A shorter war without the historical naval treaty system

A Royal Navy that wins the war through a costly battle would use that victory to justify rebuilding its battleships. A shorter war and different debts would also change the pressures that produced the historical naval treaty system. Japan might gain an early lead in carrier aviation because it was already investing in aircraft-carrying ships, while the United States could enter that race more slowly. American capital-ship ambitions often lacked the cruisers and destroyers needed for a rounded fleet, echoing Germany's pre-war problem. A surviving imperial Germany would probably face strict naval limits even if the Kaiser and army remained politically intact. Britain might try to prohibit another German battle fleet altogether. Battleship construction would continue alongside aviation development, producing a very different interwar naval competition.