British designers had both twin- and triple-turret arrangements under study. Four triple turrets could have raised a Queen Elizabeth broadside to twelve 15-inch guns without reducing the number of separately armored gun positions. That firepower would have made the American twelve-gun, 14-inch response look inadequate and could have pushed the qualitative race onward more quickly. Britain could design a triple turret, although choosing it carried schedule, integration, and international consequences.
Notable Point · 48:55-52:46
Twin versus triple turret choices
British triple-turret studies reveal that eight 15-inch guns were a deliberate strategic choice within available design knowledge.