Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 3:09:48-3:11:03

Where treaty politics would permit 18-inch coastal guns

British approval for new 18-inch coastal guns would depend less on manufacturing than on treaty rules and whether their location alarmed another naval power.

AustraliaBritish EmpireCoastal ArtilleryCommonwealth NaviesNaval TreatiesSingaporeSouth Africa
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Question

Would Britain allow a Commonwealth nation to buy newly built 18-inch coastal guns in 1922?

Short answer

Possibly, if treaties allowed it; South African or Australian sites were less contentious than Singapore, where Japan and the United States might object.

Notes

Britain might allow a Commonwealth government to order four to six 18-inch coastal guns if the treaty framework permitted it. Location would determine the diplomatic cost. South African batteries would probably attract little concern, and Australian guns would be remote from the main treaty powers. Singapore was different because heavy fortification there could provoke objections from Japan and perhaps the United States, while British construction closer to the Channel would raise wider arms-control questions.