<P> The submarine became a potentially viable weapon with the development of the first practical self - propelled torpedoes . The Whitehead torpedo was the first such weapon , and was designed in 1866 by British engineer Robert Whitehead . His ' mine ship ' was an 11 - foot long , 14 - inch diameter torpedo propelled by compressed air and carried an explosive warhead . The device had a speed of 7 knots ( 13 km / h ) and could hit a target 700 yards ( 640 m ) away . Many naval services procured the Whitehead torpedo during the 1870s and it first proved itself in combat during the Russo - Turkish War when , on January 16 , 1878 , the Turkish ship Intibah was sunk by Russian torpedo boats carrying Whiteheads . </P>
<P> The submarine became a potentially viable weapon with the development of the first practical self - propelled torpedoes . The Whitehead torpedo was the first such weapon , and was designed in 1866 by British engineer Robert Whitehead . His ' mine ship ' was an 11 - foot long , 14 - inch diameter torpedo propelled by compressed air and carried an explosive warhead . The device had a speed of 7 knots ( 13 km / h ) and could hit a target 700 yards ( 640 m ) away . Many naval services procured the Whitehead torpedo during the 1870s and it first proved itself in combat during the Russo - Turkish War when , on January 16 , 1878 , the Turkish ship Intibah was sunk by Russian torpedo boats carrying Whiteheads . </P>
who invented the first submarine used in war
who invented the first submarine used in war
British engineer Robert Whitehead
British engineer Robert Whitehead