As ichso said, it depends on the ship. Second World War heavy warships had torpedo belts, special protrusions designed to absorb torpedo hits without causing damage to the actual hull.
This of course would not affect merchants at all. A torpedo hit that missed the boilers or engines would not necessarily slow down, but the ship would be forced to slow as it settled in the water (more drag) or started to list (changing the effective shape of the ship). There are many variables, but the first ones would be how much damage was actually caused and how much damage there was in relation to the ship's size and power.
__________________
“Never do anything you can't take back.”
—Rocky Russo
|