The immediate answer to massed torpedo boats was a large volume of quick-firing gunfire. Sinking the launch platform could prevent several torpedoes from entering the water. That logic led to larger torpedo boats carrying guns and then to destroyers able to intercept threats farther from the protected fleet. The comparison with modern drone boats and 76 mm guns raises the same question of how far away a fleet should engage a threat. A cheaper close-range interception can leave the defended ship exposed to greater risk. Enthusiasm for lasers also draws criticism here: it may partly avoid acknowledging that earlier gun reductions went too far, while ships still need protection before the new weapons become viable.
Notable Point · 5:51-9:42
Quick-firing guns establish layered fleet defence
Quick-firing guns and armed torpedo-boat destroyers show why fleets try to defeat an attacker at range rather than wait to engage its incoming weapon.