Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:25:23-2:26:04

Scrapping under Washington versus scuttling after Versailles

The Washington treaty mostly led to controlled scrapping; the more contentious disposal and scuttling problem belonged to Versailles-era German ships.

German NavyNaval TreatiesTreaty Of VersaillesWarship DisposalWashington Naval Treaty
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Question

Why were so many ships scuttled rather than scrapped under the Washington Naval Treaty?

Short answer

They generally were not; Washington ships were mostly scrapped, while Versailles created the ownership and trust disputes that encouraged scuttling.

Notes

The Washington Naval Treaty did not produce widespread scuttling. Most affected ships were sold and broken up under controlled arrangements. Versailles created harder disputes over ownership, the proceeds from dismantling, the location of the work, and trust among the powers. Many unwanted German ships also offered little value to the fleets that might receive them. Sinking them avoided a disposal process that promised expense and political argument for little return.