In World War I, torpedoes shaped naval organization even when they did not produce the decisive battle outcome planners expected. The Grand Fleet and other formations needed destroyers to screen against surface and submarine threats, while convoy demands competed for the same scarce escorts. Jutland demonstrated that having more guns and torpedoes did not automatically yield the annihilating victory public expectations had been built around. The Harwich Force also had deterrent value because German planners had to account for the possibility of a mass night torpedo attack.
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World War I made torpedoes a force-structure problem
The threat of torpedo attack drove destroyer requirements for the Grand Fleet, battlecruisers, the Harwich Force, and convoy protection.