España displaced about 15,700 tons normally and 16,450 tons at full load, already less than the proposed 17,500-ton cruiser ceiling. Giving a County- or Town-type cruiser roughly seven thousand extra tons could have bought more guns, substantial armor, long range, and aviation facilities. The nominal cruiser would then resemble a small battleship. Permitting 12-inch cruiser guns would also have erased much of the distinction from contemporary 14-inch-gunned capital ships. Separate 10,000-ton and 8-inch limits kept the treaty categories from collapsing into one another.
Chapter · 1:14:16-1:20:27
When a 17,500-ton cruiser becomes a small battleship
España's displacement shows how a half-battleship cruiser allowance could have produced heavily armed ships close to capital-ship scale.