An obsolete battleship is taken through a practical modernisation instead of being discarded. Turret arrangements, secondary batteries, armour, radar, and weight are adjusted until the bow is no longer overloaded and the broadside is preserved. Automatic secondary guns and radio-direction-finding equipment add capability, but each change carries costs in weight, stability, and yard time. The accepted design requires a twenty-month refit, showing both the appeal and the opportunity cost of extending an old capital ship's service life.
Chapter · 3:08:25-3:35:41
Refitting an obsolete battleship under weight constraints
A long refit sequence keeps an obsolete hull in service by balancing radar, armor, automatic secondary guns, main-battery layout, stability, weight, and dockyard time.