The historical King George V plant used eight boilers for roughly 110,000 shaft horsepower. A four-boiler estimate raises output while shrinking the machinery spaces and perhaps eliminating a funnel, which could shorten the armored citadel and improve support for the forward turrets. Those combined savings make the originally desired three quadruple 14-inch turrets more plausible, creating a very different fast-battleship threat despite the smaller caliber. The result could combine twelve guns with roughly 28 to 30 knots, forcing opponents to weigh volume of fire as well as shell diameter.
Notable Point · 37:50-40:20
A faster twelve-gun King George V
Halving boiler count could release enough power, length, and protected volume for a 28-30-knot King George V carrying three quadruple 14-inch turrets.