Interwar training and the destroyer's need for decisive action

Destroyers lacked the armor and sustained firepower for a leisurely exchange with a powerful opponent. Their officers were therefore trained to seek decisive action, deliver torpedoes or gunfire quickly, and disengage before the enemy could exploit its greater endurance. This was calculated aggression rather than recklessness, but it still required captains willing to risk their ships. Hesitation could be more dangerous than attack because it surrendered the brief chance to land torpedoes before a larger enemy brought its power to bear.