above are great questions...but if you've not read LordKelvin's guides, then you
should. He gives comprehensive info on pretty much everything on the US lines.

Me, I prefer the brooklyn, cleveland, baltimore, AK/guam, colorado, SoDak line. I'm
on the Colorado at the moment, but I have a 2nd BO running a cleveland which is
probably the best ship on the line.

The Cleve can support dual 8" guns (with 4+ binds) and usable AA or a huge
HedgeHog battery for asw work (that's how I have my current one set up). In blitz,
it rules since you can put 2"+ deck and belt w/50 bulge an still not lose much speed.
In GB w/a sonar operator, it rules SS since you can put 20 HH out, then turn and put
20 more...and once the SS surfaces,, you kill it with guns.

Read the guides and you'll make your choices then. LK's guides are now a bit dates
on some the engine info...but the gun guides and the armour is spot on.

No individual is the same, and thus no game preferences is the same.

Ask yourself questions like these:

Do you want armor whoring?
Do you want speed?
Do you want hit-and-run?
Do you want AA?
Do you want range?
Do you want better guns?
Do you want more displacement?
Do you want to be a smaller target?

I doubt you will get all of these in every BB. If you must refer to a statistic, look to
the sticky guides. Otherwise, if you prefer the first hand experience, make two BOs for
separate lines.