If a later County-class cruiser with four or five twin eight-inch turrets had been built, which arrangement was more likely?
Short answerFive twin turrets appear unlikely; the plausible alternatives are four twins, four triples, or a mixed ten-gun layout.
NotesThe answer is explicitly speculative because the ship was not completed. A recalled four-triple design makes a five-turret configuration look unlikely. A mixed arrangement of two triple and two twin turrets, preferably placing the triples forward and twins aft, is offered as another plausible route to ten guns.