Treaty tonnage and French capital-ship choices

The Washington Naval Treaty gave France a 175,000-ton capital-ship allowance, enough in theory for five 35,000-ton ships. France instead entered the system with ten battleships totalling about 221,000 tons, many of them old, and received replacement dates in 1927, 1929, and 1931. Italian parity and Japan's larger 315,000-ton allowance made each replacement decision politically consequential. The First London Naval Treaty added replacement-age rules and concentrated heavily on aircraft-carrier definitions and Washington loopholes. Forward armament offered one way to fit useful fighting power inside these fleet limits, although it did not suit every navy or mission.