 The twelve 45 @-@ calibre 14 @-@ inch guns of the Fusō class were mounted in six twin @-@ gun turrets , numbered from front to rear , each of which weighed 615 long tons ( 625 t ) . The turrets had an elevation capability of − 5 / + 20 degrees . They were arranged in an uncommon 2 @-@ 1 @-@ 1 @-@ 2 style with superfiring pairs of turrets fore and aft ; the middle turrets were not superfiring , and had a funnel between them . The decision to use six twin turrets rather than four triple turrets greatly affected the entire design of the class because the two extra turrets required a longer ship and increased the amount of armor required to protect the ship . The location of the third and fourth turrets proved particularly problematic to the design of the class because the amidships turrets were not superfiring as in the subsequent Ise @-@ class battleships . This further increased the length of the ships because the barrels of the upper turret did not protrude over the lower turret , requiring more space than a pair of superfiring turrets . Mounted amidships along the centerline of the ship , they had restricted arcs of fire , and their position forced the boiler rooms to be placed in less than ideal locations . Another complication was the need to fit extra insulation and air conditioning in the magazines of the amidships turrets to protect them from the heat generated in the adjacent boiler rooms . Originally both amidship gun turrets faced to the rear , but Fusō 's turret No. 3 was moved to face forward during her reconstruction in order to accommodate additional platforms around her funnel . 
