Keep the six-inch guns, not every old cruiser hull

Were old six-inch guns and pre-war Town-class cruisers worth retaining?

Six-inch guns were useful and were used in the Second World War, but many pre-war Town hulls had been worked too hard to be attractive reserves.

Reusable equipment can outlast a ship exhausted by years of hard service. Stored six-inch guns remained useful and could be redirected to coastal positions or auxiliary ships during the Second World War. Armed merchant cruisers still used Victorian-era six-inch guns, showing how properly stored weapons could return in a new role. Pre-war Town-class cruisers such as Glasgow had endured extensive wartime employment, leaving their hulls far less attractive for another generation of service. Preserving weapons, mountings, and ammunition can yield more capability than spending scarce dockyard effort on every old cruiser.