Why Centurion's 10-inch guns drew criticism

The Centurions' 10-inch battery appears as a compromise driven partly by the expectation that a battleship should carry visibly large guns. The calibre loaded no faster than heavier battleship weapons but offered too little additional killing power and range over 8- or 9.2-inch guns to justify that penalty. A comparison with the later Panzerschiff idea makes the same force-design point: prestige or status can push a navy toward a gun that does not fit its likely targets. Against true battleships, the Panzerschiffe's six 11-inch weapons would still face ships carrying much heavier artillery, while their weight also limited the speed attainable from the available machinery. The comparison separates weapon prestige from operational effectiveness.