Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 4:59:42-5:00:16

How low-rate 16-inch production could change the King George V class

Keeping a British 16-inch gun line alive through coastal batteries could make a mature weapon available when the Second London Naval Treaty collapsed.

Coastal ArtilleryKing George V Class Battleships (1939)Naval GunneryNaval Industrial Base
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Question

What if Britain maintained low-rate 16-inch-gun production for coastal defenses between the wars?

Short answer

A mature 16-inch weapon could have been ready for the King George V class, probably leading to nine 16-inch guns after treaty limits collapsed.

Notes

The answer imagines low-rate production advancing the design through several marks before the King George V class was finalized. Once the treaty's 14-inch framework failed, a tested 16-inch weapon would make continued reliance on the smaller caliber much harder to defend. The likely result is a nine-gun 16-inch battleship built around an already active industrial and technical base.