How would the US Navy respond if a four-carrier Taranto raid devastated the Italian fleet?
Short answerIt would probably strengthen harbor warning, air defense, and torpedo protection, although the British shallow-water release system might remain hidden and its lesson therefore be misunderstood.
NotesIf a four-carrier raid destroyed several Italian battleships and heavy cruisers, the scale of the result would be harder for American planners to overlook. Possible responses include more torpedo nets and a review of Pearl Harbor's air defenses. Japan would also have reason to investigate how British torpedoes worked so well. Identifying the belly-flop release system from wreckage would be difficult because a few more cables on the seabed would look unremarkable among sunken ships. The observers might instead blame inadequate radar warning. A stronger reaction to the attack would therefore not guarantee that either navy correctly understood its technical cause.