Naval architects in each power could compare declared dimensions, armor, machinery, and armament and recognize when the published displacement did not add up. Exact proof was harder, and every major navy exploited definitions or understated figures to some degree. The treaties worked by keeping these departures within a tolerable range rather than enforcing perfect honesty. British designers were especially adept at using the written definitions, such as excluding water carried for armor protection from standard displacement, while other navies more visibly broke the letter of the rules.
Notable Point · 2:07:32-2:09:47
Naval treaties tolerated a bounded margin of misstatement
Design bureaus could detect implausible specifications, but the treaty system aimed to contain cheating within a known band rather than secure literal precision.