Q&A ยท 2:48:15-2:49:31

Could early fire control use 20-inch guns?

Very large guns would create loading challenges, but post-Jutland improvements could make them operationally useful.

Question

Would 20-inch naval guns exceed the fire-control technology of their era?

Short answer

They would be demanding, especially in loading arrangements, but improved post-Jutland fire control could make them useful by around 1920.

Notes

The machinery needed to handle 20-inch ammunition is the most ambitious part of the concept. The proposed loading system would have to move shells of exceptional weight through a heavily mechanised cycle. With that equipment, the firing cycle could be broadly comparable to 16- or 18-inch weapons. Fire control should not be frozen at its 1913 or 1916 level because Royal Navy systems improved rapidly after Jutland. By about 1920, the problem appears manageable enough for the guns to be useful.