A fleet's strength is cumulative because torpedo-boat destroyers, cruisers, and battleships protect and enable one another. Even half a dozen destroyers, or the available cruisers positioned on the beams, could have forced U-24 to penetrate a screen rather than approach a single line of targets. The material comparison is harsh: a Topaze-class cruiser carried about 318 people and cost less to replace than a battleship with roughly 780 aboard. The purpose of a screen was to detect, disrupt, and divert an attack while keeping rescue possible, rather than to sacrifice escorts. Bayly's staff shared responsibility for the failure, yet command accountability ultimately rested with the admiral whose name was on the decision.
Notable Point · 59:48-1:01:36
Fleet strength depends on integrated screening
Destroyers, cruisers, and battleships had to work as a formation, because a capital ship without a screen could not use its own power against a hidden submarine.