British carrier planning could not be reduced to choosing the most efficient ship on a drawing board. If Japan pressed for a 90,000-ton national total, Britain would retain only four 22,500-ton carriers. A five-ship British requirement implied a global limit near 115,000 tons, but the 5:5:3 ratio would leave Japan about 15,500 tons, too little for the efficient carrier imagined in the discussion. One navy's preferred force structure could fail diplomatically because the same treaty arithmetic produced an unattractive fleet for another signatory.
Notable Point · 14:52-15:31
Carrier limits depended on Japanese acceptance
A technically workable British carrier limit still had to fit the 5:5:3 treaty ratio and leave Japan enough tonnage for an efficient additional ship.