Inter-war naval aircraft developed within the treaty system. Conversions were attractive because treaty rules left hulls and materials that could be repurposed while limiting the broader capital-ship competition. Had the Washington settlement been delayed, G3 and Lexington battlecruisers might have proceeded alongside a new generation of purpose-built carriers late in the 1920s. The Royal Navy therefore began the period with valuable carrier experience but without complete freedom to pursue every possible new design.
Chapter · 20:50-23:44
Treaties shaped the carrier fleet that emerged
Naval treaties did not make carriers unimportant; they encouraged conversion projects and constrained the new carrier fleets that navies could afford to build.