Cruiser, carrier, and destroyer restrictions can be traced more readily to ships or conversion weights already under discussion. The 35,000-ton capital-ship figure is harder to reconcile with the newest ships in service or the designs then being developed. Britain consequently built only two Nelsons and accepted severe compromises because the class would remain small. A 41,000-ton ceiling and four or more replacements could instead have produced the Royal Navy's first fast battleship class.
Notable Point · 58:28-1:01:15
The 35,000-ton limit lacked a clear ship benchmark
Unlike several other treaty limits, the capital-ship ceiling sat below recent ships and encouraged a small, highly compromised replacement class.