County- and Town-class practice already pressed nominal displacement limits, making an exact 8,000-ton design target difficult to treat as a simple paper exercise. Claims that armour could simply be added after war began raised questions about plate supply, prepared plans, hull alterations, and scarce shipyard time. Britain's active press also made secret preparations or systematic displacement evasions harder to conceal. Naval officers therefore asked how compliance would be enforced and whether other signatories would observe the same practical limits. The disagreement exposed a gap between diplomatic ambition and concerns naval professionals had raised during earlier failed negotiations.
Notable Point · 32:07-35:05
Naval planners questioned whether the treaty was practical
British politicians accepted limits that naval personnel challenged on enforcement, construction margin, and whether armour could be added after war began.