What if the first London Naval Treaty imposed no cumulative tonnage limits on destroyers and submarines?
Short answerBritain would probably build more destroyers and T-class submarines, while the United States could build longer destroyer series with less pressure to overload each individual ship.
NotesRemoving cumulative destroyer and submarine limits from the first London treaty would allow Britain to build more destroyers and probably more T-class boats or equivalents. For the United States, a long production run resembling the Clemson programme is imagined, but with a design closer to the later Fletcher. Reduced pressure to maximize each individual ship might avoid excessive armament and the later need to remove equipment. Congress would still have to fund the ships. America's later entry into the war gives it longer than Britain to turn appropriations into completed vessels.