Q&A ยท 1:04:02-1:04:15

How far Britain took 20-inch gun ideas

Evidence of British thinking about 20-inch naval guns is separated from proof that a weapon was tested or assigned to a real ship design.

Question

Did Britain prototype 20-inch naval guns or plan a ship comparable to other extreme postwar designs?

Short answer

There are signs of conceptual work, but no proof of gun trials or a committed comparable ship.

Notes

Some British designers appear to have explored the idea of a 20-inch gun after the First World War. No evidence indicates that a prototype reached proof firing. There is likewise no proof that Britain intended to build a ship comparable to the enormous designs implied by the question. Conceptual work should not be mistaken for a funded weapon or construction program.