British work on a 16.5-inch gun is estimated as roughly five months behind the fifteen-inch programme. It used a proposed new gun pattern because the fifteen-inch/42 approach had reached its practical size limit in this account. The precise barrel length remains uncertain, with 45 and 48 calibres both considered. A longer barrel offered a way to compete with foreign 50-calibre guns, but increased wear mattered in deciding how far to extend it. Building a larger Queen Elizabeth for the heavier guns could mean a longer hull and more boilers, with 28 knots suggested as a possible result. A delay of several months could also give small-tube boilers more time to become an available design choice.
Notable Point · 45:14-48:06
How a 16.5-inch gun could change the Queen Elizabeth design
A heavier gun could bring a longer hull and more machinery, while barrel wear and the timing of small-tube boilers would influence the design.