Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 5:03:02-5:03:56

An Army troubleshooter fixes the Mark 14 torpedo

General Barnes is judged capable of fixing the Mark 14, despite the unusual decision to give an Army officer responsibility for a Navy weapon.

Bureau Of OrdnanceErnest J. KingInterservice CooperationMark 14 TorpedoWeapons Testing
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Question

What if Admiral King put General Barnes in charge of fixing the Mark 14 torpedo in 1942?

Short answer

Barnes would get it fixed, although no technical repair method is proposed.

Notes

Barnes would get the Mark 14 fixed in this counterfactual. The unusual feature is Admiral King's willingness to entrust a Navy torpedo problem to an Army officer associated with tank destroyers. The prediction expresses confidence in Barnes without proposing a technical sequence for diagnosing or correcting the defects.