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===History===
The problem of aiming a [[torpedo]] has occupied military engineers since [[Robert Whitehead (engineer)|Robert Whitehead]] developed the modern torpedo in the 1860s. These early torpedoes ran at a preset depth on a straight course (consequently they are frequently referred to as "straight runners"). This was the state of the art in torpedo guidance until the development of the [[homing torpedo]] during the latter part of [[World War II]].<ref name=othertorps>There were other forms of torpedo guidance attempted throughout WWII. Notable are the Japanese human-guided ''[[Kaiten]]'' and German [[G7e#G7e/T3|pattern running]] and [[acoustic homing]] types for attacking convoys. Today, most submarine-launched torpedoes are wire-guided with terminal homing.</ref> The vast majority of submarine torpedoes during World War II were straight running, and these continued in use for many years after World War II.<ref name=USMk14his>{{cite web|url = http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/1592/ustorp5.htm|title= Part Five: Post WW-II Submarine Launched/ Heavyweight Torpedoes|access-date=2006-07-26|author= Frederick J Milford|date= October 1997|work= US Navy Torpedoes|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060523064716/http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/1592/ustorp5.htm|archive-date=2006-05-23}}</ref> In fact, two World War II-era straight running torpedoes — fired by the British nuclear-powered submarine {{HMS|Conqueror|S48|6}} — sank {{ship|ARA|General Belgrano}} in 1982.
During [[World War I]], computing a target intercept course for a torpedo was a manual process where the fire control party was aided by various [[slide rule]]s<ref name=fleetsub>{{cite web | title = Torpedo Data Computer | work = FleetSubmarine.com | year = 2002 | url = http://www.maritime.org/tdc.htm | access-date = 2006-07-03 | archive-date = 2012-07-17 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120717035001/http://maritime.org/tech/tdc.htm | url-status = dead }}</ref> (the U.S. examples were the [[Mark VIII Angle Solver]] (colloquially called the "banjo", for its shape), and the "Is/Was" circular sliderule ([[Nasmith Director]]), for predicting where a target will be based on where it is now and was)<ref>Holwitt, Joel I. ''"Execute Against Japan"'', Ph.D. dissertation, Ohio State University, 2005, p.147; Beach, Edward L., Jr. ''Run Silent, Run Deep''.</ref> or mechanical calculator/sights.<ref name = dread>{{cite web |title = Firing a Torpedo Using A Mechanical Computing Sight |work=The Dreadnought Project |url =http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php/Torpedo_Director|year=2000
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