The original Washington regime differed from the later London limits: ships beneath the proposed size and gun ceilings could be built without a total numerical allowance. That leaves the Royal Navy free, in treaty terms, to replace large numbers of cruisers, even though budgets and government policy could still stop construction. A 12,000-ton, 9.2-inch ceiling might also steer British designs toward larger reconnaissance cruisers rather than the historical County class. It makes small carriers such as Hermes important, since a carrier beneath the threshold might sit outside the main carrier tonnage account.
Notable Point · 47:35-56:19
Cruisers and small carriers outside the main limits
Washington imposed no cumulative cruiser tonnage limit, and that loophole complicates both cruiser building and the treatment of small carriers.