American estimates, official figures, and figures associated with later conversions do not describe the same state of the ships. The two Aoba-class cruisers followed the Furutaka pattern but began somewhat larger and accumulated more weight through improvement. A figure near 7,100 tons can describe them as built, while later standard and full-load figures approach roughly 8,300 and 9,000 tons. Treaty-era statistics therefore depend on date, loading condition, rebuilding, and whether a source is repeating an official declaration or an estimate.
Notable Point · 30:43-33:15
Aoba class and the problem of official displacement
The Aoba class shows why published displacement figures must be read against rebuilding and the limits of official reporting.