Blake-class guns, torpedoes, and protected deck

The class mounted two 9.2-inch guns, ten six-inch guns, sixteen three-pounders, and four 14-inch torpedo tubes. Six of the six-inch weapons stood in shielded upper-deck mounts and four occupied main-deck casemates, giving the ship a large distributed battery. At about 9,150 tons, the Blakes were longer, broader, and deeper-draught than the preceding Orlandos. Their protection substituted a three-to-six-inch armoured deck for the Orlando's belt while retaining armoured gun positions and a heavily protected conning tower. The comparison shows how designers could preserve heavy-cruiser firepower and protected vital spaces without using the feature that formally defined an armoured cruiser.