The armament digression uses Prince of Wales to show how politics and program economics shape battleship design. A new 16-inch gun program would be difficult to justify when Britain had only two ships using that calibre. One alternative was an upgraded 15-inch/45 program serving the much larger existing 15-inch fleet and a possible King George V design with three triple turrets. The proposal remains a procurement thought experiment rather than a settled engineering case, with development costs spread across a much larger fleet.
Notable Point · 21:09-22:04
The King George V class and the case for updated 15-inch guns
Political compromise shaped the class's 14-inch battery, while modernized 15-inch guns might have offered a more economical alternative.