Historical treaty formulas would not fit this fleet. Six 20,000-ton Courageous-derived carriers, three roughly 35,000-ton Admiral conversions, and smaller cruiser carriers could put Britain near 300,000 tons of carrier shipping. A limit high enough to grandfather that force would hand the United States and Japan enormous new construction allowances, while a low limit would require Britain to scrap proven ships. Exempting carriers below 15,000 tons would preserve numerous British cruiser carriers and create another numerical imbalance. Carriers would enter negotiations as proven strategic assets rather than immature auxiliaries, making both naval parity and domestic political approval much harder.
Chapter · 1:07:10-1:13:38
A mature carrier fleet breaks Washington treaty arithmetic
British carrier tonnage already approaching 300,000 tons would force negotiators to reconsider limits, exemptions, and parity before Washington-style talks even begin.