Who would receive the German High Seas Fleet if the Allies distributed it to new nations?
Short answerThe Dutch, Greeks, and Poles would be likely principal recipients, while older or impractical ships would be disposed of.
NotesThe states with both a coast and a plausible reason to operate a major navy would receive the most valuable ships. The Netherlands, Greece, and Poland become the principal beneficiaries, with the Dutch likely receiving battlecruisers and the Greeks and Poles dividing battleships. Cruisers could be spread among a wider group because more states could sustain them than could support dreadnoughts. For Poland, sailors from the former German fleet whose home territories became Polish could help crew the inherited ships, after which the older vessels would be scrapped and the newest retained. Older destroyers and pre-dreadnoughts would likewise be scrapped, while newer destroyers might remain useful. The submarine fleet would probably disappear altogether, even if that required towlines to part mysteriously before the boats reached another navy.