“German cruisers and battleships were state of the art, with perhaps the best armor, damage control, and gunnery control systems in the world, but the British Navy shrugged off their losses when they fought, and sank, or chased into port, the German surface fleet”
Was it the Graf Spee that was sunk by a torpedo launched from a WW-1 era bi-plane?
The Bismark's rudder was disabled by a torpedo launched from a torpedo biplane, which was designed in the '30s and introduced in 1936.
Graf Spee was damaged by German ships, docked in Montevideo, Uraguay for repairs, and was then scuttled by her captain, who realized his ship would be destroyed once it left port.
The Bismark's rudder was disabled by a torpedo launched from a Fairey Swordfish torpedo biplane, which was designed in the '30s and introduced in 1936.
Graf Spee was damaged by German ships, docked in Montevideo, Uraguay for repairs, and was then scuttled by her captain, who realized his ship would be destroyed once it left port.
The Bismark was hit by a torpedo launched by a Swordfish torpedo plane. It didn't do much damage -- but it did jam the rudder, leaving the ship sailing around in a circle.
The Germans had very modern, sophisticated anti-aircraft guns on the Bismark, designed to mechanically assist the gunners as they tracked enemy planes. Unfortunately for the sailors on the Bismark, the system was so modern that there not a speed setting, for the target's speed, that matched the Swordfish, because, being a canvas covered bi-plane, it flew more slowly than the slowest setting on the AA guns.
But that just goes to prove my point. The Brits got in one lucky hit, and were lucky again that the rudder was turned -- it it had not been they could have maneuvered the ship with the screws.
We need enough planes that we can lose a few to dumb luck, and still get the job done.