Q&A · 29:00-29:50

Why re-gunning the Nelson class means rebuilding the turrets

Changing the Nelson class to a different 16-inch gun would also require new shells, hoists, and much of the turret machinery.

Lion Class Battleships Naval Gunnery Nelson Class Battleships Warship Refits

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Question

Could Nelson and Rodney receive different 16-inch guns in their existing turrets?

Short answer

Only with such extensive changes to shells, hoists, and machinery that new turrets would be the realistic solution.

Notes

The original system was built around a light-shell concept that the Royal Navy soon judged unsuccessful. A later Lion-class gun might offer a better basis, but adapting the handling arrangements would amount to constructing substantially new turrets.