The weight behind County high-angle fire

Would the United States want the County class's high-angle main-gun capability?

Probably, but it imposed a substantial weight cost; the cut-price York design shows how little was saved by accepting less capability.

High-angle fire contributed to the weight of the County class's main-gun turrets. Adopting the same capability would therefore involve a weight tradeoff for American cruisers. York and Exeter's later turrets lost that capability yet still weighed more. The intended economy was five cheaper cruisers for the price of four Counties. Only two were built, at nearly the cost and crew requirement of two full Counties. That limited saving underlies the preference for building full Counties, despite the good service of York, Exeter, and their crews.