Before radar, an admiral's best source of immediate situational awareness remained direct human observation. An armoured conning tower protected the command team but restricted the view needed to interpret a fast-changing battle. Tōgō Heihachirō therefore stood on Mikasa's compass deck at Tsushima despite the personal risk. John Jellicoe likewise left his conning tower repeatedly at Jutland to see events for himself. Both cases show why command protection could become counterproductive when it separated a fleet commander from the information needed to make decisions.
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Why admirals left armored conning towers to see the battle
Tōgō at Tsushima and Jellicoe at Jutland illustrate the recurring tradeoff between protected command positions and direct visual awareness.