British harbor-attack specialization

British aerial torpedoes used a tension-wire arrangement intended to produce flatter water entry in shallow anchorages. The added equipment and weight reflected a particular interest in attacking fleets in harbor. Dive bombers, including the Skua, would complement the torpedo aircraft in the proposed force. Low-altitude approaches could make detection difficult for the early radar around Oahu, although detection remained possible. The counterfactual predicts an even more destructive attack, including the loss of all the capital ships present. That forecast rests on British harbor-attack specialization and night operations. It still leaves the United States with substantial naval power and further carrier construction, so even this predicted tactical disaster does not settle the wider war.