A qualitative contest over individual designs differed from the Anglo-German quantitative race over fleet strength. Triple turrets on Austro-Hungarian or Italian ships did not threaten British numerical command and therefore drew limited institutional concern. The same choice by Germany would look like an effort to erase Britain's ship-count advantage through broadside weight. Britain would answer because the design change had become part of the quantitative competition, not merely because triple turrets existed.
Notable Point · 2:11:49-2:13:16
Why German triple turrets would provoke Britain
Britain could tolerate qualitative experiments by smaller fleets but would answer a German attempt to offset British ship numbers with more guns per hull.