Q&A · 1:50:58-1:51:45

How German torpedo failure saved Warspite in Norway

Warspite's fjord operation was far more dangerous than its outcome suggests because several German submarine torpedoes failed.

Question

How vulnerable was Warspite while operating in a Norwegian fjord?

Short answer

Extremely vulnerable; working German torpedoes might have hit her five or six times and sunk her.

Notes

The ship's survival can make the Norwegian operation appear safer in hindsight than it was. German submarines obtained firing opportunities, but their torpedoes did not work as intended. Effective weapons might have produced five or six hits. That weight of underwater damage could sink even a battleship, making weapons reliability rather than invulnerability the decisive factor.