The design choice is more than a race for the largest gun. The plan skips a sustained fifteen-inch generation, moves directly toward 16.5-inch guns, and retains that calibre across later ships. Triple turrets and enough barrels to sustain volume of fire are preferred over maximizing calibre at the cost of salvo density. The discussion links the main decisions behind a capital-ship battery: calibre, barrel count, commonality, and the weight each choice consumes.
Chapter · 57:43-59:13
Choosing a 16.5-inch battlecruiser battery
The proposed next generation of battlecruisers skips an intermediate calibre to standardize around 16.5-inch guns and preserve salvo weight.