Within a few days the cause was traced to a firing pin that was mounted athwart-ships such that when the torpedo hit a target dead-on ( ninety degree track angle ) the deceleration forces slowed the pin's motion in its bearings and its spring couldn't move it fast enough to set off the explosive train.
12.
Straight running torpedoes were usually launched in salvo ( i . e . multiple launches in a short period of time ) or a spread ( i . e . multiple launches with slight angle offsets ) to increase the probability of striking the target given the inaccuracies present in the measurement of angles, target range, target speed, torpedo track angle, and torpedo speed.
