GWDG - Torpedo: Innovation and Change in Naval Warfare 1800-1950, Allen "Owl" Parmet 

The “automotive” torpedo was invented 60 years before the Great War but its impact on Naval operations was not manifest until 1914. Torpedoes affected every aspect of Naval operations from ship design, harbor defense and combat tactics. Deployed on submarines, the torpedo altered the course of World War I and ultimately brought the United States into the conflict.