How an Australian Encounter would set cruiser limits

Would the United States choose a 10,500-, 11,000-, or 12,000-ton cruiser limit if an Australian Encounter carried three triple 10.5-inch turrets?

About 12,000 tons, because negotiators would round around the displacement of the existing reference cruiser.

The historical 10,000-ton cruiser ceiling followed the displacement of the Hawkins class. If an Australian Encounter carrying triple 10.5-inch turrets instead became the current reference ship, its roughly 12,000-ton displacement would likely anchor the negotiating limit.