Q&A · 20:52-22:08

Why the Royal Navy preferred twin turrets

Twin mountings offered dependable firepower when Britain could build additional ships, while triples became more attractive under tighter weight or fleet limits.

Question

If Vickers had working triple turrets around 1905, why did the Royal Navy not adopt them before the First World War?

Short answer

The Royal Navy preferred larger guns in reliable twin mountings, especially while it could build enough ships without strict limits on fleet numbers or displacement.

Notes

The Royal Navy preferred to increase gun calibre while retaining twin mountings. Twin turrets offered a reliable arrangement for a fleet able to build more ships without tight limits on displacement or numbers. Triple turrets added substantial firepower for relatively little extra weight and were considered almost as reliable. Quadruple mountings posed greater problems because successive gun discharges disturbed a turret that was still settling after the previous shot. The choice therefore depended partly on whether designers needed to concentrate more weapons into a restricted number of hulls.