Chapter · 1:27:43-1:30:20

King George V's quadruple turrets complicated its battery

Reducing a planned twelve-gun battery to ten left King George V dependent on complex quadruple turrets, with Prince of Wales's Denmark Strait difficulties as the example.

Notes

The King George V design pursued a high volume of fire from fourteen-inch guns, initially envisaging twelve guns in quadruple turrets. Weight limits reduced the actual battery to ten, with two quadruple mountings and a twin in B position. Quadruple turrets introduced considerable mechanical complexity, leaving much of the ship's firepower dependent on difficult mountings. Prince of Wales's problems at Denmark Strait illustrate the criticism. The interruption in capital-ship construction compounded that difficulty by leaving the ship less advanced in preparation than expected.