[2] Unlike the Whitehead torpedo, which was manufactured out of steel, the Schwartzkopff was made out of bronze, enhancing corrosion resistance.

[4] At least one source states that Whitehead, "restrained by British security, had to invent a different torpedo for the Germans called the Schwarzkopf [sic].

[5] An 1887 Australian reporter's account of the Schwartzkopff's operation states that the weapon was launched from a torpedo boat and that it was driven by compressed air.

As delivered to the United States Navy, the Schwartzkopff torpedo was constructed in eight sections: war nose, warhead, immersion chamber, air flask, engine room, after body, bevel gear box and tail.

All the sections were manufactured out of bronze with the air flask made of a special grade to withstand the internal pressure of 90 atmospheres.