General Wolfe was selected early in 1918 to carry an 18-inch weapon originally intended for a turret in HMS Furious. Although ordered in October 1917, the Elswick-built gun was not complete until May because of labour trouble and reached Portsmouth for installation in June. The weapon had to sit in a fixed starboard mounting instead of a normal revolving turret. Gun and mounting added about 304 tons before accounting for sixty shells and seventy-two full cordite charges. The conversion depended on industrial delivery as much as naval design, and the delay left little time to use the weapon before the armistice. The result was an improvised fixed gun of exceptional weight with a short operational window.
Chapter · 38:29-39:32
Labour delays General Wolfe's 18-inch conversion
Elswick labour trouble, a fixed starboard mounting, and ammunition weight show the industrial and structural demands of putting HMS Furious's 18-inch gun on a monitor.