The Royal Navy used several methods to keep new ships within the formal appearance of treaty rules. Liquid carried in protective spaces could be treated as part of the armor scheme rather than ordinary displacement. Tribal-class destroyers did not meet their nominal tonnage, while County cruisers later received armor plates that seemed to have been manufactured in advance. The examples show how a navy could prepare for stronger ships without announcing an open break from the arms-control system.
Notable Point · 3:07:23-3:08:08
How the Royal Navy bent treaty displacement rules
Water counted as protection, understated destroyer tonnage, and pre-shaped cruiser armor let British designs exceed the spirit of their limits.