The tactical and political problem with KGV's 14-inch guns

Did King George V's higher volume of 14-inch fire justify the smaller caliber?

The guns could fight effectively, but a capital ship also signaled national status, and 14-inch weapons looked inadequate beside foreign 15-, 16-, and 18-inch guns.

Simple specification comparisons miss the importance of perception. A 15-inch choice might have preserved the desired status signal; 14 inches remained politically difficult even if tactically respectable. Capital ships advertised national intent as well as delivering gunfire, so foreign 16- and 18-inch weapons affected how KGV was read. Volume of fire could help in a particular engagement without erasing the class's diplomatic and reputational disadvantage.