American Freak flag - American Cruisers that were thankfully never built

[kriegerfaust]

Keep in mind that both of these are heavy cruisers with eight-inch guns

[Gillhunter]

I’m reading scout and light cruiser on the drawings. 

[Ensign Cthulhu]

5 minutes ago, Gillhunter said:

I’m reading scout and light cruiser on the drawings. 

IIRC, the distinction into heavy and light cruisers based on their armament postdated these drawings.

[Ticonderoga]

It gets worse. I believe there were some designs in the 1930s with "scout cruisers" armed with 14-inch guns in single turrets, HMS Furious-esque.

[Project45_Opytny]

9 hours ago, Ensign Cthulhu said:

IIRC, the distinction into heavy and light cruisers based on their armament postdated these drawings.

The term "light cruiser" predates the Treaty Regime by a large margin. I recall it is a shorthand for "light armored cruisers", that are lighter cruisers build as armored cruisers (that is having a full set of armored deck and armor belt, in contrast to protected and unprotected cruisers) while also taking advantage of new technologies like steam turbine propulsion. "Treaty" cruisers became "heavy/1st Class" cruisers only retrospectively thanks to the London Treaty.

[kriegerfaust]

[kriegerfaust]

Austro Hungarian