15 inch gun is king

[tigercat]

If any of the Battleships scrapped post World War 1 had been equipped with 15 inch guns would the Royal Navy have retained them?

For example if HMS Tiger had 15 inc guns would she have been kept or were other factors in play.

[tahsin]

The Washington treaty. If you cancel it in Whiffland you surely could use any type to balance the rapidly expanding USN, which might or might not be number One by 1930.

[pyro-manic]

Tiger was kept - she was in reserve as a gunnery training ship for many years (in fact she was recommissioned to the Battlecruiser squadron while Hood was out of service for a refit in 1929) and wasn't scrapped until 1932, to comply with the 1930 London treaty.

[Joe C-P]

Four twin 15" turrets were retained from Courageous and Glorious, and with a variety of refurbished guns from several other ships ended up on one of the best-lined vessels ever built, HMS Vanguard.

[Mossie]

I've had an idea for some time that HMS Dreadnought survived the Wahsington Treaty and was heavilly refitted, the Q and P turrets deleted, the rest replaced with 15 inch guns and the superstructre revised in a similar fashion to Warspite.  Not sure if it's feasible and/or practical, but would be a fitting tribute to her rather than the fate of being scrapped.

[tigercat]

Presumably the limits would be set differently  depending on how they were argued. The RN is  more likely to argue to keep a 15 inch armed  vessel than to want to keep just  one in service that had 13.5 inch guns with all the logistical headaches.

The ratio is 5:5 :3 but presumably there would have been some initial horsetrading to set the figure from which that ratio applied i:e Didn't the Japanese argue to keep one of their vessels as it had been paid for by public subscription.

It always intrigues me that the RN kept so many guns  from scrapped vessels.

I have an image of some vast warehouse bulging with 4 inch, 4.5 inch , 4.7 inch 7.5 inch , 9 inch , 12 inch etc.

Without all the ships being scrapped post WW1 (or even built in the 1st place )there would have been nothing to give to the merchant navy or put on AMC 's and other auxilaries.

I reckon in order for the RN to keep or argue to keep at Washington  any Battleship /cruiser  outside those it kept
in Real life it would probably have needed 15 inch guns and  a speed in the 24- 30 knot range.
 

[PR19_Kit]

I have an image of some vast warehouse bulging with 4 inch, 4.5 inch , 4.7 inch 7.5 inch , 9 inch , 12 inch etc.

There's an MoD place in Kent that has a huge collection of ex-tank guns. They're just lying in an old car park, like a pile of matchsticks but a tad more lethal. Perhaps the Navy has a similar place at Portsmouth, Devenport or Rosyth?