Mikasa was a modified Formidable-type battleship armed with four 12-inch guns, fourteen 6-inch guns, a strong anti-torpedo-boat battery, torpedo tubes, and Krupp cemented armour. Her heavy 6-inch battery reflected the period's expectation that rapid medium-calibre fire would do much of the killing. She was designed from the keel upward to house and protect the Combined Fleet's command team. The ship also had to let that staff see and understand the battle around it. Her flagship role shaped the battleship's internal accommodation and command architecture as much as its weapons.
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Mikasa as a purpose-built Combined Fleet flagship
Mikasa joined battleship firepower and protection to the command space and visibility required of the Combined Fleet flagship.