internally, the class also adopted the defining characteristic of the protected cruiser, positioning the coal bunkers to act as a form of armour around the vital spaces. the parallel was also expressed in other ways, as u.s. navy observers noted that the quality of the fittings, both mechanical and domestic, was comparable throughout to that of a large cruiser: the crew cabins were all generously wood-panelled and comfortably air-conditioned, features that were rationalized with the claim that they would protect the crew from the heat of a metal hull under tropical skies. there was even an icemaker.