Choosing a 10-inch cruiser limit to favour 9.2-inch guns

Would an alternative cruiser treaty allow guns as large as 11 inches?

No: a 10-inch ceiling is preferred, expecting rivals to accept a rate-of-fire penalty for only a modest gain over 9.2-inch shells.

The proposed treaty allows a 20,000-ton cruiser with guns up to 10 inches, while Britain's own design carries fifteen 9.2-inch guns. An 11-inch ceiling is rejected because it would admit a more useful German option. The preference for a 10-inch ceiling assumes that rivals would adopt the largest permitted calibre. In this comparison, its modest increase in shell weight would come with about half the 9.2-inch gun's rate of fire. The aim is to shape a rival's design incentives through the treaty limit.