Naval treaties leave the Eastern Fleet old and slow

The treaty criticism presented here distinguishes Washington, which is regarded as partly defensible, from the more extensive restrictions associated with the London treaties. Its central concern is the loss of flexibility when limits extend to cruiser and submarine numbers. Long construction pauses also leave old ships in service: Royal Sovereign, Revenge, and smaller vessels were too slow for Phillips's original sortie. A rolling replacement program is the proposed alternative, intended to maintain a more modern fleet within continuing limits. The Force Z scenario therefore begins with an inherited readiness problem as well as an immediate operational crisis.