The counterfactual begins with early-1930s work on automatic dual-purpose 6-inch guns reaching practical service sooner. Dido might then have carried four twin mountings, while Arethusa and subsequent British light cruisers could also have combined their surface battery with heavy anti-aircraft fire. A simpler mounting with somewhat lower performance is proposed as a potentially more reliable alternative to the later automatic guns. This remains a hypothetical development path. Ordinary 6-inch cruisers could not produce the volume of fire wanted against mass destroyer and aircraft attacks, which helped create the case for the smaller-calibre screening cruisers.
Notable Point · 2:49:25-2:50:54
What if automatic dual-purpose 6-inch guns had arrived earlier?
Earlier practical automatic 6-inch mountings could have changed British light-cruiser armament and reduced the need for a separate Dido design.