Article 16 required excess category tonnage to be disposed of gradually by 31 December 1936. That timetable collided with Japan's withdrawal from the treaty system and worsening conditions in 1936 and 1937. Britain was unlikely to discard useful cruisers once cooperation was breaking down. Yet signing the 1930 agreement had already closed the earlier route for replacing the Hawkins class. Force limits like these depended on continuing strategic trust.
Notable Point · 8:10-9:04
Treaty drawdown met Japan's withdrawal
The planned disposal of excess cruiser tonnage became strategically awkward as Japan left the treaty system and conditions deteriorated.