From wooden fireships to uncrewed attack boats

Would a World War II fireship plan have worked if suitable boats had remained available?

The specific plan remains unidentified. In general, explosive boats must survive defensive fire long enough to reach their target, and adequate rapid-fire weapons should make that difficult.

The particular Second World War fireship plan in the question is not identified, so the answer turns to the conditions that make explosive boat attacks work. Wooden hulls remain naturally buoyant after damage, whereas metal craft must retain enough structural integrity and buoyancy to reach the target. Campbeltown and Italian and Japanese explosive boats provide related examples, although they do not establish which plan the questioner intended. Modern Ukrainian uncrewed surface craft are compared to remotely controlled torpedoes travelling on the surface. Their usefulness is acknowledged, but the assessment is that sufficient rapid-fire weapons should be able to disable small boats before impact. That argument makes the defender's equipment and readiness central to judging the attack's chances.