Swordfish carried 18-inch aerial torpedoes, lighter than many surface- or submarine-launched weapons. A hit near a turret exploited an area where the protective system was thinner because of the design trade-offs needed for speed. The failure against that warhead raises an uncomfortable question about how the Pugliese system might have fared against heavier 21- or 24-inch surface- and submarine-launched torpedoes. Yet the flooding remained sufficiently even for the ship to settle rather than roll. Underwater protection therefore has to be judged by the location and pattern of damage as well as by whether it prevents flooding entirely.
Notable Point · 27:00-28:18
An aerial torpedo tests the Pugliese defence system
Taranto exposed both the vulnerability and the partial value of Littorio's torpedo-defence arrangements when struck by relatively small aerial torpedoes.