Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 47:24-48:35

Could early triple-turret ships be re-gunned later?

The larger barbette and mounting implied by an early triple turret may create room to replace three smaller guns with two larger weapons during modernization.

15-inch Guns16-inch GunsNaval GunneryTriple TurretsWarship Modernisation
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Question

Could a battleship built with triple 13.5- or 14-inch turrets later receive twin 15- or 16-inch guns?

Short answer

Both conversions are plausible in principle, with the original larger mounting providing room for heavier twin guns.

Notes

The question compares triple-turret conservatism with later quadruple-mount reliability problems and asks whether the larger installation creates an upgrade path. A triple 13.5-inch mounting could plausibly be rebuilt for twin 15-inch guns. A triple 14-inch mounting might even accept twin 16-inch guns if a navy considered the conversion worthwhile. Unused volume and weight capacity in an early turret system could affect a ship's modernization potential as well as its original armament.