Eight 9.2-inch guns on a post-Hawkins cruiser

Could a nominal 12,000-to-13,000-ton post-Hawkins cruiser carry eight 9.2-inch guns?

The armament is plausible only if the design grows toward roughly 14,500 tons, as the panel expects the nominal starting displacement to do.

Eight 9.2-inch guns were not a free addition to a strict 12,000-ton hull. The battery fits the earlier estimate that a Royal Navy design begun in the 12,000-to-13,000-ton range would likely finish around 14,500 tons once the complete ship was worked out.