realism questions

[andqui]

I'm trying to play as realistically as possible, and I have a few questions:

1. Can anybody give me what mk. 14 torpedo settings are proper for what dates? And by proper I mean official, BuOrd recommendations. I want to know how they changed by date. For example, magnetic pistols from the begining of the war until ? date, when they realized they weren't working right. And were the magnetic pistols fixed, and put back into official recommendations eventually?

2. What date did the electric torpedoes start coming into widespread use? When they did, what was the typical loadout? 50/50? 75 steam / 25 electric?

3. Not really a realism question, but what is the radius from the player at which the game will not spawn ships? I think I recall it being something like 25 nm. Is this right?

thanks