Q&A · 1:34:43-1:35:22

Monitors sit outside the main treaty strength contest

A treaty answer explains why heavily armed monitors did not need a competitive tonnage allocation.

Question

How would naval treaties handle monitors derived from First World War designs?

Short answer

Monitors were already permitted without a dedicated strength category because they supported land and amphibious operations rather than the battle fleet.

Notes

The Royal Navy carried monitors through the Washington and London systems with notification rather than treating them as a core measure of naval power. Their slow, specialized shore-bombardment mission made them strategically different from ships intended to contest fleet control.