Q&A · 22:33-22:39

Auxiliaries stayed outside naval treaty tonnage

Fleet supply trains were excluded from the interwar naval treaty limits that constrained combatant tonnage.

Question

Did fleet supply trains fall under the naval treaties?

Short answer

No. Auxiliary supply ships were kept outside the treaty tonnage limits.

Notes

A short answer establishes an important boundary in treaty-era fleet design. Oilers and other auxiliaries did not consume the tonnage allowances assigned to battleships, cruisers, destroyers, or submarines. Navies could therefore expand support capacity without trading away a treaty-limited combatant. Industrial capacity and budgets still constrained construction even when the diplomatic agreements did not.