Why did Japanese battleship design move from twin turrets toward triple turrets?
Short answerReliable triple-turret technology made three-gun mountings more space-efficient for large weapons, while twin mounts generally remained preferable for smaller guns.
NotesTriple mountings became attractive after their ammunition supply, loading, and gun interaction could be made reliable. For guns of roughly six inches and above, concentrating three weapons in one turret often used protected volume efficiently. Below that scale, twins tended to remain simpler and more practical. Adoption followed an engineering threshold rather than a single dramatic discovery.