26. Secrecy and Frugality Set the Stage for Disaster
The Mark 14 Torpedo’s concept of exploding directly before a target ship’s keel was good. It meant that a single Mark 14 would theoretically suffice to sink an enemy ship, regardless of size. Its predecessor, which relied on an impact detonator, usually required multiple torpedoes holing the enemy in various spots on the hull.
However, secrecy and frugality led to the live testing of only two torpedoes – and one of the two had been a failure. A 50% test failure rate however did not give the US Navy pause and prompt it to conduct further testing. Nor did it keep the Navy from approving the Mark 14 and issuing it to the US submarine fleet as its standard torpedo in 1938.