After the failure of the second London Naval Treaty but before the outbreak of World War II, the United States began preliminary design works with the intention of building ships specifically tailored for countering cruisers. In 1938, the U.S. Navy High Command provided technical specifications to initiate the preliminary development of cruisers armed with six 305 mm guns and twelve 203 mm guns. Further development resulted in the creation of several draft designs for cruisers equipped with 305 mm main battery guns. Among the designs, the largest and most heavily armed ship featured four triple-gun main battery turrets.