Châteaurenault's raider mission required her to disable a merchant ship or an unavoidable warship as quickly as possible. Torpedoes could deter or damage a more powerful opponent. The mixed 6.4-inch and 5.5-inch battery offered little practical range separation, while neither caliber had a dramatic rate-of-fire advantage. Replacing one caliber with the other, possibly through twin or sponson arrangements, would create a uniform main battery. Contemporary designers were already studying uniform-battery ships, so this was a plausible period alternative.
Notable Point · 39:31-42:02
Torpedoes and a uniform battery for quick kills
A raider that must finish encounters before help arrives could benefit more from torpedoes and a uniform gun battery than from two similar medium calibers.