Chile's proposed ten-gun, 14-inch battleship made Brazil's choice of fourteen 12-inch guns look less imposing. The United States followed with the New York class, also carrying ten 14-inch guns behind a belt between 10 and 12 inches thick. By 1911 Britain and the Ottoman order were using 13.5-inch weapons, while Japan, Chile, and the United States had moved to 14 inches. Brazil's preference for more 12-inch barrels therefore risked looking weaker despite its spectacular gun count. The gun race had spread well beyond Britain and Germany, with South American orders influencing how each new capital ship would be judged.
Chapter · 11:54-15:30
The 14-inch gun race reaches Chile and the United States
Almirante Latorre and the US New York class placed ten 14-inch guns at the centre of the 1911 international capital-ship race.