Treaty battleship
Encyclopedia
A treaty battleship was a battleship
built in the 1920s or 1930s under the terms of one of a number of international treaties
governing warship
construction. Many of these ships played an active role in the Second World War, but none survived long after it.
In the Washington Naval Treaty
of 1922, the world's five naval powers agreed to abide by strict restrictions on the construction of battleships and battlecruiser
s, in order to prevent an arms race
in naval construction such as preceded the Great War. The Treaty limited the number of capital ships possessed by each signatory, and also the total tonnage
of each navy's battleships. New ships could only be constructed to replace the surviving ships as they retired after 20 years' service. Furthermore, any new ship would be limited to guns of 16-inch caliber and a displacement of 35,000 tons.
The Washington Treaty limits were extended and modified by the London Naval Treaty
of 1930 and the Second London Naval Treaty
of 1936. During the 1930s, however, the effectiveness of these agreements broke down, as some signatory powers (in particular Japan) withdrew from the treaty arrangements and others only paid lip service to them. By 1938, Britain and the USA had both invoked an 'escalator clause' in the Second London Treaty which allowed battleships of up to 45,000 tons displacement, and the Treaty was effectively defunct.
The strict limits on displacement forced the designers of battleships to make compromises which they might have wished to avoid given the choice. The 1920s and 1930s saw a number of innovations in battleship design, particularly in engines, underwater protection, and aircraft.
was signed in 1922 by Britain
, France
, the USA, Japan
and Italy
, as the five powers which had any significant numbers of modern dreadnought
battleships and battlecruisers. The Treaty was aimed at preventing an expensive arms race, principally between Britain, the USA and Japan. The Treaty established a definition of a capital ship
, which was any ship with a displacement of 10,000 tons or more, or with guns above 8 in (203.2 mm) calibre, apart from an aircraft carrier
. Carriers were specifically constrained from having guns above 8 in calibre, in order to prevent confusion between the two types. Each signatory agreed to limit its total number of capital ships, and its total tonnage of capital ships. These measures meant that several classes of battleships and battlecruisers which were planned, or had even been begun, were scrapped or cancelled.
In addition, each new ship was limited in size to 35,000 tons displacement, and to guns of 16 in (406.4 mm) calibre. Only one vessel already finished, the British battlecruiser Hood
, exceeded these limits; however, many of the new ships planned or being built were significantly larger. The Treaty permitted the improvement of existing warships, but limited the resulting increase in displacement at 3,000 tons.
The Treaty also introduced a 'building holiday'. In general, a new ship could only be begun if one of the ships allowed by the Treaty had been in service for 20 years. This meant that for most signatory powers, no new ships could be begun until the 1930s. An exception was made for Britain; the Royal Navy had no existing ships with 16-inch guns, while both the U.S. Navy and Japan had 16-inch ships already in commission which would be allowed to continue under the terms of the Treaty.
These first British treaty battleships became the Nelson class
, which were begun in 1922 and launched in 1925. The Nelson class solved the problem posed by the new weight restriction by placing all the heavy guns forward of the superstructure in three triple turrets, hence saving weight on the armour around them.
of 1930, and the Second London Naval Treaty
of 1936 further limited guns to 14-inch calibre. The Second London Treaty contained a clause which allowed construction of battleships with 16-inch guns if any of the signatories of the Washington Treaty failed to ratify the new one. It contained an additional clause which allowed displacement restrictions to be relaxed if non-signatories built vessels more powerful than the treaty allowed.
Virtually all battleships built subsequently obeyed the treaty limits. The Washington Naval Treaty was signed by the USA, UK, Japan, France and Italy - all the principal naval powers. At various stages Italy and France opted out of further negotiations; however, their economic resources did not permit the development of super-battleships. Germany, while not permitted any battleships by the Treaty of Versailles
, developed one in the 1930s; this was legitimised by the Anglo-German Naval Agreement
, which placed Germany under the same legal limits as Britain. Only Japan, which opted out of the Treaty system in 1934, actually built mammoth treaty-busting battleships - the Yamato
class. The collapse of the treaty system led to the wartime construction of "post-treaty" battleships which exceeded the limitations: the German Bismarck
class, the U.S. Iowa
class and the British HMS Vanguard and (never completed) Lion
class. A number of designs, never finished, shattered the treaty limits; the German H-class class were scrapped on the outbreak of war, while the U.S. Montana
class were canceled before being laid down.
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
built in the 1920s or 1930s under the terms of one of a number of international treaties
Treaty
A treaty is an express agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely sovereign states and international organizations. A treaty may also be known as an agreement, protocol, covenant, convention or exchange of letters, among other terms...
governing warship
Warship
A warship is a ship that is built and primarily intended for combat. Warships are usually built in a completely different way from merchant ships. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster and more maneuvrable than merchant ships...
construction. Many of these ships played an active role in the Second World War, but none survived long after it.
In the Washington Naval Treaty
Washington Naval Treaty
The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was an attempt to cap and limit, and "prevent 'further' costly escalation" of the naval arms race that had begun after World War I between various International powers, each of which had significant naval fleets. The treaty was...
of 1922, the world's five naval powers agreed to abide by strict restrictions on the construction of battleships and battlecruiser
Battlecruiser
Battlecruisers were large capital ships built in the first half of the 20th century. They were developed in the first decade of the century as the successor to the armoured cruiser, but their evolution was more closely linked to that of the dreadnought battleship...
s, in order to prevent an arms race
Arms race
The term arms race, in its original usage, describes a competition between two or more parties for the best armed forces. Each party competes to produce larger numbers of weapons, greater armies, or superior military technology in a technological escalation...
in naval construction such as preceded the Great War. The Treaty limited the number of capital ships possessed by each signatory, and also the total tonnage
Displacement (ship)
A ship's displacement is its weight at any given time, generally expressed in metric tons or long tons. The term is often used to mean the ship's weight when it is loaded to its maximum capacity. A number of synonymous terms exist for this maximum weight, such as loaded displacement, full load...
of each navy's battleships. New ships could only be constructed to replace the surviving ships as they retired after 20 years' service. Furthermore, any new ship would be limited to guns of 16-inch caliber and a displacement of 35,000 tons.
The Washington Treaty limits were extended and modified by the London Naval Treaty
London Naval Treaty
The London Naval Treaty was an agreement between the United Kingdom, the Empire of Japan, France, Italy and the United States, signed on April 22, 1930, which regulated submarine warfare and limited naval shipbuilding. Ratifications were exchanged in London on October 27, 1930, and the treaty went...
of 1930 and the Second London Naval Treaty
Second London Naval Treaty
The Second London Naval Disarmament Conference opened in London, the United Kingdom, on 9 December 1935. It resulted in the Second London Naval Treaty which was signed on 25 March 1936.- Description :...
of 1936. During the 1930s, however, the effectiveness of these agreements broke down, as some signatory powers (in particular Japan) withdrew from the treaty arrangements and others only paid lip service to them. By 1938, Britain and the USA had both invoked an 'escalator clause' in the Second London Treaty which allowed battleships of up to 45,000 tons displacement, and the Treaty was effectively defunct.
The strict limits on displacement forced the designers of battleships to make compromises which they might have wished to avoid given the choice. The 1920s and 1930s saw a number of innovations in battleship design, particularly in engines, underwater protection, and aircraft.
Washington Treaty and the 1920s
The Washington Naval TreatyWashington Naval Treaty
The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was an attempt to cap and limit, and "prevent 'further' costly escalation" of the naval arms race that had begun after World War I between various International powers, each of which had significant naval fleets. The treaty was...
was signed in 1922 by Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the USA, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, as the five powers which had any significant numbers of modern dreadnought
Dreadnought
The dreadnought was the predominant type of 20th-century battleship. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's had such an impact when launched in 1906 that similar battleships built after her were referred to as "dreadnoughts", and earlier battleships became known as pre-dreadnoughts...
battleships and battlecruisers. The Treaty was aimed at preventing an expensive arms race, principally between Britain, the USA and Japan. The Treaty established a definition of a capital ship
Capital ship
The capital ships of a navy are its most important warships; they generally possess the heaviest firepower and armor and are traditionally much larger than other naval vessels...
, which was any ship with a displacement of 10,000 tons or more, or with guns above 8 in (203.2 mm) calibre, apart from an aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
. Carriers were specifically constrained from having guns above 8 in calibre, in order to prevent confusion between the two types. Each signatory agreed to limit its total number of capital ships, and its total tonnage of capital ships. These measures meant that several classes of battleships and battlecruisers which were planned, or had even been begun, were scrapped or cancelled.
In addition, each new ship was limited in size to 35,000 tons displacement, and to guns of 16 in (406.4 mm) calibre. Only one vessel already finished, the British battlecruiser Hood
HMS Hood (51)
HMS Hood was the last battlecruiser built for the Royal Navy. One of four s ordered in mid-1916, her design—although drastically revised after the Battle of Jutland and improved while she was under construction—still had serious limitations. For this reason she was the only ship of her class to be...
, exceeded these limits; however, many of the new ships planned or being built were significantly larger. The Treaty permitted the improvement of existing warships, but limited the resulting increase in displacement at 3,000 tons.
The Treaty also introduced a 'building holiday'. In general, a new ship could only be begun if one of the ships allowed by the Treaty had been in service for 20 years. This meant that for most signatory powers, no new ships could be begun until the 1930s. An exception was made for Britain; the Royal Navy had no existing ships with 16-inch guns, while both the U.S. Navy and Japan had 16-inch ships already in commission which would be allowed to continue under the terms of the Treaty.
These first British treaty battleships became the Nelson class
Nelson class battleship
The Nelson class was a class of two battleships of the British Royal Navy, built shortly after, and under the terms of, the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922...
, which were begun in 1922 and launched in 1925. The Nelson class solved the problem posed by the new weight restriction by placing all the heavy guns forward of the superstructure in three triple turrets, hence saving weight on the armour around them.
London Treaties
These limits were reiterated by the London Naval TreatyLondon Naval Treaty
The London Naval Treaty was an agreement between the United Kingdom, the Empire of Japan, France, Italy and the United States, signed on April 22, 1930, which regulated submarine warfare and limited naval shipbuilding. Ratifications were exchanged in London on October 27, 1930, and the treaty went...
of 1930, and the Second London Naval Treaty
Second London Naval Treaty
The Second London Naval Disarmament Conference opened in London, the United Kingdom, on 9 December 1935. It resulted in the Second London Naval Treaty which was signed on 25 March 1936.- Description :...
of 1936 further limited guns to 14-inch calibre. The Second London Treaty contained a clause which allowed construction of battleships with 16-inch guns if any of the signatories of the Washington Treaty failed to ratify the new one. It contained an additional clause which allowed displacement restrictions to be relaxed if non-signatories built vessels more powerful than the treaty allowed.
Virtually all battleships built subsequently obeyed the treaty limits. The Washington Naval Treaty was signed by the USA, UK, Japan, France and Italy - all the principal naval powers. At various stages Italy and France opted out of further negotiations; however, their economic resources did not permit the development of super-battleships. Germany, while not permitted any battleships by the Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
, developed one in the 1930s; this was legitimised by the Anglo-German Naval Agreement
Anglo-German Naval Agreement
The Anglo-German Naval Agreement of June 18, 1935 was a bilateral agreement between the United Kingdom and German Reich regulating the size of the Kriegsmarine in relation to the Royal Navy. The A.G.N.A fixed a ratio whereby the total tonnage of the Kriegsmarine was to be 35% of the total tonnage...
, which placed Germany under the same legal limits as Britain. Only Japan, which opted out of the Treaty system in 1934, actually built mammoth treaty-busting battleships - the Yamato
Yamato class battleship
The were battleships of the Imperial Japanese Navy constructed and operated during World War II. Displacing at full load, the vessels were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever constructed. The class carried the largest naval artillery ever fitted to a warship, nine naval...
class. The collapse of the treaty system led to the wartime construction of "post-treaty" battleships which exceeded the limitations: the German Bismarck
Bismarck class battleship
The Bismarck class was a pair of battleships built by the German Kriegsmarine shortly before the outbreak of World War II. The ships were the largest warships built by the German Navy and the heaviest capital ships ever completed in Europe...
class, the U.S. Iowa
Iowa class battleship
The Iowa-class battleships were a class of fast battleships ordered by the United States Navy in 1939 and 1940 to escort the Fast Carrier Task Forces which would operate in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Six were ordered during the course of World War II, but only four were completed in...
class and the British HMS Vanguard and (never completed) Lion
Lion class battleship
The Lion class battleships were a class of six fast battleships designed for the Royal Navy in the late 1930s. They were a larger, improved version of the King George V class with guns. Only two ships were laid down before World War II began in September 1939 and a third was ordered during the...
class. A number of designs, never finished, shattered the treaty limits; the German H-class class were scrapped on the outbreak of war, while the U.S. Montana
Montana class battleship
The Montana-class battleships of the United States Navy were planned as successors to the , being slower but larger, better armored, and having superior firepower...
class were canceled before being laid down.
Technical change
Treaty battleships were technically superior to their predecessors. Naval technology developed in the 1920s and 1930s provided improved steel, better guns, more efficient engines, and more effective protection against torpedoes. The displacement limit also encouraged naval designers to think creatively about minimising displacement, meaning that the treaty battleships significantly increased their performance.Sources
- Breyer, Siegfried: Battleships and Battlecruisers of the World, 1905-1970. Macdonald and Jane's, London, 1973. ISBN 0356-04191-3
- Sumrall, Robert: The Battleship and Battlecruiser, in Gardiner, R: The Eclipse of the Big Gun. Conway Maritime, London. ISBN 0-85177-607-8.