Why fifteen autoloading 9.2-inch guns make an unbalanced cruiser

Would a Brooklyn-style cruiser with fifteen autoloading 9.2-inch guns be practical?

No. Nine rapid-fire guns already provide formidable output, and the extra turrets would consume weight better used for armor and fleet systems.

A Brooklyn-style five-turret layout is rejected as an unnecessary use of displacement in the proposed 9.2-inch cruiser. Des Moines is credited here with matching three Baltimores' weight of fire per minute, showing what nine rapid-fire guns could already achieve. More turrets would compete with armour, anti-aircraft weapons, and their directors. Nine to twelve guns are considered more plausible, with the American preference placed at nine. The larger shell also prompts a caution about the autoloader's speed, without a quantified firing rate.