The exemption extended beyond escort hulls to naval auxiliaries. Governments could build tankers and troop transports in unlimited numbers, including fast ships armed and prepared for wartime use. Such construction would give fleets more fuel-carrying and troop-lift capacity when conflict began while supporting the industrial base discussed throughout the video. Their neglect reinforces the argument that governments concentrated on treaty-limited categories and left permitted logistical capacity underdeveloped.
Notable Point · 50:17-50:46
Unlimited auxiliaries for wartime logistics
Article 8 also left tankers and troop transports outside numerical limits, offering a peacetime route to stronger wartime mobility and supply.