Q&A · 14:43-20:35

Eighteen-inch capital ships and Washington treaty pressure

An alternate British eighteen-inch battle line is used to explain why gun caliber, national prestige, and grandfathered fleets could destabilize the Washington Treaty framework.

Battlecruisers Battleships Naval Gunnery Naval Treaties Royal Navy US Navy

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Question

How would British eighteen-inch-gun capital ships affect later US Navy and Washington Treaty choices?

Short answer

If Britain and Japan had eighteen-inch ships, the Washington Treaty could not easily freeze a sixteen-inch standard while the US had none.

Notes

Gun caliber served as a visible strategic and political measure in the treaty era. If Britain and Japan already possessed eighteen-inch-gun ships, the United States would struggle to accept a treaty settlement that left it publicly behind in capital-ship firepower.