I do like the Furutakas, and I think they make a useful contrast to Exeter, whose service record leaves me unimpressed. I have no big complaints about her performance against Graf Spee, though a few more 8in hits would have been nice. I'm uncertain how her two engagements with the Japanese can be seen as creditable. She scored no hits in either. In the first one, she received a single hit that knocked out half her machinery; in the second one, she received a single hit that knocked out the other half. Then she sat there playing target. I would agree there's a reason behind the way the Counties were deployed, but we don't know what it is or if it has anything to do with deficiencies. I rate Norfolk's battle record above Exeter's--two engagements against battleships, striking critical blows in both cases.