Why navies could risk small attack craft

Motor torpedo boats resembled landing craft in one important respect: a navy wanted to preserve them but could afford to risk them. Their small size and relatively low replacement cost allowed commanders to accept missions that would be unreasonable for a major warship. That expendability did not make the crews disposable, but it changed the force commander's calculation about what could be committed. This helps explain why small craft undertook aggressive coastal operations despite their vulnerability.