Langley exercises make torpedo air attack a fleet problem

Langley's first exercises show an experimental carrier beginning to reshape fleet assumptions. Torpedo-bomber attacks against unescorted battleships are artificial in setup, but the Navy treats the exercise as a worst-case test worth learning from. Arkansas receives eight simulated hits from eighteen torpedoes, while other weapons continue into the formation, exposing how slowly the battle line can evade a concentrated aerial attack. The design consequence is air-group arithmetic: if some aircraft will be lost or blocked, the carrier has to launch enough for the required number to reach the target.