Gas turbines ease the Crown Colony cruisers' topweight problem

The Crown Colony design compressed Southampton-class capabilities into a smaller treaty envelope and historically produced about 72,500 shaft horsepower from four boilers and four steam turbines. Replacing that plant would free weight and volume where topweight was already a difficult constraint. Designers could scale the standardized turbine modules to preserve historical power or install a larger set and obtain a much faster cruiser. In either case, the machinery change creates room for protection and equipment that the historical hull struggled to carry.