Mogami class reconnaissance capacity and conversion costs

The Mogamis had unusually strong reconnaissance potential, combining three seaplanes with roughly 37-knot speed and an 8,000-nautical-mile cruising radius. Reducing the main battery and clearing more of the stern could have created hangars and a third catapult for a cruiser designed more decisively around scouting. Instead, the class began with five triple 155 mm turrets even though conversion to 8-inch guns was intended from the outset, requiring Japan to develop and manufacture an interim weapon fit. Improvements in small-tube boilers reduced the number of boilers needed while preserving about 152,000 shaft horsepower. Treaty-category manipulation consumed resources that might have supported a clearer operational design.