What if the first London naval agreement limited destroyers to 2,000 tons but placed no limit on their total tonnage?
Short answerThe Royal Navy would probably build destroyers and sloops continuously, perhaps around 18 destroyers a year, and make those numerous small ships a central part of its global force.
NotesThe answer estimates that the Royal Navy might happily build about 18 destroyers each year if a treaty capped individual ships at 2,000 tons but imposed no aggregate limit. Britain could also continue producing sloops and use the combined force as the flexible strength needed to address worldwide escort and patrol problems. The answer demonstrates how treaty wording can redirect a navy's force structure without directly prescribing a particular fleet. A per-ship ceiling alone would favor quantity and continuous production.