A counterfactual 1938 shift to 100 mm destroyers

The counterfactual combines a prewar super-Akizuki order with a change to 100 mm guns on subsequent destroyers from 1938. The gun's stated 1937 design and 1938 model dates underpin the criticism that it did not enter service until 1942. Advanced destroyers would be supplemented by simpler ships with two twin gun mountings, torpedoes and 25 mm weapons. Orders for those smaller ships would go to as many yards as possible. Restricting simultaneous Yamato construction to two ships is suggested as a way to support the effort. The simpler design's name is unclear, and isolated year captions conflict with the repeated 1938 setting. The proposals are offered for consideration separately and together, with their effects left open for discussion.