The Royal Navy's choice of 5.5-inch guns for Hood provides a historical comparison for the fictional battery fitted to New Zealand. A successful weapon of this calibre is presented as useful across a wide range of tasks. Earlier in the design exercise, 5.5-inch guns become a speculative dual-purpose alternative after heavier eight-inch secondaries are rejected. The comparison links a real secondary-battery choice with a counterfactual path for broader surface and anti-aircraft employment. It remains a design argument rather than proof that the historical weapon already possessed every capability imagined in the simulation.
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Hood and the potential of the 5.5-inch gun
A brief historical aside links Hood's 5.5-inch battery to a speculative calibre that might have served several naval roles if developed successfully.