Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:18:33-2:19:43

Could coastal guns preserve future battleship armament?

Heavy guns or complete turrets could theoretically be emplaced ashore and later reused, but the treaty loophole still depended on governments paying for expensive defenses.

15-inch Guns16-inch GunsCoastal DefenceNaval GunnerySingaporeWashington Naval Treaty
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Question

Could Britain or the Dominions buy heavy coastal guns during the treaty period and later reuse them in battleships?

Short answer

Yes in principle: barrels, and perhaps complete naval turrets emplaced ashore, could later be reused, but governments first had to fund them.

Notes

Fifteen- or sixteen-inch gun barrels bought for coastal defense could be reused in later warships. A complete naval turret placed in a land position offered an even more direct way to preserve guns and mountings while remaining outside an active battleship. Spare Nelson-type triple turrets could have defended Singapore, where their firepower would have been formidable if supplied with suitable high-explosive shells. The limiting factor was political finance: Britain struggled to fund even the historical defenses of Singapore, let alone a network of battleship-calibre batteries.