21. Refusing to Acknowledge and Address a Problem
The US Navy ignored a flood of reports from submarine commanders complaining about the Mark 14. In one incident, a submarine’s skipper fired two spreads totaling a dozen torpedoes at a large Japanese whaler, but only managed to cripple it. Then, with the enemy ship dead in the water, he maneuvered his submarine and carefully positioned it so that his torpedoes would have a perfect angle of impact, and fired off 9 more Mark 14s. Not a single one detonated.
Despite myriad reports detailing the Mark 14’s shortcomings, it took the Navy two years from the start of hostilities to even acknowledge the possibility that a problem might exist, and to conduct tests to find out what, if anything, was wrong. The tests verified what American submariners had been complaining about all along. Remedial steps to address the problems were finally begun – two years later than should have been the case.
Also Read: Failed Double-Barrel Cannon and Other Weapons That Absolutely Flopped.
