Torpedo failures, rough seas, and aircrew confidence

Five torpedoes detonated prematurely during the mistaken attack on Sheffield, and faulty magnetic detonators received much of the blame. The Royal Navy's tension-wire system helped a dropped torpedo enter the water horizontally, but pilots had to judge the release height against an uneven sea. If the wire ran out too early, or a wave clipped the tail, the entry could damage the weapon. Contact detonators were less fragile, although changing detonators did not establish that one fault explained every failure. The change also offered the aircrews a reason to trust the next attack before repeating a dangerous mission. Mass torpedo attacks against a moving ship at sea remained relatively unfamiliar compared with exercises or attacks in harbour.