Jeune Ecole's enthusiasm for torpedo boats followed earlier ideas about disruptive weapons. Explosive shells came first, followed by the expectation that torpedoes could replace guns. Early torpedo proposals imagined launching from rowing boats or other small craft. The need to approach close enough for a reliable hit then made a fast delivery boat necessary. The doctrine's changing preferred weapon therefore involved repeated attempts to solve the practical problem of bringing it into action.
Notable Point · 20:06-20:49
Jeune Ecole moved from explosive shells to fast torpedo boats
The progression from explosive shells to torpedoes and fast delivery boats shows how a proposed decisive weapon still needed a workable means of reaching its target.