The cost of inheriting German warships after the First World War

If a navy could take 175,000 tons of German ships after the First World War, what should it keep?

It depends on the navy. Short-term savings may be outweighed by obsolete ships, support burdens, treaty limits, and damage to domestic industrial continuity.

The value of German ships depended on the recipient navy, its supporting infrastructure, and the age of the designs. The Royal Navy already had enough ships, while France, Spain, or Italy might gain more from taking them. France might particularly value modern cruisers, and the United States or Japan might consider modern battleships to save new construction. Rapid wartime development left many German ships outdated, illustrated by the progression through Britain's C, D, and E cruiser classes to Enterprise. Taking old ships could consume treaty allowance and extend the gap in work for domestic shipyards and armaments firms. The treaty-related construction gap compounded an industry contraction already expected after the war.