I just finished reading the single best article I've ever read regarding the faulty torpedoes on the
US Sub Vets of WWII website. Click the link and select "Faulty Ordinance to read the whole thing. I'll quote a small part of it:
Quote:
Perhaps Admiral Lockwood encapsulated the submariners' long frustration best when he suggested at a wartime conference in Washington that, "If the Bureau of Ordnance can't provide us with torpedoes that will hit and explode . . . then for God's sake, get the Bureau of Ships to design a boat hook with which we can rip the plates off a target's side." Although his submarines never had to resort to such measures, history has tended to overlook their early months of struggle, focusing instead on the final two years of their campaign.
What must never be forgotten is the fact that just over 50 years ago, submariners were forced to engage the enemy for 18 months with ordnance that proved to be at least 70 percent unreliable. Often, Japanese merchantmen would enter port with unexploded Mark XIV torpedoes thrust into their hulls.
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Sounds like my occasional portrayals of Admiral Lockwood may not be far off the mark!