The Royal Navy's design staff examined replacing four twin 8-inch turrets with three triples, and also tested four triples after hearing that the US Navy might pursue that arrangement. Four triple mountings added about 200 tons over the twins, while extra ammunition and enlarged shell rooms, handling rooms, and magazine armour brought the estimated increase to roughly 400 tons. Designers could recover much of that weight only by reducing machinery protection and removing the torpedo battery and steering-gear protection. Wider after magazines also conflicted with the propeller shafting, while making them narrower and longer increased armour weight again. A six-boiler alternative traded machinery volume against fuel capacity. A seemingly simple gun-layout change therefore affected protection, propulsion, range, and internal arrangement.
Notable Point · 8:26-10:02
Why triple turrets strained British treaty-cruiser designs
A British study found that triple 8-inch turrets demanded heavier armament, ammunition, magazines, and armour, forcing direct tradeoffs with machinery protection, torpedoes, steering protection, and endurance.