The 1936 treaty placed destroyers inside a loose category that reached 3,000 tons and 6.1-inch guns. It could have covered a very large destroyer, although none appeared immediately. USS Dale, at 1,365 tons standard, shows the much smaller scale of a prewar American design. Her initial weapon fit looks sparse beside the armament carried later in the war. Together, the broad treaty boundary and Dale's modest scale show how quickly destroyer requirements were changing.
Chapter · 20:39-22:18
The 1936 treaty left destroyers loosely defined
The later treaty offered little destroyer-specific control beyond a broad 3,000-ton and 6.1-inch-gun boundary.