G3 was an efficient engineering design with a serious operational weakness in its third turret. The superstructure blocked useful forward fire, while the funnels and machinery arrangement prevented the turret from covering the stern. The two forward turrets could reach farther aft than the nominal after turret could reach in either direction. Its position saved armoured length and supported an efficient hull and machinery arrangement, but those gains did not make the weapon tactically useful. Reversing the turret or replacing the three triples with larger forward mounts illustrates how armour economy, weight distribution, and firing arcs can pull a design in different directions.
Chapter · 29:15-32:30
The G3's efficient but restricted after turret
The G3 battlecruiser's third turret shows the tension between efficient armour-and-machinery layout and useful firing arcs.