Mousetrap (ASW Marks 20 and 22) was an anti-submarine

rocket A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely fr ...

used mainly during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

by the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

and

Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...

. Its development began in 1941 as a replacement for

Hedgehog A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are seventeen species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introductio ...

, a British-made projector, which was the first forward-throwing ASW weapon. Those, however, were spigot-launched, placing considerable strain on the launching vessel's deck, whereas Mousetrap was rocket-propelled. As a result, Mousetrap's four or eight rails for rockets saved weight and were easier to install. The rockets weighed each, with a

Torpex Torpex is a secondary explosive, 50% more powerful than TNT by mass. Torpex comprises 42% RDX, 40% TNT and 18% powdered aluminium. It was used in the Second World War from late 1942, at which time some used the names Torpex and RDX interchange ...

warhead A warhead is the forward section of a device that contains the explosive agent or toxic (biological, chemical, or nuclear) material that is delivered by a missile, rocket, torpedo, or bomb. Classification Types of warheads include: * Expl ...

and

contact pistol A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, any ve ...

, exactly like Hedgehog. By the end of the war, over 100 Mousetrap Mark 22s were mounted in U.S. Navy ships, including three each on 12 destroyers, and submarine chasers (usually two sets of rails).

Statistics

* Round weight: * Warhead: * Range: about * Firing speed: one round every 3 seconds (maximum) * No. of rails: ** Mark 20: 4 ** Mark 22: 8

Citations

Bibliography

External links

ASW Weapons of the United States of America
at NavWeaps

at NavWeaps {{U.S. WW2 rockets Anti-submarine missiles of the United States Explosive weapons Military equipment introduced from 1940 to 1944 Naval weapons of the United States World War II naval weapons World War II weapons of the United States