Was the Somers class still focused on torpedoes despite carrying four twin 5-inch mounts?
Short answerYes. Its layout still gave torpedoes priority, despite a gun battery that made it unusually heavily armed for a destroyer.
NotesThree quadruple torpedo mounts remained central to the Somers layout despite its four twin 5-inch mounts. The arrangement shows how a destroyer could carry a heavy gun battery while still being designed around torpedo attack. The weakening treaty system provided room for larger, more heavily armed destroyers, bringing the type closer to the gun-heavy territory of the British Tribals and Darings. Individual ships did not retain identical armament: Davis is cited with five guns, and other combinations of guns and torpedo tubes are mentioned. Those variations did not overturn the continuing American emphasis on torpedoes.