The Whitehead torpedo creates a new way to attack warships

The self-propelled Whitehead weapon differed from the mines often called torpedoes during the American Civil War. Its first design dated to 1866, followed by development in Britain and Austria-Hungary. Robert Whitehead contributed funding and engineering, Giovanni Luppis supplied initial design ideas, and Peter Brotherhood developed engines that helped make the weapon practical. A torpedo could let a small platform open a flooding path below the waterline of a much larger armored ship. The Royal Navy bought production rights early, yet did not rebuild the whole fleet around the invention. Its adoption raised practical questions about production capacity, accuracy, and delivery at a useful range.