Narrowing the forecastle allowed the wing guns to fire forward. The resulting positions were extremely wet and difficult to work at high speed; accounts relayed through translations of Russian documents suggest that description understated how dangerous and impractical they were. Raising the guns and widening the forecastle offered a way to improve their serviceability, although it might restrict torpedo firing arcs. A destroyer needed guns that were as usable as its torpedoes. Accepting poor gun positions to preserve torpedo arcs indicated the priorities of a torpedo boat.
Notable Point · 29:28-31:13
Torpedo arcs took priority over usable gun positions
A narrowed forecastle gave wing guns forward fire while exposing their crews to water, revealing the priority assigned to torpedoes.