Share This Article HMS Pathfinder was the first ship sunk by this. Submarine-fired self-propelled torpedo Dive-bomber attack Limpet mine attached by a diver Ship-launched guided missile Submarine fired self-propelled torpedo. On September 5, 1914, Germany’s U-21 fired a single 50CM Type G torpedo at the scout cruiser HMS Pathfinder. The stricken ship broke in two and sank in minutes. Out a crew of 268, only 18 survived the attack.