Could monitors and coastal batteries evade the 16-inch limit?

Could Britain develop guns larger than 16 inches for monitors or shore batteries despite naval treaty limits?

Monitors offered a plausible textual route, while larger shore guns might obey the letter but breach the spirit of the treaty.

The answer distinguishes the treaty treatment of warships from weapons developed outside the battleship category. A monitor program could exploit the wording more directly. Shore-battery development was less clear: it might remain within the letter of the agreement while defeating its purpose. Arms-control rules create a difference between formal compliance and behavior other parties would regard as circumvention.