The large cruiser refit begins with second-generation radar, sonar, pitch, roll, armor, and weight offset before the guns are changed. Heavy, standard, and light shells are compared without assuming that the heaviest projectile is automatically best. Heavy shells improve penetration and range but reduce accuracy, while lighter shells improve accuracy at the cost of range. Moving from three-gun to four-gun mounts cuts high-explosive range by roughly 400 metres yet raises total output from about 29 to 34.7 rounds per minute. Useful firepower depends on stability, hit probability, and volume as well as nominal shell performance.
Notable Point · 1:39:59-1:48:02
Shell weight trades range and penetration against accuracy
A refit comparison shows how shell weight, gun range, penetration, accuracy, and rate of fire pull a design in different directions.