Torpedo juice

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This article is about an alcoholic beverage. For the novel by Tim Dorsey, see Torpedo Juice (novel).


In the first part of the Pacific War, U.S. torpedoes were powered by a miniature steam engine burning 180- or higher-proof ethyl alcohol as fuel. The ethyl alcohol was denatured by the addition of 5–10% "pink lady", a blend of dye, methanol and possibly other ingredients. Methanol causes blindness when ingested, and cannot be made non-poisonous. The methanol was said to be (largely) removed by filtering the fuel mix through a compressed loaf of bread.





  1. ^ McIntosh, Gary L. (2004). War Diary: USS Stevens 1941-1946. Trafford Publishing. p. 35. ISBN 978-1-4120-3287-2. 
  2. ^ Ostlund, Mike. Find 'em, chase 'em, sink 'em, Globe Pequot, 2006, p. 88. ISBN 1-59228-862-6