What changes would improve the underweight Pensacola-class design?
Short answerUse three triple 8-inch turrets, spend the saved weight on a continuous armored belt, and improve the secondary fit.
NotesA nine-gun arrangement with three triple 8-inch turrets would replace Pensacola's unusual ten-gun layout. Removing one gun and its ammunition would help provide a roughly four-inch belt over more of the ship and simplify the protection scheme. The redesign would also improve the anti-aircraft fit while retaining or expanding the torpedo armament. Treaty-cruiser weight trades linked armament arrangement directly to survivability.