The proposed settlement gives Britain, the United States, and Japan distinct battlecruiser allowances while preserving a hierarchy of capital-ship tonnage. Britain needs fast ships for dispersed imperial commitments; America accepts the compromise to keep the wider treaty alive. A 5,000-ton gap between the battlecruiser and battleship ceilings would preserve a real protection-and-speed tradeoff instead of making every fast capital ship a fast battleship. The proposal also raises the battleship limit and carrier allowance, while lowering the ceiling for other large warships to keep the categories distinct.
Chapter · 25:01-33:58
A treaty with battlecruiser tonnage of its own
Britain’s worldwide commitments make a separate battlecruiser allowance the central bargaining point in this alternate Washington conference.