German U-Boat

The wakeless electrically powered T III (G7e) was Germany’s newest torpedo at the start of the war. Developed in secrecy and in contradiction to the Versailles Treaty, the British had no knowledge that the Germans had successfully developed an electrically powered torpedo, until some parts of it were discovered on the seabed in Scapa Flow, following the sinking of the battleship Royal Oak. While not as long ranged as its steam-powered counterpart, the benefits of wakelessness were considered to be more than offset the disadvantages. Thus this torpedo was more suitable for daylight attacks.

The TIII became the standard issue torpedo during the war, but it suffered from early problems with its depth-keeping device and firing pistol, but these were solved after the Norwegian campaign.

A peculiar characteristic of the T III was that the batteries had to be pre-heated prior to launch. The T III had a maximum range of 5,000 meters at 30 knots, but the range would be reduced to 1,280 meters if the batteries not been pre-heated. This torpedo was also more fickle, and had to be serviced every three to four days.

Range/Speed: 5000m at 30kt
Warhead: 280kg