A 9.2-inch Hawkins class raises the treaty cruiser ceiling

What if the Hawkins class carried eight 9.2-inch guns in four twin turrets?

The estimate is roughly 12,000 to 12,500 tons standard, making that ship the likely basis for a 13,000-ton treaty cruiser ceiling and potentially excluding small carriers such as Hermes from carrier totals.

Replacing seven 7.5-inch guns with eight 9.2-inch weapons in twin turrets would push the Hawkins design well above its historical standard displacement. Treaty definitions normally formed around major ships already in service, so a larger Hawkins could raise the exempt other-warship threshold. HMS Hermes, at about 11,000 tons standard, might then fall below the carrier category entirely. The same rule could free other small carriers while giving later cruisers several thousand additional tons for protection, machinery, or endurance.