A 90 degree hit is far LESS likely to explode at all for an early war Mk14 torpedo. The contact fuse would break unless it hit at an angle.
The range? That should make zero difference in the least. The only place the range could possibly make any difference would be at the very end of a run if it was coasting and slowing down. Seriously, how can range affect lethality of a torpedo, exactly? A faster torpedo could possibly penetrate a thin-skinned merchant before detonating, but the speed is independant of range for most of the run. Closer to the sub, it should actually be slower, but accelerating. There is no possible other physics involved in a short range attack other than ease of hitting in the first place.
A couple stories about 1 hit sinkings doesn't do it. Look at records for US submarines and the number of torpedos it took to sink a target.
The whole point of the command's obsession with the USN skippers using fewer torpedos, and requiring the skippers to use the magnetic exploder early war was twofold.
One, there was a shortage of torpedos.
Two, the USN believed that the small warhead of the Mk14 was only capable of sinking a merchant ship wth 1 shot if used "properly" with the magnetic pistol under the keel. From their testing they thought that 5000 ton ships would require 2-3 if used in contact mode.
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