Navies did take torpedoes seriously before the First World War. One answer was to use rapid-firing guns to destroy attacking torpedo craft before they could launch effectively. Many early wartime submarines still functioned more like submersible torpedo boats, which helps explain why surface anti-torpedo defence centred on rapid-firing guns and screens. The simulated action shows destroyers defeating the opposing screen before being destroyed in turn by battleship secondary batteries. Battleships relied on secondary weapons and the ability to engage several targets alongside the main-battery duel.
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Destroyer screens and stopping torpedo attacks
A fleet action shows why rapid-firing secondary guns and destroyer screens mattered in the age of the torpedo.