Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:49:53-1:50:07

The speed-governor loophole for aviation support ships

A ship physically capable of more than 20 knots might remain within the auxiliary category if its peacetime machinery were governed and the excess speed could not be demonstrated.

Aircraft CarriersAviation Support ShipsInterwar Naval TreatiesTreaty EvasionWarship Design
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Question

What stops a navy from building an aviation support ship capable of more than 20 knots and governing it below that speed in peacetime?

Short answer

Very little if the higher speed cannot be proven, making machinery governors a plausible treaty loophole.

Notes

The answer exposes the difficulty of regulating capability rather than declared performance. A powerful plant can be governed so the ship never demonstrates its full speed during peacetime trials. If inspectors cannot prove the vessel exceeds the treaty threshold, the declared limit may be all they can enforce. The result is a nominally compliant aviation support ship that retains latent wartime performance.