Per-ship limits encourage every navy to build to the ceiling

What if naval treaties limited only the size and number of ships rather than total fleet tonnage?

Every ship would tend to reach the maximum allowed size, removing the incentive to trade individual size for the larger hull count required by globally deployed navies such as the Royal Navy.

A rule allowing fifteen ships of 35,000 tons is already a cumulative ceiling in practical effect. Without a separate total-tonnage incentive, every navy gains by making each hull as large as permitted. Britain, however, often preferred more ships because it had to cover more stations. Cumulative tonnage lets designers build below the individual maximum and convert saved displacement into additional hulls that better fit the fleet's geographic requirement.