A readiness rule frames the calculation: one ship is a white elephant, two offer intermittent capability, three provide capability, and four provide assurance. A 135,000-ton fleet allowance combined with a 27,000-ton unit ceiling naturally produced about five carriers, leaving little resilience once refits, maintenance, and losses were considered. Building ships nearer 22,000 tons created some unused tonnage but not necessarily enough for another useful carrier. The proposed alternative separates allowances for larger fleet carriers and lighter ships, using Hermes-like carriers as the small-ship example, so navies could preserve both individual capability and deployable numbers. This arithmetic shows how treaty design shapes readiness, shipyard continuity, and force structure as well as the size of individual hulls.
Chapter · 32:47-36:05
Carrier tonnage rules produced fragile fleet numbers
The treaty's 135,000-ton total and 27,000-ton unit ceiling pushed fleets toward five carriers, too few to guarantee useful availability.