Prewar British gun development extended beyond the weapons financed by the Royal Navy. The 15-inch gun was developed under the cover name "13.5-inch special", while other work explored 16.5-, 17-, and 18-inch weapons. Private firms earned enough from foreign contracts and speculative construction to finance their own major-calibre research. An independently developed gun could attract customers and remove the need to buy a weapon from a competing supplier. Several 15-inch projects could therefore proceed alongside the Navy's 15-inch/42 without receiving naval funding. Postwar financial restrictions and treaties narrowed this private market and made new gun development dependent on Royal Navy requirements.
Chapter · 29:03-31:52
Private firms kept alternative heavy-gun programs alive
Private British firms financed heavy-gun development for export customers, giving them alternatives beyond the weapons commissioned by the Royal Navy.