The Swordfish was easy to maintain, simple to fly at night, and able to absorb damage, but its torpedo-release system supplied the decisive technical advantage. A tension wire and fins forced the torpedo into a flat, shallow entry instead of a deep dive that might strike the seabed. Work begun around 1925 did not produce broadly deployed equipment until 1937-38, after years of design and testing. The system shows how an apparently obvious naval-air capability required a long technical path before it was dependable.
Notable Point · 38:28-42:12
Why Swordfish torpedo attack depended on a long technical path
The Swordfish became effective because its torpedo-launching system solved the difficult problem of getting a torpedo into the water safely.