Warships After Washington: The Development of Five Major Fleers, 1922–1930

This study examines how international peace treaties shaped the design and engineering of warships among major naval powers after World War I. The Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 aimed to prevent an arms race following the war. By restricting battleship construction for a decade, the treaty's signatories redirected their efforts toward designing and building large cruisers within the new constraints. Naval historian John Jordan analyzes the political and strategic context of the Washington Naval Treaty and the subsequent London Treaty of 1930. He then provides detailed examination of warship types constructed by the navies of Britain, the USA, Japan, and France. The treaties influenced naval engineering across multiple vessel categories, including capital ships, cruisers, super-destroyers, aircraft carriers, and large submarines.