The Sims design began with five 5-inch/38 guns and twelve torpedo tubes in three quadruple mountings, one on the centreline and two at the sides. By 1941 the class had lost one gun and four tubes, leaving two centreline torpedo mountings. The later fit added 40 mm and 20 mm anti-aircraft guns and more depth-charge equipment while retaining four main guns. Trying to make the ship both better and lighter concentrated too many changes in one hull. A more gradual programme could have spread major improvements across successive classes. The ships still worked as destroyers, but their reduced armament fell short of the original promise.
Notable Point · 1:11:32-1:15:44
The Sims class attempted too many improvements at once
Pre-war armament cuts and wartime additions expose the difficulty of fitting greater capability into the Sims class's lighter hull.