In 1924 the Director of Naval Construction asked for an entirely new cruiser with four triple 8-inch turrets, at least 34 knots, and no bulge. Revised Kent-class weights were used to examine power plants of about 110,000 or 120,000 shaft horsepower, with the larger arrangement requiring a third boiler room. Deleting the bulge saved weight, but heavier turret foundations, larger magazines, and the high-powered machinery absorbed nearly all of it. Only about 110 tons remained for protection, enough for very limited deck armour over the magazines and judged unacceptable. The design therefore returned to four twin turrets because treaty displacement could not accommodate the desired gun count, speed, and protection together.
Notable Point · 10:09-12:00
A 34-knot four-triple cruiser could not protect its magazines
A 1924 twelve-gun cruiser study found that the machinery required for 34 knots consumed nearly all the weight freed by deleting the bulge, leaving unacceptable magazine protection.