The condition for giving Hood twelve 15-inch guns

Would Hood have been converted to twelve 15-inch guns if a triple 15-inch/45 mounting could fit the existing position?

Yes, provided the mounting could be installed without creating a prohibitive tonnage problem.

The proposed Hood conversion is possible under strict conditions. A triple 15-inch/45 mounting has to fit where the existing 15-inch/42 installation sits. Even a workable mounting would fail the proposal if its weight created an unacceptable tonnage problem. The counterfactual turns on the engineering limits of mounting volume and displacement rather than the desired gun count alone.