The Queen Elizabeth class may have had theoretical space for a fifth turret, but speed of delivery mattered as much as hull volume. Heavy turrets took time to manufacture even within Britain's extensive industrial base. The later R class benefited from an expanding ability to produce the same weapons more rapidly. Design ambition remained tied to the production system behind it.
Notable Point · 1:17:16-1:19:05
Queen Elizabeth speed, firepower, and production limits
The Queen Elizabeth class combined 15-inch guns with unusually high speed, but turret-production capacity constrained what designers could add.