 To address the issue of seaworthiness, design requirements called for a larger vessel capable of higher speeds than its predecessors.The "Minekaze" class incorporated a number of distinctive design innovations including a lengthened forecastle with a break forming a well deck immediately forward of the bridge.This arrangement offered the advantage of protection for the bridge as well as a low, semi protected area for the forward torpedo tubes, albeit at the cost of becoming awash in heavy seas, and was a feature of the German designs.