The appeal of the V1 lay in cheap torpedo craft that could offset an enemy's numerical advantage and be risked in close action. Small crews were part of that argument, although losing a boat was still undesirable. A V1 actually carried 74 people, close to the complement of much larger late S138 variants. The gun choice was also weak: the class received the 88 mm L/30, designed in 1892, when better 88 mm weapons existed. The criticism is that commitment to the small torpedo-boat concept outweighed an assessment of what the vessels needed to fight effectively.
Notable Point · 53:57-58:13
V1 economy retained large crews and weak guns
The supposedly expendable V1s still needed 74 crew and carried an 88 mm L/30 gun designed in 1892.