How would an autoloading 20-inch gun change Fisher's HMS Incomparable?
Short answerIt would favor a fast battlecruiser with several twin turrets, armor against lesser guns, and firepower so dominant that rival navies would rush to build equivalents.
NotesA viable autoloader must sustain roughly one and a half to two rounds per minute, transforming the practical output of each enormous gun. Because contemporary armor cannot reliably defeat 20-inch shells, the ship can armor itself against lesser weapons and use speed against peers. Twin mountings could produce an eight-gun ship with extraordinary salvo weight, after which other navies would try to imitate the breakthrough and intensify the arms race.