Why Alaska is a large cruiser, not a battlecruiser

Should the Alaska class be called battlecruisers or large cruisers?

Large cruisers, because their 12-inch weapons were cruiser-scale by 1944 and did not match contemporary 15-, 16-, and 18-inch battleship armament.

Warships grow over time, so a large hull and guns that once armed capital ships do not automatically make a 1944 design a battlecruiser. Against contemporary battleships carrying 15- to 18-inch weapons, Alaska's 12-inch battery places it in the large-cruiser category.