The Royal Navy and United States Navy were nominally equal under the treaty system, but their operational fleets were not identical. Britain had built much closer to the permitted limits, while the United States Congress had not funded every ship the Navy could legally possess. Britain would therefore contribute more hulls to the opening coalition deployment. That material difference reinforces British command even when the two powers remain peers on paper. Treaty tonnage, authorized force, and ready force are separate measures.
Notable Point · 1:07:09-1:07:58
Treaty parity hid Britain's larger ready fleet
Equal treaty allowances did not mean Britain and the United States could place equal numbers of ships in service in early 1939.