In this assessment, British anti-submarine warfare is stronger than Japan's, while early American submarines have yet to become the highly effective boats of the later Pacific war. Many of the better American designs were not available in 1939. The Mark 14 torpedo and its Mark VI exploder therefore become serious vulnerabilities if a shooting war exposes their defects early. The comparison separates paper specifications from demonstrated reliability and asks whether an institution will admit that a weapon has failed.
Chapter · 16:01-17:34
Submarines, anti-submarine warfare, and an unproven torpedo
The episode treats anti-submarine warfare and the Mark 14 torpedo as major variables in a conflict that begins before American wartime lessons are learned.