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![]() ![]() Production of light cruisers slowed considerably, or even stopped in lieu of the 8in ships. This ironically led to everyone taking the maximum quality cap - 10,000t and no bigger than 8in guns - as the minimum to go for, there being no point to building inferior ships, so through the 1920's everyone was aiming for 10,000t and 8-10x 8in armed cruisers. The Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 was meant to qualitatively cap cruiser design and prevent an arms race, though build numbers were unlimited. The genesis of the Hawkins was as a Trade Protection cruiser, the Furutaka was initially known as a 'Large Scout Cruiser' with a role to both scout, and defeat scouting Hawkins or Omaha class ships. What would become a split between Heavy and Light cruisers started in late WWI and early post-war with the British developing the new Hawkins class with 7.5in guns, and the Japanese the Furutaka class with 200mm guns. Unless there is something we are missing about the capabilities of a light cruiser? It would be like having the M1 Abrams with the 105mm gun alongside the M1 Abrams with the 120mm gun instead of just using a full fleet of 120mm guns. The onyl difference is their guns though, otherwise they're the same. The Royal Navy in particular boasted an extensive cruiser force, which makes sense considering the large size of the British Empire and the large amount of ocean that needed to be patrolled in a cost-effective manner. Roles such as commerce patrols, convoy escort, and “showing the flag” at more remote bases and locations where the use of a larger ship would be impractical or too expensive. It’s also important to remember that cruisers were designed for other roles than as part of a battle fleet. With their heavier guns and often (but not always) superior protection, heavy cruisers were for the most part individually more capable combatants than contemporary light cruisers, and were meant to fill a need for a ship of intermediate capabilities and cost between that of the light cruiser and the larger battlecruisers and battleships. ![]()
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