Why a two-ship economy cruiser class fails

Could York-class cruisers have made sense as the numerous low end of a County-class fleet mix?

Yes if bought in substantial numbers, but a class of only two provided less capability without enough hulls to unlock the intended deployment advantage.

The proposed high-low mix would place numerous economy cruisers in quieter theaters while full County-class cruisers concentrated where combat was more likely. Ten York-class ships alongside fifteen or more Counties could have turned reduced individual capability into broader deployment coverage. Building only two Yorks preserved their compromises without creating that numerical advantage. Procurement scale is part of the design logic: an economy type succeeds only if the navy buys enough hulls to use it differently.