Large naval guns were not automatically useless against aircraft. The first generation of County-class eight-inch mountings could reach roughly seventy degrees elevation. That did not turn the cruiser into a conventional heavy anti-aircraft ship. It did mean an attacking aircraft could face extremely large shells in the defensive barrage.
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County-class eight-inch guns in an anti-aircraft role
Early County-class mountings could elevate high enough to put eight-inch shells into an anti-aircraft barrage, an unusual secondary use for a heavy cruiser's main battery.