Why favour Wichita if six-inch cruisers were often more useful?
Short answerA favourite ship can be admired for its design and history even when another armament is judged more generally useful in combat.
NotesA six-inch battery is argued to offer a higher volume of fire at many plausible pre-radar engagement ranges, without a proportionate advantage in armour for the eight-inch ship. That functional preference does not invalidate affection for Wichita. Her Brooklyn-derived hull and machinery remain part of the design appeal even when the eight-inch battery is not judged the universally best cruiser armament. The moment is a useful warning against treating historical evaluation as a single ranking.