British battlecruisers carry the main guns of their battleship generation partly because they are status assets. Their cruiser-killing role alone would not require the proposed jump from 12-inch to 14-inch guns. Both calibres overwhelm the armoured cruisers considered here. Scharnhorst and Gneisenau at the Falklands illustrate how existing 12-inch fire could already destroy those opponents.
Notable Point · 2:53:36-2:54:19
Why battlecruisers carry the guns of their battleship generation
The case for 14-inch battlecruiser guns includes status, since 12-inch fire already overwhelms contemporary armoured cruisers.