Royal Navy ideas from before and during the First World War were much larger than the treaty cruisers that followed. These designs clustered around 15,500 to 18,000 tons and usually carried 9.2-inch guns, sometimes in a dreadnought-like arrangement. The studies ranged from roughly 15,500-ton unarmoured ships to 18,000-ton armoured versions, with proposals for eight, ten, or even twelve guns. The later 10,000-ton ships descended more directly from large light cruisers than from this unbuilt British heavy-cruiser type.
Notable Point · 17:43-21:18
The Royal Navy’s unbuilt heavy-cruiser concept
Pre-war British heavy-cruiser studies were 15,500-18,000-ton ships with 9.2-inch guns, a very different category from treaty cruisers.