Q&A · 26:09-26:36

Why missiles displaced surface-ship torpedoes

A viewer asks why surface ships largely stopped using anti-ship torpedoes; the answer is that missiles offer much greater reach.

Question

What largely ended the use of torpedoes against surface ships?

Short answer

Anti-ship missiles largely replaced them because they can strike at much longer range and a mission kill is often sufficient.

Notes

A ship has finite space and must choose between anti-ship torpedoes and anti-ship missiles. Missiles reach far beyond the practical engagement range of surface-launched torpedoes while still being capable of a mission kill. The choice concerns which weapon makes the best use of scarce shipboard volume for a particular target set, rather than whether torpedoes ceased to be useful. Torpedoes remain important in anti-submarine warfare, while missiles became the more useful long-range anti-surface weapon.