Fourteen-inch guns are not the preferred armament for these battleships. Research into the caliber continues because progress in that branch also improves or unlocks other naval guns. The decision separates the value of a research program from the immediate value of the weapon named on the technology tree. Dependencies can force a navy to fund an intermediate step that does not match its preferred armament policy.
Notable Point · 2:16:23-2:16:46
Researching an unwanted caliber to unlock better guns
Fourteen-inch-gun research continues for the advances it unlocks, even though the fleet is meant to standardize on heavier weapons.