The trade-off behind a 24.5-inch fleet torpedo

How would adopting a 24.5-inch torpedo change destroyer and cruiser operations?

It could improve range and damage, but its size would sharply constrain reloads and the number of firing opportunities.

Torpedo size is a force-design problem rather than a simple gain in warhead weight. A 24.5-inch weapon would be heavier to handle and could prevent destroyers from carrying reloads that were possible with smaller torpedoes. Fewer weapons mean fewer shots, so any gain in range or destructive effect must compensate for reduced ammunition. A larger body might also permit a more powerful and potentially more reliable warhead, but only if accuracy and the rest of the weapon remain dependable. The operational result could be more sinkings or merely a different balance between hit probability and damage per hit.