Why a twenty-ship tonnage allowance could support more hulls

Why would Britain have spare tonnage if the treaty already allowed its full twenty-ship fleet?

The proposed ceiling is tonnage equivalent to twenty maximum-size ships, not an absolute count of twenty hulls.

The counterfactual sets a total allowance of 900,000 tons, equivalent to twenty 45,000-ton capital ships. Many retained British ships are smaller, so their combined displacement does not use that allowance. The calculation contrasts the heavier Admirals and G3s with the Queen Elizabeths, Revenges, Renown, and Repulse. Its first estimate of 150,000 tons spare is revised to roughly 240,000 tons as the arithmetic develops. The stated consequence is room for four more 44,000-45,000-ton ships while retaining the older 15-inch fleet. These are estimates within an invented treaty settlement, not figures from the historical Washington agreement.