How treaty rules constrained British naval practice

Treaty clauses cut across Britain’s habit of moving older cruisers to Dominion and foreign-station service. A prohibition on transferring warships closed off one established way to sustain imperial naval presence. Another clause addressed Britain’s First World War seizure of foreign ships under construction in British yards, a practice it repeated during the Second World War despite its treaty commitments. Limits on foreign construction could export technology and know-how instead of keeping British yards occupied, while reporting rules added another layer of scrutiny. Restrictions on merchant-ship armament also help explain why Second World War armed merchant cruisers commonly used older 6-inch guns.