-Boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
. But the German Navy
German Navy
The German Navy is the navy of Germany and is part of the unified Bundeswehr .The German Navy traces its roots back to the Imperial Fleet of the revolutionary era of 1848 – 52 and more directly to the Prussian Navy, which later evolved into the Northern German Federal Navy...
, on the other hand, subsequently put the torpedo at the centerpiece of its naval efforts – a pairing of ship and weapon that would prove devastatingly effective during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Final years and legacy
Frank M. Leavitt, who served as chief engineer for the E. W. Bliss Company for many years, died at his home in Scarsdale, New YorkScarsdale, New York
Scarsdale is a coterminous town and village in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the northern suburbs of New York City. The Town of Scarsdale is coextensive with the Village of Scarsdale, but the community has opted to operate solely with a village government, one of several villages...
, on August 6, 1928. The Ohio-born inventor and his wife had no children. His sister Anna Brooks Leavitt, who married USN Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
James C. Cresap, had a grandchild named in honor of the inventor: U.S. Navy Lieut. Commander Frank McDowell Leavitt Davis, who graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
at Annapolis
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
. Lieut. Commander Davis later commanded a Naval torpedo bombing plane squadron in World War II, and perished while on duty in a Navy plane crash off Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
in 1946. Frank McDowell Leavitt Davis is honored with a plinth at the Naval Academy cemetery. Frank M. L. Davis and his father, Lieut. Ralph Otis Davis, both were assigned to the Navy submarine service.
External links
- Steam Pumping Engine, United States Patent Office, Frank M. Leavitt
- Steering Apparatus for Automobile Torpedoes, F. M. Leavitt, United States Patent Office, December 25, 1906
- Power Consumed in Propelling The Whitehead Torpedo at Various Speeds, Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers
- Lieut. Commander Frank McDowell Leavitt Davis, United States Navy, United States Naval Academy Cemetery & Columbarium
- Newport and Navy Torpedoes: An Enduring Legacy, Mary Anne Cowell, Edward C. Whitman, GlobalSecurity.org
- The Bliss-Leavitt Line
- The History of the Torpedo and the Relevance to Today's U.S. Navy, Russell Thomas, Naval History Museum
Further reading
- Hellions of the Deep: The Development of American Torpedoes in World War II, Robert Gannon, Penn State Press, 1996, ISBN 027101508X
- Iron Men and Tin Fish: The Race to Build a Better Torpedo During World War II, Anthony Newpower, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006, ISBN 027599032X
- The Devil's Device: The Story of Robert Whitehead, Inventor of the Torpedo, Edwyn Gray, Published by Seeley, 1975, ISBN 0854221042
See also
- TorpedoTorpedoThe modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
- Mark VIIIMark VIIIMark VIII or Mark 8 often refers to the eighth version of a product, frequently military hardware. "Mark", meaning "model" or "variant", can be abbreviated "Mk."Mark VIII or Mark 8 can specifically refer to:-In military and weaponry:...
- List of torpedoes
- John McDowell LeavittJohn McDowell LeavittRev. Dr. John McDowell Leavitt, D.D., LL.D. was an early Ohio lawyer, Episcopal clergyman, poet, novelist, editor and professor. Leavitt served as the second President of Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and as President of St...