Surface ASW ships once carried wire-guided torpedoes that could theoretically use the ship's long-range sonar throughout an attack. The most ambitious US proposal would have installed Mark 48 torpedo tubes on Knox-class frigates. Vietnam-era financial pressure left too few Mark 48s in production to arm both the submarine force and the frigates, so the surface-ship plan was dropped. It was not revived when US naval finances recovered.
Notable Point · 28:55-29:18
Mark 48 scarcity cancels a Knox-class armament plan
A plan to arm Knox-class frigates with wire-guided Mark 48 torpedoes failed because production could not support both submarines and surface escorts.