A ready 16.5-inch gun could reshape the final King George V pair

What if Vickers had an effective 16.5-inch gun ready while the King George V class was being designed?

The later pair, Anson and Howe, might be changed to three triple 16.5-inch turrets, though the earlier ships would be too advanced to alter easily.

Timing is decisive because ships farther along could not be rebuilt around the new armament without disruptive delay. For Anson and Howe, however, a 420 mm gun in triple turrets would create a far more imposing capital ship and affect foreign naval calculations. The premise requires a weapon already tested and available at a comparable cost, rather than a paper caliber introduced after structural work is fixed. Restricting the change to the final pair preserves the importance of construction sequence in what otherwise looks like a simple armament substitution.