That was more likely due to torpedo shortages and not the craft's inability to effectively carry two torpedos in combat. Read the following where the pilot describes both torpedo shortages and the unfortunate and dangerous neccessity of bringing back live torpedos due to the shortage. :
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Dal: "My mission log shows that I flew 20 war missions: 6 with bombs, 5 with torpedo and 9 as armed escort or armed patrol. Armed escort was usually with bombs which we would drop on any ship or formation which was approaching or threatening the vessels we were escorting - usually cargo ships. Armed patrol was with a torpedo, which we would launch against any ship we would intercept before turning back and giving their position, via radio, to the Air Command of Sardinia. On one occasion (March 1, 1943) I came back with the torpedo because I couldn't get close to the British formation due to the strong opposition of their fighter planes. Considering the escort and patrol missions, I guess that of my 20 missions, 10 were with bombs and 10 with torpedo."
[ Note: Bringing back a torpedo was not without risk. In J. Sadkovich's Italian Navy in WWII he mentions the actions the Sardinian Torpedo squadrons of the Airforce assisted in. Air launched torpedo shortages were constant. American aircraft were told to salvo bombs and torpedoes especially if the fields they had to return to were as rough as were the one at Milis. I asked Dal about shortages. ]
"Our group in Sardinia was isolated and took orders from the Air Force general in charge of the island. If the order from headquarters was to go out with the bombs because there were no torpedoes we wouldn't have known. We received all armament from the main warehouse and we followed orders without inquiring why this and not that. Therefore, if there were shortages we were not told. We knew of spare parts shortages because very often the answer to our requests was "Not in stock". In such cases we had to find a way to fix the old or damaged ones . I remember cases when, for lack of tires we would have our "specialists" make do by using some wire or tape to keep them from jumping off the rims. As for the mounting of torpedoes or bombs on the plane there was no problem because the plane was the same old "bombardier" with the addition of some outside hooks to carry the torpedo; no other conversion was necessary."
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Another interesting addition to AHII would be the "mad bomb" ... even though this pilot admits never (personally) getting to use them in combat.
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"My war missions were 5 as a bombardier and 15 as a torpedo pilot, all against the British Fleet, with the SM 79 and the SM 84. My first mission was on May 10, 1941 with the bombs and the last one on March 27, 1943 with the torpedo. The "mad bombs" (bombe matte) were actually small torpedoes which, were parachute retarded, entered the water when released from the parachute and, with the rear propeller going, they would go around in an expanding spiral until they hit something or exploded by themselves at the end of their run. I had some training with them but never had occasion to use them in a war mission. My training as torpedo pilot started at the end of 1940 and my torpedo missions took place from Jan. '42 to March '43."
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http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Runway/9601/corradini.htmlIt certainly doesn't sound like a second torp mount for ferrying purposes was the actual design intent nor practice. Besides ... if you can "ferry" it ... you can carry it.
