Gunboats supporting torpedo-boat night attacks

The gunboat's wartime role alongside torpedo boats resembled Tribal-class destroyers using gunfire to suppress lighter opponents while torpedo-oriented destroyers closed the range. William Fisher and Reginald Henderson are associated with an aggressive interwar night-fighting method: locate the enemy, approach without firing, and open fire as soon as hostile guns begin to train. Long-range torpedo attacks and carrier aircraft operating at night could first distract or damage the target, forcing destroyers and crews into rescue and damage-control work while heavier ships closed unseen. Britain remained imperfect at night fighting in 1939-40, but carrier pilots were at least trained to fly, take off, and land after dark. In the coastal version, gunboats approach from one direction, invite a response, and use enemy muzzle flashes to identify positions as torpedo boats attack from another direction. The method accepts danger to the gunboats in exchange for surprise and a clearer firing solution for the torpedo force. Gunfire fixes and exposes the opponent while torpedoes deliver the decisive blow.