Good thoughts those, and we are 'thinking out load' here.

One trap we REALLY try to avoid falling in to is perfection. We need mistakes and we need 'friction'.

One of the attractions of the 9.2" cruiser is that it forces some sub-optimal things on events. They had been sketching 9.2" designs in the late 30s and there was a lot of data and expertise built up on the coast defence side  of life with that calibre. With what Golconda has said, more research is needed before we finalise things.

Going 9 gun on the Colonies early is one of those 'friction' decisions. Again, none of this is set in concrete yet!

From available sources, all HG capability is tied up in 14" well into 1941. This gives some time to start on teh smaller 16" run, and maybe the 9.2. They actually fit into a rough sequence. of course, I have no idea yet if it's a workable sequence.

Cheers: mark