Kongō's reported torpedo hits struck beneath the machinery spaces, well aft of the forward 14-inch magazine and separated from it by substantial subdivision. No major fire appears in the available accounts, so the path from flooding to the final explosion remains unclear. Capsizing alone would not normally detonate properly stored shells, particularly when the ship was sailing rather than firing. One speculative explanation is that anti-capture charges were armed during evacuation and detonated prematurely. An unrecorded chain of damage from the torpedoes remains possible, and the loss of much of the command structure leaves few witnesses who could explain what happened. Without a detailed wreck survey, the competing explanations remain unresolved.
Notable Point · 1:35:32-1:46:42
The unresolved cause of Kongō's magazine explosion
The distance between Kongō's torpedo hits and forward magazine leaves the final explosion difficult to explain without wreck evidence or surviving testimony.