WesWorld

Quoted

(a/k/a, "mine's bigger than yours!")

When it comes to a good KABOOM, yours is bigger than mine. :-)

Chile is playing a different/difficult game. If the legal treaty limit is 15 inches and most local powers get their ships from outside purchases, Chile is going to go that extra mile and build a vessel or two itself that can have bigger guns and could survive hits from 14 or 15 inch guns. One idea was to see if it could acquire 16 inch guns from either the Japanese, British, or from the United States, but politically that seems unlikely.

But on the other hand, why did Japan build 18 inch guns for Yamato and looking into 20 inch guns when it wasn't needed, or the British and Americans looking into 18 inch guns as early as 1920?

Also it makes for an interesting long term story, either of the Chilean 17 inch gun monster, or the waste of funds of the guns that never happened, never worked, or turned out to be a rumor.....its a long ways to 1938.

I've changed my mind about what I was going to say about large calibre weapons. If you want 16"+ guns then fine.

Quoted

But on the other hand, why did Japan build 18 inch guns for Yamato and looking into 20 inch guns when it wasn't needed, or the British and Americans looking into 18 inch guns as early as 1920?

... because they can? :-)

Quoted

Also it makes for an interesting long term story, either of the Chilean 17 inch gun monster, or the waste of funds of the guns that never happened, never worked, or turned out to be a rumor.....its a long ways to 1938.

True. But some ship plans you get really attached to and you really want to build that thing no matter what.

30 million is too much to egnore, as I said thats half the cost of another Atlantian design. For the cost of two Chilean designs you can get 3 Atlantian designs, with better armor.

It is if you have the same situation as the US 16"50 cal and the Japanese 18"/45 cal. If the 17" would clearly be superior over the 15", you might want to take the risk of bankrupting your nation and dump the 17" guns on them.
... on the other hand, it is also possible that they prefer to have that money in their own bank account rather than wasted on a warship.

Are wasteful when a smaller weapon can do the same job. Massive battleships are wasteful when the world is going to air power. I know that, but I also know the "bigger is better" mindset, and the national prestige angle. They also just invite someone to make something with larger guns or thicker armor to withstand the new weapons.

In the end, we'll see if this ship gets made, or will be replace with large amounts of cruisers, or case off 14 inch gun armed battleships from retired American ships.
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It will depend on if the 17 inch/ 45 caliber is superior to the currently avalible 15 inch weapons at the time, and or the probability of actually constructing those weapons. The 16 inch 50 cal Mark VII should be superior to any Chilean 17 inch cannon, but, 16 inch guns are illegal, at this point in time, to treaty nations...which is of course another reason for Chile to have to do this herself, but thinking the older 16 inch won't be much better if better at all then the modern 15 inch cannons.