Well, the early POS torpedos would not detonate, so why risk going in hot just to watch duds and then get the hell depth charged out of you?
The USS Tang sunk herself with a runaway torpedo. It blew the men topside into the water and they ended up as POWs. The Captain wrote the book Clear The Bridge. He was an exec on the Wahoo before it was lost. A good book. It was a risky business.