Human and accidental factors resist clean quantitative modelling. HMS Warspite and HMS New Zealand serve as examples of ships whose records seem to display extraordinary luck, while Warspite's experience at Narvik shows multiple German submarine attacks failing for different reasons. USS Texas becomes a thought experiment about why a statistically weaker ship may still inspire caution because of its crew, identity, and record. In both steam and sailing warfare, leadership, training, powder handling, and a freak shot can overturn an apparently straightforward comparison.
Notable Point · 19:51-23:26
Crew quality and luck resist naval simulation
Warspite, New Zealand, and Texas illustrate why statistics and simulations cannot fully reproduce crew confidence, leadership, freak hits, or luck.