A triple 6-inch turret might leave enough room for a twin 8-inch or 9.2-inch replacement. Transferring aviation to a supporting cruiser carrier would free deck space and weight for other purposes. Stored armour and feed water used for torpedo protection offer further ways to prepare a heavier wartime ship. Single 4-inch peacetime guns could give way to twin anti-aircraft mountings kept ashore as harbour defences. Rapid fitting would depend on compatible arrangements, large cranes, and crews able to make the change. The short conversion time imagined here follows from that advance preparation.
Notable Point · 25:05-27:34
Preparing cruiser guns and protection for mobilization
Common turret spaces, shore-held anti-aircraft guns, and transferred scouting aircraft could support a heavier wartime cruiser.