Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Chapter · 17:09-23:15

Second London Naval Treaty limits and escape routes

The Second London Naval Treaty set a 23,000-ton carrier limit while leaving auxiliary ambiguity and escape clauses.

14-inch GunsFleet CarriersImplacable Class Aircraft CarriersInterwar NavyKing George V Class Battleships (1939)Naval ProcurementNaval TreatiesRoyal NavySecond London Naval Treaty (1936)
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Notes

The Second London Naval Treaty defined aircraft carriers, capped them at 23,000 tons, and restricted the number of guns above 5.25 inches. The same Henderson-Goodall team also worked on HMS Unicorn, whose treatment as an auxiliary shows how much room remained around those definitions. Unlike earlier treaty systems, the agreement removed cumulative fleet limits while retaining limits on individual ships and procedures for changed circumstances. Once the escalator clauses were triggered, the United States moved to 16-inch-gun battleships, Britain planned the Lion class with 16-inch guns, and the King George V class kept 14-inch guns while sacrificing two weapons for more armor. Implacable's design belonged to a treaty system whose negotiators already feared that Italian, Japanese, or other construction might cause it to collapse.