Wow... how extremely helpful.
1. The only US CA at level 40 is the Northampton. If you insist on using this... well, it's tough because it's not that great of a ship. I used one for a little bit (at level 40) and then pushed my BO to level 46 using an Oakland and a DDX to get the New Orleans (in the process, training up gunners with better stats too).
2. There are 3 options. A. Historic - triple 8"/55 Mark 13N. Pretty much this is the only option for real CA armament. The range is poor, at level 40 your spread will be poor. But damage is better than the rest. You won't really be able to use any other 8" triples with appreciable ammo (or range if they do have enough ammo). B. Range - twin 8"/55 Mark 11L. Long range, 8" power. You only have six guns though, so you're firing only 2/3 as much as the Mark 13N. C. 6"/47 Triples - You get outgunned by a Brooklyn. And a Cleveland. And almost everything because you just don't have enough mounts. I wouldn't recommend this.
3. What I *DO* recommend is pushing past the Northampton entirely with a CL or DD and getting the Portland or New Orleans. The Mark13L has better range and the Mark 14N has better damage. (and still more range than the Mark 13N).
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