How naval treaties arrived at 8-inch and 16-inch gun limits

Who at the naval treaty negotiations wanted 8-inch cruiser guns and 16-inch battleship guns?

No single power necessarily preferred both; the figures were practical ceilings based on the largest relevant guns already built or being built.

Eight inches reflected current American and French cruiser construction and a rounded extension of Britain's recent 7.5-inch weapons. Sixteen inches was the largest battleship caliber already afloat when the powers sought a common ceiling. The panel stresses that limits are compromises, not necessarily preferred designs. Had a modern 9.2-inch cruiser or a 16.5-inch-gunned capital ship already existed, negotiators might simply have rounded the ceilings upward. The exchange is a useful reminder that treaty categories often preserve the accidents of current fleets.