If naval treaties had abolished submarines

What if the Washington naval negotiations had truly abolished submarines?

When the ban broke down, navies would have restarted from a much lower technical base, leaving Second World War submarines closer to First World War capability.

This counterfactual assumes that treaty enforcement eventually breaks down when Japan, Germany, or another state restarts submarine construction during the 1930s. Every navy would then have to recover design knowledge and production capacity after a long interruption. Without two decades of continuous development, Second World War submarines would likely have resembled First World War technology more closely. Scientific or research exceptions might preserve limited expertise, but not a mature operational fleet. British arguments also contained a contradiction, seeking broad abolition while looking for exceptions that would protect British requirements.