Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 36:09-36:52

Why treaty declarations manipulated displacement

Navies used creative tonnage accounting both to appear compliant and to preserve room for future ship modifications.

Naval ProcurementNaval TreatiesStandard DisplacementWashington Naval Treaty
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Question

Why did Washington Naval Treaty signatories misstate ship tonnage?

Short answer

Creative accounting served treaty goals and could leave declared room for later modifications.

Notes

The declarations were misleading, but the direction of the distortion could serve future planning as well as immediate treaty compliance. Declaring a ship heavier than it was could reserve notional displacement for later modifications. A navy could then add equipment without appearing to exceed the displacement already reported. Treaty data functioned as strategic claims as well as engineering measurements.