Six-inch cruisers grew from the scout-cruiser line, while Hawkins belonged to the larger light-cruiser line that later became the 8-inch treaty cruiser. Had the First World War continued, the next development from Hawkins was likely to be a larger cruiser armed with 9.2-inch guns. The old armored-cruiser niche did not continue under the same label: keeping its position between rapidly growing cruisers and battlecruisers would have required a ship around 20,000 to 25,000 tons after the war.
Notable Point · 2:47:07-2:48:47
Why Hawkins was not the successor to the armored cruiser
The Hawkins class extended the large light-cruiser line; a true postwar armored-cruiser successor would have been a much larger 20,000- to 25,000-ton ship.