The episode traces a tactical problem from pre-dreadnoughts into the dreadnought era. Heavy guns could fight at long range, but small craft might be hard to see and hit among wave tops, so four-inch batteries remained useful against torpedo attackers. Tiger's six-inch guns addressed a different requirement by adding damaging fire against enemy battlecruisers during the closing phase. That extra power came with a sharp risk because effective six-inch range was also torpedo range. The simulated loss of Tiger to one fortunate torpedo makes the tradeoff concrete and helps explain why capital ships carried torpedoes of their own.
Notable Point · 53:23-55:29
From anti-torpedo defence to closing weapons
The move to all-big-gun ships did not eliminate the need for smaller weapons: four-inch guns answered torpedo craft, while six-inch guns offered a way to finish larger opponents.