The proposal rejects a 45,000-ton ceiling because it would permit ships larger than Hood and appear to give naval expansion too much room. A 42,000-ton ceiling could be presented to disarmament advocates as a limit around the largest ship already in service. Naval constructors would still have room to develop more efficient designs within it. Britain might choose 40,000-ton ships to obtain an extra hull, while American and Japanese choices remain uncertain. For the American model, an additional 2,000 tons would be assigned to speed, although the resulting gain is not calculated.
Notable Point · 1:08:08-1:12:24
A cap arms-control advocates could defend
The proposed 42,000-ton ceiling uses Hood as a bargaining reference, while an extra 2,000 tons on the American model would be reserved for speed.