Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 3:01:30-3:02:42

A 9.2-inch County-type cruiser in the Pacific

An 18,000-ton cruiser with twelve 9.2-inch guns would outperform historical treaty cruisers but also trigger equally larger opponents and a different Pacific naval balance.

9.2-inch GunsCounty Class CruisersLarge CruisersPacific WarWarship Design
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Question

Would a 15,000- to 18,000-ton County-style cruiser with 9.2-inch guns fare better in the Pacific War?

Short answer

Probably, but other navies would build comparable ships, changing the entire cruiser balance rather than granting Britain an isolated advantage.

Notes

A 15,000- to 18,000-ton County-style cruiser would probably perform better than the historical 10,000-ton type in isolation. At the upper end it might carry four triple 9.2-inch turrets, creating a much more powerful surface combatant. Other navies would not leave that development unanswered, so the ship would face similarly enlarged foreign cruisers. The useful conclusion is not a free British advantage but a Pacific War fought by an entirely different cruiser generation.