Second World War torpedo-bombing performance cannot be projected back into the early 1920s. Aircraft range, release accuracy, and torpedo reliability were all still developing when the Washington Treaty was negotiated. The path from the Sopwith Cuckoo to the Fairey Swordfish included wooden stabilizing fins and later tension-cable arrangements for the torpedo. These refinements explain why treaty delegates could not yet treat a carrier air group as a reliably ship-killing force.
Notable Point · 22:51-23:44
The development path from Cuckoo to Swordfish
Reliable carrier torpedo attack emerged through years of aircraft, weapon, and release-system refinement rather than arriving fully formed.