How much difference would a fifth triple 6-inch turret make to HMS Belfast?
Short answerIt would also affect Edinburgh, but the largest consequence would come only if later Royal Navy cruisers copied the fifteen-gun layout.
NotesThe hypothetical extends from Belfast to her sister Edinburgh. Belfast's own wartime record offers only a few occasions on which the extra turret could matter, although North Cape is an important one. The wider effect appears if the Admiralty likes the arrangement and uses it as a model for later ships. The question then shifts from three additional barrels on one cruiser to whether an entire design lineage adopts the heavier battery.