Henderson, Chatfield, and the King George V compromise

Was the King George V class already too advanced to adopt a larger gun when the treaty escalation clause took effect?

Probably not. A triple 15-inch option still appears to have been technically plausible, while Admiralty politics may have preserved Chatfield's preferred 14-inch design.

The treaty escalation clause alone may not have made a larger gun impossible, since naval constructors believed a triple 15-inch mounting was practical. That established option contrasted with the troublesome quadruple 14-inch turret adopted for the King George V class. One cautious interpretation of Admiralty politics is that Henderson yielded to First Sea Lord Ernle Chatfield on the battleships while securing support for other ships and aviation programs. Chatfield also expected Britain's 14-inch choice to influence other navies, an expectation that later foreign designs did not fulfill. Technical risk, senior-officer priorities, and bargaining all may have shaped the program.