Would mixed 14-, 15-, and 16-inch ammunition keep King George V-class battleships near home in a delayed Second World War?
Short answerNo; the Royal Navy's global bases, merchant transport, and fleet auxiliaries could place each ammunition type where its ships were assigned.
NotesA fleet containing King George V, Lion, and Vanguard designs would use several main-battery calibers, but that would not force the 14-inch ships to remain near Britain. The Royal Navy moved bulk stores between bases in slower merchant and auxiliary hulls. Faster fleet-supply ships then carried ammunition and other necessities from those bases to operational forces. With more peacetime warning, Singapore would simply add protected storage for 14-inch rounds alongside its other calibers. The system's depth mattered more than simplifying every capital ship onto one shell size.