Magnetic detonators were probably part, though not necessarily all, of the Swordfish torpedo problem. Royal Navy aerial torpedoes depended on a controlled water entry, and North Atlantic waves could damage or destabilize weapons dropped at an imperfect height. Replacing magnetic detonators with contact fuzes also gave returning pilots a clear equipment fix rather than telling them their demanding first attack had failed through pilot error. The resulting simple narrative served immediate morale even if the technical causes were more complicated.
Notable Point · 1:02:31-1:07:41
Torpedo failures, rough seas, and aircrew morale
A nuanced account of why Ark Royal's torpedoes failed against Sheffield and why blaming magnetic detonators helped prepare aircrews to attack again.