Why Belknap served as a Sixth Fleet flagship

Why was USS Belknap used as the Sixth Fleet flagship after her collision with USS John F. Kennedy?

Her command-and-control facilities made her useful as a flagship, while her reconstruction gave her an exceptional place within the class.

Belknap served as a Sixth Fleet flagship, and the answer points to the command-and-control value of a properly equipped cruiser. Her rebuild after the collision with USS John F. Kennedy also left her in an unusual position: she effectively became a one-ship class while the other ships were grouped as the Josephus Daniels class. That distinction made the reconstructed Belknap more than a routine sister within the original design group. The exchange shows how a ship's operational role and later classification can be shaped as much by staff facilities and reconstruction as by its weapons.