An eight-inch American carrier-escort cruiser

What would American escort cruisers carrying Lexington's eight-inch guns look like?

They would probably resemble a more armored American County class with four twin turrets and could influence the Pensacola design.

Four twin turrets would point toward a County-like layout rather than the later Pensacola arrangement. The timing places the proposed ships close to the first American treaty cruisers, so the experiment would feed directly into Pensacola-era choices. Because the ship's job would be protecting carriers, some speed could be traded for armor. Building the escort first might then normalize a better-protected four-turret pattern for the following cruiser class.