One explanation is a procurement paradox: explicit treaty ceilings created visible targets that navies tried to reach, while exempt categories lacked the same competitive pressure. Britain built toward overall tonnage limits and the United States toward individual-ship limits because neither wished to fall behind a rival. Unlimited escorts and auxiliaries offered no comparable benchmark, so governments unwilling to anticipate war focused on constrained prestige categories. The result sacrificed fleet support and the chance to expand industrial capacity more easily and cheaply in peacetime.
Notable Point · 49:14-51:40
Limits drove building while unlimited needs languished
Governments built constrained categories to avoid falling behind rivals but neglected unlimited escorts, tankers, and troop transports despite their wartime value.