Comments by "Frank DeMaris" (@kemarisite) on "HMS New Zealand - The Lucky Kiwi Capital Ship" video.

@UNSCForwardontodawn that's more a matter of elevation. The original mounts could only elevate to 13.5 degrees, limiting range to about 19,000 yards. Yes, this would be outranged by the Japanese 8" guns, which could elevate to 40 degrees for a range over 30,000 yards. However, 30,000 yards is beyond the range where anyone has scored a hit, while the 12" mounts of an Indefatigable could have been modified to allow greater elevation. As an example, the 15" mounts were modified between the wars to change elevation from 20 to 30 degrees, extending the range by several thousand yards. The bigger problem with New Zealand in ABDA force is the vulnerability to torpedoes noted below. Even with some bulges added I expect one or two Type 93 torpedoes to disembowel such an old ship.
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@merafirewing6591 yep. I'm thinking of the hit USS Pensacola took at Tassafaronga. Right in the guts of the ship, unlike Minneapolis and New Orleans which took hits forward and lost bows. Pensacola lost engine power, three of four turrets out of action, and had a massive oil fire amidships along the main mast that took 12 hours to finally extinguish, but it, unlike Northampton which took two such hits, survived.
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