An account of German design discussions describes Tirpitz rejecting Austrian-style triple turrets on cost grounds, despite the possibility of buying them from Škoda. A hypothetical König with some or all turrets converted to triples could have carried a substantially heavier battery. Four triple turrets would give twelve guns, while five would give fifteen. That could have challenged British firepower as well as British construction numbers. In the proposed response, the Queen Elizabeth class might also have received triple turrets for its 15-inch guns. Larger barbettes and a wider hull would require corresponding length to retain suitable proportions for speed. The extra hull space could accommodate more boilers, making a roughly 28-knot version conceivable within this counterfactual.
Notable Point · 42:26-45:57
How triple-turret Königs could have changed British battleship plans
A counterfactual König battery leads to a larger, faster Queen Elizabeth design as a possible British response.