Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 57:54-59:47

Admiral-class carriers and the Washington treaty

A treaty answer explains why completed Admiral-class carriers would change the negotiating baseline rather than merely occupy space inside the historical limits.

Admiral Class BattlecruisersFleet CarriersNaval TreatiesRoyal NavyWashington Naval Treaty
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Question

If three Admiral-class hulls became large carriers, what size would later British carriers be?

Short answer

Their existence would force the Washington Naval Treaty to be written around three 35,000-ton British carriers, making any later carrier limit dependent on the total British allowance.

Notes

Three large Admiral-class carriers in service by about 1920 would predate the Washington settlement and therefore reshape it. If they consumed roughly 105,000 tons of a historical 135,000-ton allowance, Eagle, Hermes, and Argus would create an immediate allocation problem. The likely individual limit could be 27,000, 30,000, or 35,000 tons depending on the new total negotiated for Britain.