Chester T. Minkler papers

Chester Minkler was born in Newport, Rhode Island on July 1, 1882, the son of Edward Watson and Charlotte Taylor Minkler. He was educated in the public school system, and began his government service career at the age of sixteen as a laboratory assistant at the Naval Torpedo Station on Goat Island. Minkler was an industrious worker who paid special attention to all aspects of mine and torpedo development associated with his job. In addition he spent many of his evening hours avidly studying mechanics, metallurgy, drafting, chemistry, physics, history, and methods of warfare.

Minkler's talent and enthusiasm in the field of underwater explosives was soon recognized. By the time of the U.S. entry into World War I he had completed a variety of experiments dealing with the hydrostatic detonation of underwater weapons, and had been promoted to the position of ordnance engineer. With the German success in submarine warfare during World War I, the British and American navies were suffering severe setbacks. It was at this point that Minkler's ideas became an invaluable reality. The British had been trying to counteract the German submarines using the depth charge, but their firing mechanism was unreliable and subject to premature explosion. Minkler on the other hand applied his hydnostatic detonation system ot the depth charge and produced a safe and accurate antisubmarine weapon. Minkler's system was both simple and ingenious. The piston was connected on one end to the firing mechanism and on the opposite end to a disc subject to hydrostatic pressure as the bomb descended into the water. The time required to build enough hydrostatic pressure to trigger the firing mechanism was calculated by the size of the disc, the weight of the bomb, and the spE:led of its descent. Since the time of detonation could be predicted with Minkler's firing system, the depth charges were used increasingly by the allied navies without risk to the firing vessels. Minkler's hydrostatic methods were also applied to drifting mines and horn mines used with much success against the German submarines in the North Sea. The impact of Minkler's improvements in underwater weapons resulted in the depletion of the German submarine menace which was a significant factor in the victory of the allied forces in World War I.

After the war Minkler continued his research at the Torpedo Station in Newport. During this time he was often assigned to temporary duty in Washington and various other locations as a consultant for underwater explosive research.

During World War II Minkler again worked diligently to improve the strength of the allied naval defense. He invented a torpedo recording mechanism designed to determine the relative positions of the torpedo and the target vessel at the time of detonation. This mechanism was used extensively in testing and improving torpedo accuracy. Minkler also developed a magnetically controlled torpedo firing mechanism. Instead of simply firing on impact, a torpedo with this device would explode at the point of maximum magnetic attraction with the target vessel. This mechanism greatly improved the impact of the allied naval defense by enabling a torpedo to explode at the most vulnerable point of its target.

Chester Minkler was a nervous and excitable man who enjoyed experimenting with explosives despite the dangers involved. He was also a very humble man who avoided publicity and the financial gain to which he was entitled. Although he was personally given credit for each of his inventions, Minkler granted all rights to his patents to the U.S. government free of charge.

After forty-four years of government service Minkler retired in 1942, but continued to serve the Torpedo Station as a consultant for three years without pay. He married Gertrude Ethelyn Braman in 1907, and died in 1972 at the age of eighty-nine.