An item referred to the magazine The Engineer dated 10 August 1877 reporting that the tests with Whitehead fish torpedoes executed on the Danube made clear that the irregular currents influenced the course of a torpedoes in negative sense causing very irregular curved courses.(1)
Note
1. The Ottoman navy tested some Whitehead torpedoes manufactured at Fiume and used for this purpose the compressed air chargers sent by the factory for this purpose. Some torpedoes were prepared at the quay of Braila to be used on the Danube resulting in the same problems as the German navy experienced. The courses of the torpedoes were only reliable in smooth water, the slightest current was catastrophic for the course. The main conclusion was that at the moment torpedoes were unreliable unless their steering improved considerable.
Note
1. The Ottoman navy tested some Whitehead torpedoes manufactured at Fiume and used for this purpose the compressed air chargers sent by the factory for this purpose. Some torpedoes were prepared at the quay of Braila to be used on the Danube resulting in the same problems as the German navy experienced. The courses of the torpedoes were only reliable in smooth water, the slightest current was catastrophic for the course. The main conclusion was that at the moment torpedoes were unreliable unless their steering improved considerable.
