Maybe? We need to do more testing. I think this shape will be more maneuverable without having to overpower it and will look good underway. The other bonus is that one could model ships with different Length to beam ratios but, still have a "Standard" hull form with predictable performance. PS. I forgot to mention that this shape would make it easy to incorporate 2 props and a rudder. Adding a ram bow would would be possible too.
Most of those decisions were economically or strategically based. Like quad turrets are much cheaper than multiple other turrets with less guns. They are also lighter and take up less room on the deck. And for better DC the quads were divided in two by a thick bulkhead. A lot of thought went into those that might not be apparent from just a glance. And the French weren't the first to think all forward armament was cool. The Brits used it on the Nelson class. And they must have liked quads as they used on the KGV's.
I would love the dimensions for all three classes of ships. Since the McSpuds link to the plans has been inoperable for some time it would be great if they were posted again. I really like the idea of "One Design" ship combat. chris
