Continuing the 18-inch fast-battleship programme could lead to nine- or twelve-gun successors capable of more than 28 knots. A fifth twin turret amidships would interfere with the concentration of machinery needed for that speed. It would also bring magazines closer to machinery heat. Placing the extra armament ahead of or behind the engines avoids that central interruption. The proposed British preference is to concentrate more armament forward, with the G3, N3, and Nelson arrangements offered as comparisons.
Notable Point · 2:55:20-2:56:57
Why a fifth turret complicates a fast battleship
A central fifth turret competes with machinery space and exposes magazines to heat, encouraging a different heavy-gun arrangement.