Heavy-cruiser labels versus design purpose

The later category of heavy cruiser should not be read backward into every American ship armed with eight-inch guns. Changing a designation on paper could place a scout cruiser in comparisons with fighting cruisers without altering its armor, machinery, or original mission. New Orleans matters because the class was conceived for the eight-inch fighting category rather than renamed into it, although the design had not completed the transition. Treaty cruisers make more sense when judged by their intended role before their wartime performance is compared.