Schwartzkopff torpedo The Schwartzkopff torpedo was a torpedo manufactured in the late 19th century by the German firm " Eisengießerei und Maschinen - Fabrik von L . Schwartzkopff " , later known as Berliner Maschinenbau , based on the Whitehead design . Unlike the Whitehead torpedo , which was manufactured out of steel , the Schwartzkopff was made out of bronze , enhancing corrosion resistance . Design . In 1866 Robert Whitehead , working on a design by Giovanni Luppis , perfected what came to be known as the Whitehead torpedo . Whitehead ' s Fiume torpedo works then became a meeting place for business associates and potential customers . One such visitor was Louis Victor Robert Schwartzkopff , the owner of the German firm Berliner Maschinenbau . On the last night of Schwartzkopff ' s visit , a disturbance had reportedly taken place in the plant ' s drawing room . In the morning , it was discovered that someone had broken in and stolen a set of torpedo plans . Whitehead maintained that Schwartzkopff had nothing to do with the affair . A few months after , Schwartzkopff ' s company unveiled a new product , the Schwartzkopff torpedo . It looked very similar to the Whitehead torpedo and in fact featured Whitehead ' s " Secret " pendulum - and - hydrostat control system . At least one source states that Whitehead , " restrained by British security , had to invent a different torpedo for the Germans called the Schwarzkopf . Operation . An 1887 Australian reporter ' s account of the Schwartzkopff ' s operation states that the weapon was launched from a torpedo boat and that it was driven by compressed air . A torpedo could be fully charged with air within 7 or 8 minutes and that this was enough to drive the torpedo for 600 yards . The explosive utilized was compressed guncotton which was fired by a detonator placed at the point of the torpedo and ignited by percussion when the torpedo hits a resisting body . The United States Navy purchased 12 Schwartzkopff torpedoes in 1898 , this naval service ' s one and only acquisition of the Schwartzkopff product . As delivered to the United States Navy , the Schwartzkopff torpedo was constructed in eight sections : war nose , warhead , immersion chamber , air flask , engine room , after body , bevel gear box and tail . However , it was typically dismantled and assembled into four parts : the head , immersion chamber , air flask and after body . All the sections were manufactured out of bronze with the air flask made of a special grade to withstand the internal pressure of 90 atmospheres per square inch . Deployments . During the First Sino - Japanese War ( 1894 – 1895 ) , both the Chinese and Japanese navies were equipped with Schwartzkopff torpedoes . The Chinese Navy had the first opportunity to employ their torpedoes during the Battle of Yalu River , but none were able to hit their targets . This poor performance was attributed to improper maintenance of the weapons by the Chinese . Five months later , during the Battle of Weihaiwei , the Japanese sent torpedo boats to attack the Chinese fleet . Firing eleven Schwartzkopff torpedoes , the Japanese managed to sink three Chinese warships . It was the most successful deployment of torpedoes at that point in history .