Refitting First World War cruisers for useful wartime service

How should a First World War cruiser be refitted to remain effective in the Second World War?

Use dual-purpose 4.5-inch guns on C and D classes, while treating Hawkins as a convoy or secondary-theatre cruiser rather than rebuilding it beyond its limits.

The preferred conversion fits C- and D-class cruisers with 4.5-inch guns to give them a general-purpose role resembling enlarged V and W destroyers. A proposal to put twin 6-inch and twin 4-inch mounts on Hawkins receives a less favourable answer. The historical alternative described for Hawkins uses single 6-inch/45 guns released by C-class refits, allowing a more direct replacement of the 7.5-inch mounts. Effingham is recalled as the converted ship subsequently lost by grounding. Such work should leave the older hull with a realistic task rather than assume it has become a modern cruiser of a different capability.