The simulation returns to its tactical finish with the British light cruisers increasingly dependent on four-inch guns and torpedoes rather than their main six-inch batteries. A 30-knot cruiser chasing a 31-knot opponent has little closing speed, so reaching an effective torpedo position is slow and dangerous. The formation divides, and Pearl commits to a close attack after earlier long-range torpedo fire has failed to settle the engagement. Pearl's successful salvo sinks the heavier ship, prompting the explicit conclusion that torpedoes give a cruiser another way to finish a fight after its main ammunition is depleted. This simulation result illustrates ammunition endurance, relative speed, and the value of retaining secondary weapons without claiming that every historical engagement would unfold the same way.
Notable Point · 44:43-47:22
Ammunition exhaustion and the torpedo finish
As six-inch ammunition runs out, the simulated British cruisers must use closing geometry, four-inch guns, and a torpedo attack to finish the heavier raider.