Washington Treaty shock to shipyards

Large warships drew on engines, boilers, refrigeration, fittings, and the skilled people who designed and installed them. Steady orders kept yards able to bid for merchant construction and retain experienced staff during downturns. The Washington Naval Treaty removed current and future capital-ship work from that industrial system. Britain's County-class cruiser orders helped yards and replaced cruisers worn out during the war. A 10,000-ton cruiser, however, could not supply the work of a capital ship of 45,000 tons or more. Britain needed those cruisers anyway, so their construction left the loss of capital-ship orders largely unfilled.