Small boats as massed ambush forces

Small attack craft were short-range ambush predators rather than miniature ships of the line. Their intended method was to approach in darkness and mass many boats against one larger formation. Numbers allowed a force to distribute torpedoes and firing opportunities while accepting that individual boats were vulnerable. The tactic depended on surprise, local knowledge, and favorable conditions, so enemy action and sea state often reduced its theoretical advantage. That helps explain both the appeal of flotilla attacks and their uneven wartime results.