Twin gun mounts and destroyer stability

Could a 2,000- to 3,000-ton destroyer safely carry four or five twin 5-inch mounts?

Not realistically. Three twins may work, but additional mounts create topweight and stability problems that push the design toward a cruiser.

The answer calculates how the mounts alone consume topweight and explains why three twin mounts are realistic where five are not. Five twin 5-inch mounts would impose major weight before ammunition, magazines, and handling rooms were included. More beam, length, and machinery to restore stability eventually create a cruiser rather than a destroyer. Gearing's three twins mark a practical example of where a large destroyer battery could stop without abandoning torpedoes and other missions.