The Pugliese system promised layered protection at its thickest point, but its effectiveness depended on shape and hit location. A well-placed torpedo could drive through a weak part of the cylindrical geometry rather than meeting the system at its most favorable section. At Taranto the ships were not moving, which removed the hydrodynamic context of a torpedo hit and made carefully aimed attacks more dangerous. The segment is a useful caution against judging underwater protection from its paper design alone.
Notable Point · 35:34-38:26
Pugliese protection and the danger of a stationary target
The raid exposed how the Pugliese torpedo-defence system could fail when well-aimed weapons struck the wrong part of its geometry.