Exceptional short bursts mattered less to procurement than a cycle that crews could sustain through an engagement. A 1930s Royal Navy cruiser study used average cycles of about 7.5 seconds for 6-inch guns, 12 seconds for 8-inch guns, and 5 seconds for a Tribal's 4.7-inch guns. Town turrets sometimes managed six or seven seconds because they gave their crews more working space than the twin mountings in Leander, Arethusa, and Amphion designs, but the comparison retained the sustainable average. A 5.25-inch gun could approach a six-second cycle at low elevation, while high-angle anti-aircraft fire reduced its practical rate. Mounting layout, working space, elevation, and crew routine shaped practical performance alongside calibre. Procurement comparisons needed dependable results under common assumptions rather than isolated best-case demonstrations.
Chapter · 35:36-39:17
Gun-cycle averages behind cruiser procurement
Procurement comparisons use sustainable ten-minute averages: about 7.5 seconds for 6-inch guns, 12 seconds for 8-inch guns, and 5 seconds for Tribal 4.7-inch guns.