 Squid was an improvement on 'Hedgehog' introduced in late 1943.A three-barreled mortar, it projected charges ahead or abeam; the charges' firing pistols were automatically set just prior to launch.Ahead-throwing weapons including Hedgehog and Squid raised the percentage of kills by British surface ships (1943–45) from 85 kills in 5,174 attacks (1.6%) for depth charges to 47 in 268 attacks (17.5%) for Hedgehog, the success rates rising with time.