Q&A · 42:37-45:34

A Royal Navy built around triple turrets

Making triple turrets standard from HMS Tiger onward would reshape British capital ships and provoke heavier American gun layouts.

Question

What changes if British capital ships use triple turrets from HMS Tiger onward?

Short answer

British layouts change substantially, while American designers are likely to answer with still heavier gun batteries.

Notes

Early triple turrets would increase the gun batteries of British capital ships and encourage rivals to add more guns. Renown and Repulse would carry nine 15-inch guns, with six able to fire forward during a chase. The comparison treats that forward fire as equivalent to a Scharnhorst-class broadside and considers splitting the forward turrets between two targets. American designers, keen to retain a numerical gun advantage, would probably respond with still larger batteries.