Why cut-price County cruisers were a false economy

A cruiser can deter a raider without being an ideal fighting ship, especially when a single damaging hit may persuade a distant raider to withdraw. That logic helps explain why Exeter could still threaten a Deutschland- or Admiral Hipper-class raider despite the reduced design's weaknesses. A 6-inch cruiser might have provided much of the same deterrent effect, while the apparent savings from a cut-price County were too small to justify its shortcomings. A Nelson-style layout with three triple 8-inch turrets would have put fighting value per ton and pound ahead of a conventional cruiser silhouette.