Some destroyers carried two twin 4.7-inch mountings and a separate fifth gun mainly intended to fire star shell. An even fore-and-aft main battery works best when threats can approach from either direction. Torpedo attack and torpedo defence place more value on guns that can fire ahead. A destroyer pressing a torpedo attack or trying to stop one therefore benefits from forward-weighted fire. Allied and some other wartime designs increasingly concentrated their firepower forward as this tactical requirement became clearer.
Notable Point · 34:33-35:26
Why wartime destroyers weighted fire forward
Destroyers pressing or stopping torpedo attacks benefited from concentrated forward fire rather than an even fore-and-aft distribution.