Forty County-class ships formed part of a wider construction and modernisation programme. The proposal also included twenty new light cruisers and upgrades for ten older cruisers. Counties were still described as large light cruisers before the London Naval Treaty established the later heavy-cruiser category. Other older ships could take specialist duties or pass to Dominion navies, with Hawkins and C-class transfers presented as possibilities.
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The wider cruiser programme behind forty Counties
The forty-County figure sat inside a broader plan for new light cruisers, modernised older ships, and specialist or Dominion assignments.