Was the Mark 14 the worst weapon HMS Vernon ever encountered?
Short answerNo. Alex points to an air-pressure torpedo working like a water rocket as a worse idea, while leaving the separate Blackburn connection uncertain.
NotesAlex rejects the Mark 14 as the worst weapon encountered by HMS Vernon. He points to a full history titled The Vernon Story, 1872-1986, recalling the author's name as Ian Poland, and a shorter 1930-1955 history attributed to Ed Webb and published in 1956. A Blackburn missile idea also comes up, but the response does not specifically confirm that Vernon tested it. The eventual example is an air-pressure torpedo described as working like a water rocket. It is offered as an especially poor experimental idea, with its performance discussed in the next follow-up.