The U.S. Navy sought a faster torpedo bomber for a large, coordinated daylight attack, while the Royal Navy valued a long-range aircraft able to attack in small nighttime groups. The Devastator's torpedo range compared unfavorably with the older Swordfish, and both aircraft were overtaken by the pace of development. Doctrine, communications, and attack timing mattered as much as the airframes themselves.
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Devastator and Swordfish reflected different strike doctrines
The Devastator and Swordfish were not simply old versus new: each was built around a different answer to range, night attack, and coordinated strike.