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A quick question.

Could the RN KGV class have been built with 3 triple 15" turrets rather than the two quad and one twin 14"? And, would it have made any difference to their performance in WW2.

The POD would have to be the UK proposing that 15" rather than 14" guns be permitted for the new ships to be built after the London Naval Treaty 'battleship holiday'. Within the 35k tons limit or close to it. Provided the Admiralty could assure the Treasury that this would not increase the cost of the new battleships and might help get buy-in from other nations it seems a plausible deviation from OTL to me. Certainly France and Italy stuck to 15" guns in their new designs, as did Germany for Bismarck and Tirpitz. So it might seen a reasonable proposal. Of course, the US would still wait until it was clear Japan rejected the Treaty limitations, thus enabling it to mount 16" guns on its new ships.

My calculations from data in Friedman (Battleship design and development 1905-45) and Breyer (Battleships and Battlecruisers 1905-70) suggest that 3x3 15" turrets would weigh about the same as the actual main armanent or possibly a bit more. Perhaps the RN could accept the twin 4.5" DP gun instead of the actual 5.25" used to offset the extra 100-200 tons. Or, a twin 15" turret could be substituted in the 'B' position if need be, given the existence of the spares used for Vanguard.

However, I don't yet have any warship modelling programme - anyone able to confirm or refute the feasibility of such a design?

Secondly, would it make a difference? The Duke of York's gunnery was adequate against Scharnhorst, as was that of KGV against Bismarck. And despite the problems suffered by Prince of Wales it did make one crucial ht on Bismarck. So the flip answer is 'not much', despite the extra broadside 'throw weight'.

However, given the existing gun (and possibly even turret design) would construction of the first members of the class been accelerated? Making Prince of Wales fully worked up at the time of Bismarck's sortie and hence possibly taking Hood's place in the lead or even as flag. A very different battle of the Denmark Straight becomes feasible.
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