An unbuilt arrangement of six twin 9.2-inch mountings provides the opening counterfactual, rather than a description of the class's historical armament. The actual 6-inch casemates could be worked only in very calm seas. At roughly £1.2 million per ship, Philip Watts's completed design is judged strong value for the Royal Navy. The assessment measures the ships against their intended role and contemporary options instead of treating Black Prince's loss at Jutland as proof of a bad design.
Notable Point · 1:53-3:26
The unbuilt twin-9.2-inch alternative
The opening design counterfactual asks how six twin 9.2-inch turrets might have changed the class, while separating that possibility from the qualities of the ships actually built.