The American political minimum went beyond abstract tonnage parity: Congress and the US Navy wanted fifteen battleships. A separate battlecruiser allowance would let Britain retain global rapid-reaction forces, but would make Washington demand a corresponding battle-line advantage. The resulting American force would combine a fifteen-ship battle line with a separate fast scouting arm rather than trade one for the other. That numerical floor turns the alternate treaty into a bargaining problem over additional ships rather than a simple redistribution of the historical allowance.
Notable Point · 11:23-18:35
The 5:5:3 ratio and America’s fifteen-ship battle line
The historical treaty’s 5:5:3 capital-ship ratio reflected American insistence on a battle line of fifteen ships, a constraint that shapes the alternate settlement.