Carrier ceilings and a one-fifth building cap

The treaty discussion criticises the 10,000-ton minimum for obstructing escort carriers while accepting limits that discourage gun-heavy battlecarriers. It also questions a 1936 gun clause that limited the number of weapons above 5.25 inches while accommodating Britain's sixteen 4.5-inch guns. Lexington and Saratoga's actual size is used to suggest a ceiling of about 36,000 tons, with 31,000 tons proposed for new builds in place of 27,000. A 6.1-inch gun limit would mainly inconvenience the larger American carrier conversions. Replacement would be allowed twenty years after first launch. The new-build example gives Britain and the United States 310,000 tons each, equivalent to ten maximum-sized carriers, with seven for Japan and four each for France and Italy. Germany could receive an allowance equivalent to two. To keep those larger totals from producing a sudden building surge, no signatory could have more than one-fifth of its allowance under construction at once.