The agreement categorized surface warships above 10,000 tons or armed above eight inches as capital ships. It also captured smaller vessels carrying guns above eight inches, a clause that appears aimed most clearly at monitors. That inclusion matters because such specialized bombardment ships were not equivalent to fleet battleships despite their heavy weapons. The same passage sets different over-age thresholds for capital ships, carriers, light surface vessels, and submarines.
Chapter · 18:45-21:08
What the 1936 treaty counted as a capital ship
The definition captured ships above 10,000 tons, heavily armed smaller vessels, and monitors that might otherwise sit outside conventional battleship categories.