Close-range weapons against uncrewed suicide boats

Will warships regain anti-torpedo-boat-style weapons to defeat fast suicide drones on the surface?

Yes in function: navies are already upgrading heavy machine guns and other close-range mounts to counter small uncrewed attack boats.

Explosive uncrewed boats are a modern version of the close surface threat once posed by torpedo boats and attack craft. The response does not necessarily require recreating a historical weapon category from scratch. Existing manually or remotely operated heavy machine guns can be upgraded, as seen in Royal Navy moves toward .50-calibre weapons. Other navies are making similar improvements to close-range mounts and sensors. The trend points toward more deliberate short-range surface defence layered alongside missile and gun systems intended for larger targets.