Diesel cruisers, treaty limits and established machinery systems

Would diesel engines help British and American cruisers stay within treaty limits?

Not substantially for the roles envisaged; their established steam-turbine infrastructure made Germany's diesel opportunity a poor direct comparison.

Diesel engines are not expected here to solve the treaty-limit problem for British and American cruisers performing their intended jobs. Germany is treated as a different case because it was rebuilding its navy from a much smaller starting point. Its large diesel-powered merchant programme could have supported a similar naval direction. Britain and the United States already had extensive infrastructure for steam turbines and boilers. Replacing that system would therefore involve a different calculation from Germany's. Some diesel advantages are still acknowledged, especially the possibility of American diesel destroyers using machinery comparable to MAN's 1930s engines.