The speculative automatic gun allows a direct comparison between weight of fire and shell calibre. Nine guns firing every twenty seconds could place far more rounds into the air than a slower 15-inch battery during the same period. A larger shell may do more damage when it hits, but a much greater number of 14-inch shots creates more opportunities to score damaging hits. The comparison with Bismarck also adds a human dimension, because being subjected to such a rapid, radar-ranged barrage could erode a crew's confidence as well as damage the ship.
Notable Point · 1:25:29-1:27:43
Weight of fire versus individual shell calibre
A rapid 14-inch battery could offset a larger shell's individual advantage by putting many more chances to hit into the same interval.