Britain persisted with a 14-inch gun while other powers were building ships with 16-inch weapons. Lord Chatfield supported the smaller weapon as politicians tried to preserve treaty limits, but naval leaders still had room to influence that debate. The press could mobilize public opinion around naval armament, as the earlier 'We want eight and we won't wait' campaign had demonstrated before the First World War. A campaign for a larger-gunned battleship might therefore have altered the political calculation while the King George V design was still open. Procurement here involved treaty policy, naval leadership, newspapers, and public pressure as well as technical design.
Notable Point · 13:26-15:18
The policy choice behind the King George V class's 14-inch guns
The King George V class's 14-inch armament reflected treaty and political choices that naval advocacy might have challenged before the design became fixed.