Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 3:18:44-3:19:07

Was carrying spare torpedoes on deck worth the risk?

Extra torpedoes increased the danger from a hit, but their offensive value is judged worth the risk on an already vulnerable destroyer.

Damage ControlDestroyersTorpedoes
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Question

Was carrying spare torpedoes on deck worth the risk?

Short answer

They added risk if the ship was hit, but the extra torpedoes were judged useful enough to justify it.

Notes

A heavy hit already posed a serious danger to a destroyer. Spare torpedoes on deck increased that risk, yet also provided additional weapons after the loaded tubes had been fired. The extra offensive capacity is judged worth that additional danger. This is a preference about accepting risk in battle, rather than a claim that deck-carried torpedoes were harmless.