Why an open gun mount could be safer than a weak turret

An open gun mount differs from an enclosed turret, a distinction that matters for the Town class's dual-purpose four-inch weapons. Within treaty displacement limits, a lightly armored enclosure would not have stopped the threats facing the crew and would have restricted their working space. A substantial shield concentrated protection toward the likely direction of attack while leaving room to move and escape fragments. The same weapons later shelled North Korean gun batteries, demonstrating their value against surface targets as well as aircraft. Visible enclosure was not automatically the same as useful protection.