Video
Torpedoes and their Ships 1900-39: Patreon 54 (Long Patrol)
Study Torpedoes and their Ships 1900-39: Patreon 54 (Long Patrol), a Dr. Alex Clarke video from 28 May 2022, with 19 time notes. Topics include Destroyers, Naval Doctrine, Naval Warfare, 1900–1939.
Time notes
- 0:54The torpedo's giant-killer promiseChapter
Why the self-propelled torpedo seemed to let a small craft destroy a capital ship, and why that appealing idea needed careful scrutiny.
- 6:46What made an early torpedo difficult to buildNotable Point
Warhead, fuel, engine, and straight-running controls all had to work together in an early self-propelled torpedo.
- 9:36Why wonder weapons do not end naval judgmentNotable Point
The torpedo begins a recurring pattern: every supposedly scientific war-winning weapon invites a counter and restores the value of judgment.
- 12:43How torpedo prestige made small ships useful overseasNotable Point
HMS Lightning, HNoMS Rap, and torpedo-armed British sloops show how a disputed battleship-killing reputation could still make small ships useful overseas.
- 14:02Small torpedo boats versus real engagement rangesChapter
Early torpedo craft looked dangerous on paper, but short ranges, gunfire, and a target's ability to turn made their attacks far less certain.
- 15:03Jeune École: torpedo boats as a substitute for a fleetChapter
French plans for torpedo boats ran into the practical mechanics of blockade and fleet operations.
- 19:41Fisher's flotilla defence as a force enablerNotable Point
Jackie Fisher used destroyers, submarines, and minefields to free the battle fleet for operations elsewhere.
- 22:23Five overlapping ways to use torpedoesChapter
Five overlapping doctrines describe torpedo sniping, mass, firepower, darkness, and manoeuvre, with each approach adding to the others.
- 24:39Why one Dreadnought left Britain's lead catchableNotable Point
The launch of HMS Dreadnought reset battleship competition, but building only one immediately gave rivals time to imagine that they could catch Britain.
- 24:39Why a Dreadnought was a difficult torpedo targetNotable Point
A long-range torpedo attack on a conspicuous Dreadnought had to beat its speed, manoeuvre, and rapid-firing defensive guns.
- 31:03Mass, firepower, and the origin of destroyersChapter
Massed torpedoes complicated fleet manoeuvre, while gun-armed torpedo-boat destroyers and light cruisers evolved to defeat the attackers.
- 34:20When a torpedo attack becomes too valuable to riskNotable Point
As torpedo forces became larger, more capable, and more expensive, commanders had stronger reasons not to spend them casually.
- 36:32Night attacks, Long Lance, and the supply problemChapter
Japanese long-range night attacks and British gun-torpedo coordination show why torpedoes depended on visibility, ammunition supply, and tactical preparation.
- 39:40Tassafaronga: experience and culture shape survivalNotable Point
The Battle of Tassafaronga illustrates how expectations about submarine danger and evasive movement affected a torpedo attack's results.
- 42:20Mass and manoeuvre in Second World War torpedo attacksNotable Point
Destroyers could use smoke and coordinated attacks from several bearings to make one massed torpedo threat much harder to evade.
- 43:16When better communications slow commandNotable Point
Telegraph, radio, and headquarters links can tempt distant leaders to overcontrol local officers until permission delays become a combat weakness.
- 46:32Torpedo results in the Russo-Japanese War and JutlandChapter
The historical record shows torpedoes influencing decisions and manoeuvre even when gunfire caused more losses.
- 50:33Harwich Force and training for aggressive commandChapter
Harwich Force and interwar Royal Navy exercises show how independent destroyer practice could cultivate aggressive but calculated command.
- 56:40Torpedo aiming as art and scienceNotable Point
A successful torpedo attack combines calculation with a judgment about where a moving opponent will be.