Because Dominion tonnage counted inside the British total, retaining HMAS Australia made the treaty settlement harder to balance. Britain could compensate Australia with County-class cruisers, which remained legal because Washington did not limit the total number of sub-10,000-ton ships. The later heavy-cruiser label should not be read backward into the design process. The Hawkins class had been understood as large light cruisers, and the Counties continued that lineage despite carrying 8-inch guns. This classification history explains why cruiser construction offered a politically easier substitute for a Dominion capital ship.
Notable Point · 9:29-10:20
Cruisers compensate Australia for losing its flagship
Britain could soften HMAS Australia's disposal with unrestricted County-class cruisers, whose original design lineage was still understood as light-cruiser development.