Nelson and Rodney's disappointing 16-inch weapon gives Britain another reason to consider a new 15-inch battleship gun. Returning to the proven 15-inch family could avoid developing new shells and allow modernization of the existing fleet's armament. The first ships would probably use an all-forward arrangement with three triple turrets. Later batches could adopt a conventional layout if designers could fit it within the available infrastructure, as Britain eventually did for the King George V, Lion, and Vanguard designs. A common 15-inch weapon could therefore support improvements across both new and older battleships.
Notable Point · 1:10:33-1:12:52
Why Britain might return to the 15-inch gun
A new 15-inch gun could reuse proven ammunition and support modernization of older battleships as well as Britain's first treaty-authorized batch.