Britain and the United States occupied the top tier of the naval treaty system, followed by Japan, then France and Italy. France and Italy had roughly comparable fleets with different geographic commitments. French ships served around the world, while Italy concentrated its strength in the Mediterranean. Together, the French and British fleets had the ships and supporting infrastructure to undertake substantially more operations than either could manage alone.
Chapter · 2:22-3:38
French and Italian fleets in the treaty era
France and Italy fielded broadly comparable fleets, but French deployment was global while Italy concentrated in the Mediterranean.