The Royal Sovereigns' 13.5-inch guns lead into a counterfactual about fitting a mature weapon of that calibre to HMS Dreadnought. A good 13.5-inch weapon would have created a more conspicuous step beyond the 12-inch standard. That difference matters particularly against the Imperial German Navy's preference for 11-inch guns, where the gap would have been harder to dismiss as broadly comparable performance. Calibre choices can signal technological overmatch and force rivals to reconsider their own development path.
Notable Point · 8:45-10:14
The 13.5-inch alternative to Dreadnought's guns
A gun-calibre counterfactual shows how a British 13.5-inch Dreadnought could have widened the challenge facing Germany's 11-inch weapons.