The American cruiser is rebuilt around survival at range after the first duel. Its torpedoes are removed, and the recovered weight goes into inner belt and deck armour. The design also receives maximum bulkheads, a triple bottom, the strongest available anti-torpedo protection, sonar, RDF, and radar. This is a game exercise rather than a historical refit, but it makes the trade between offensive torpedo armament and layered survivability visible. The revised ship still depends on keeping its distance, because entering the Japanese torpedo envelope can defeat the purpose of those changes.
Notable Point ยท 1:38:33-1:41:16
Trading torpedoes for cruiser survivability
After the first cruiser duel, removing torpedoes frees weight for layered armour, bulkheads, anti-torpedo protection, and sensors.