As a lieutenant, Richardson commanded the torpedo boats Tingey and Stockton, an early test of independent leadership. The Navy's political sponsors favored impressive battleships while underfunding cruisers and destroyers, leaving the fleet short of smaller supporting combatants. That shortage made a torpedo-boat command a selective opportunity for a promising junior officer. Each vessel carried three one-pounder guns and three 18-inch torpedo tubes, modest firepower for a posting that still carried prestige.
Chapter · 9:49-12:29
Torpedo-boat command in an unbalanced fleet
Richardson's first torpedo-boat commands reveal both his early promise and the US Navy's shortage of smaller supporting combatants.