Comments by "Steve Valley" (@stevevalley7835) on "The Drydock - Episode 118" video.

  1. wrt the question about armament alternatives for the KGVs. I have read that the RN was fundamentally dissatisfied with the 16" used on the Nelsons due to their high barrel wear, and were looking for a lower velocity, more durable gun. Why in the world the RN did not buy US 16"/45s is beyond me, other than the possibility that they simply were not available yet, when the KGVs were fitting out. From time to time, someone floats the idea of stripping the 15"/42s off of the R-class and installing them on the faster KGV hull, in place of the 14" I found some estimates, at 1915 prices for RN 13.5" guns and twin turrets. Assuming those prices would be close to those for a 15", I adjusted for inflation to 1937 prices. Dismounting the guns from the Rs, and installing them in new build triple turrets for the 5 KGVs would only save about 1M pounds, far short of the amount needed to pay for an additional KGV, and the RN loses the use of the Rs. Using four of the original twin turrets would require a longer hull, pushing displacement over the treaty limit, as we see with Vanguard, so that is a non-starter. Using three of the original twin turrets would fit in the 35,000T KGV hull, but the ship, with only 6 heavy guns, would be outgunned by any other battleship it would likely run into, and the total savings for the five KGVs would be a bit over 3M Pounds, still less than half the cost of building an additional KGV, and they lose the use of the Rs. Other than buying the US 16"/45, what the RN did was the best option.
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  2.  @kemarisite  Adding to what Frank said, later pre-WWI design battleships would have a double bottom, and maybe a single torpedo buikhead. As torpedoes grew, this system was woefully inadequate. Royal Oak and Barham both had large torpedo bulges installed between the wars, and both fell to torpedoes anyway. The last couple of classes of USN standards had an internal TDS of 4 or 5 bulkheads, with the spaces between alternating between air and oil filled. West Virginian's TDS was overwhelmed at Pearl and she sank. Torpedo bulges were added when she was rebuilt. Torpedoes are deadly, which is probably why Jackie Fisher was so enthusiastic about them.
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