Shiratsuyu's five-gun arrangement draws criticism because the single gun obstructs another mount's forward firing arc. That matters during an approach to launch torpedoes, even when the torpedoes themselves have substantial range. Removing the single gun is proposed as a way to give the other mount a wider arc of fire. This preference favours guns that support an aggressive approach and remains a counterfactual layout choice.
Notable Point · 1:18:38-1:19:47
Shiratsuyu's fifth gun and the torpedo approach
The Shiratsuyu gun layout is judged against the need to approach a target and launch torpedoes.