Earlier generations of naval dive bombers would give the fleet more experience of air attack. That could change destroyer gun-mount requirements, with elevations of at least 70 degrees and perhaps 85 degrees replacing the 55-degree limitation. More versatile main guns would support the pom-poms, whose numbers could also increase. Exercise scoring could still mislead designers by rewarding attacks on carriers and capital ships, while wartime aircraft attacked smaller ships they could reach. Fewer destroyer losses would leave more escorts and defensive firepower available for later operations.
Notable Point · 2:03:12-2:11:06
Carrier experience drives better destroyer air defence
A navy with deeper aviation expertise is more likely to demand genuinely high-angle dual-purpose destroyer mounts and to understand the limits of pre-war exercise assumptions.