Fiji-class cruisers under treaty limits

John Roberts's British Warships of the Second World War explains how the Fiji design shortened machinery spaces and redistributed protection to approach the 8,000-ton treaty limit while retaining twelve 6-inch guns. Placing the after boilers abreast saved length, while armour was reduced in some areas and strengthened around magazines and shell rooms. Wartime radar, anti-aircraft weapons, and accommodation demands then consumed margins the treaty design scarcely possessed. Aircraft facilities and X turret had to be removed, while later related ships gained beam to improve stability. The class shows how an external tonnage ceiling can force compromises that later conflict with operational and mission requirements.