Article 9 governed the replacement of non-carrier warships up to 10,000 tons. It prevented a state from immediately discarding its existing fleet and replacing every ship with a design optimised for the new rules. Rival navies therefore faced less pressure to fund a sudden replacement race of their own. Reported specifications might still be misleading, but the existence and broad characteristics of a physical ship were harder to conceal.
Chapter · 15:30-17:55
Article 9 and controlled fleet replacement
Article 9 linked replacement to schedules, preventing a navy from rebuilding its whole fleet at once around the treaty's new limits.