A large 14-inch battery can place a dense pattern of fire on a target, damaging armour and increasing the chance of later penetrations. The concept depends on maximizing hits because an initial impact may damage armour for following shells rather than penetrate outright. The counterargument is that a smaller shell makes a killing hit harder and makes the ship more dependent on every turret working. Prince of Wales is invoked as a reminder that a theoretically high rate of fire is only useful when the mounting system remains reliable.
Notable Point · 2:14:00-2:15:28
The appeal and limits of 14-inch volume of fire
A comparison of 14-inch and heavier batteries weighs rapid salvo volume against the difficulty of decisive hits and mechanical reliability.