Cruisers in this period could be larger than battleships and carry equally powerful guns. They often had less armour, so size and gun calibre alone did not establish the classification. Designers generally tried to fit the most powerful guns they could into a hull. An eleven-inch battery on a cruiser therefore reflected contemporary design choices.
Notable Point · 16:56-17:19
Why an 1890s cruiser could carry battleship-sized guns
Late nineteenth-century cruisers could exceed battleships in size and match their gun power while carrying less armour.