tioned above. This means that if the United States limits its cruisers having guns above 6.1-inch caliber to a total of 150,000 tons instead of 180,000 tons, it may have 189,000 tons of cruisers with guns of 6.1inch caliber or less, instead of the 143,500 tons which it is permitted if the option is not exercised. ARTICLE 19 The United States, Great Britain, and Japan may only lay down sufficient tonnage in cruisers, destroyers, and submarines to bring their totals up to the allowed maximum (see Article 16). They may, however, replace, within each category, such vessels as become "overage" before the end of 1936. (By an exchange of notes between the United States, Great Britain, and Japan, the word "category," as used in this article, has been interpreted as meaning "category or subcategory," thus insuring that cruisers with guns of 6.1-inch caliber or less can be replaced only by ships of that type and not by cruisers having guns above 6.1-inch caliber, and vice versa.) Exceptions to the above rule are provided by Article 20 which follows. Moreover, in the case of cruisers and submarines which become "overage" between 1937 and 1939, and of destroyers which become "overage" between 1937 and 1938, replacement tonnage may be laid down prior to the end of 1936, thereby allowing time for constructing the new vessels before scrapping those which they are to replace. ARTICLE 20 This article provides that, notwithstanding the rule that surface vessels exceeding 3,000 tons but not exceeding 10,000 tons may only be replaced as "overage" when they are 16 or 20 years old (according to the date laid down), Great Britain may dispose of the two cruisers Frobisher and Effingham during the year 1936, which will not be "overage" at that time; and Japan may replace one cruiser, the Tama, by new construction to be completed during the year 1936, though it will not be "overage" at that time. The total tonnage of cruisers built by Great Britain to replace those "overage" must not exceed 91,000 tons prior to December 31, 1936, apart from those cruisers which were under construction on April 1, 1930. Japan may lay down in each of the years 1935 and 1936, not more than 5,200 tons of destroyers to replace part of those destroyers that become "overage" in 1938 and 1939, in addition to replacing those destroyers which become "overage" before December 31, 1936. Japan may also lay down not more than 19,200 tons of submarines in anticipation of submarines to be replaced, but only 12,000 tons of this may be completed by December 31, 1936. ARTICLE 21 (So-called "escape clause" or "safeguarding clause."), If up to December 21, 1936, any of the three powers (i. e., Great Britain, the United States, or Japan) is of the opinion that the requirements of its national security are being materially affected by the construction program of a power which is not a party to the treaty, it may notify the other two powers as to what increase is required to be made in certain types of its vessels, specifying what they are and the reasons therefor, and it may make such increase; in which case the other two powers are entitled to make a proportionate increase in the type or types of ships specified, and they must promptly advise with each other through diplomatic channels concerning the situation thus presented. PART IV (This part applies to the United States, Great Britain, France, Italy, and Japan.) ARTICLE 22 This article specifies that submarines must conform to the rules of international law to which surface vessels are subject regarding merchant ships, and further provides that any warship (whether surface vessel or submarine) must not sink or render incapable of navigation, a merchant vessel without first having placed the passengers, crew, and ship's papers in a place of safety, except when such merchant vessel persistently refuses to stop on being duly summoned or actively resists visit or search. It also provides that the merchant ship's boats are not regarded as a place of safety unless the safety of the passengers and crew is assured under existing conditions by the proximity of land or the presence of another vessel which is in a position to take them on board. All the powers not party to the treaty are invited by this article to express their assent to the above rules. PART V ARTICLE 23 The treaty shall remain in force until December 31, 1936, except Part IV relating to submarine warfare which remains in force for an unlimited time, and those provisions of the treaty relating to aircraft carriers which are to remain in force for the same period as the Washington treaty. Unless, in the meantime, the parties to the treaty enter into a more general agreement limiting naval armament, they agree to attend a conference in 1935 in order to prepare a new treaty to replace and to carry out the purpose of the present one, it being understood that none of the provisions of the present treaty shall prejudice the attitude of any of the parties in the 1935 conference. ARTICLE 24 The treaty shall be ratified in accordance with the constitutional methods of the powers concerned; ratifications shall be deposited at London as soon as possible, and notices of the deposit of the ratifications are to be transmitted to the various governments parties to the treaty. ARTICLE 25 When all ratifications have been deposited, Great Britain will communicate Part IV of the present treaty, i. e., that relating to submarine warfare, to all powers which are not a party thereto, inviting them to accede. ARTICLE 26 French and English texts of the treaty shall be deposited in the archives of Great Britain, and duly certified copies transmitted to the various parties. FLEET-TONNAGE TABLES TABLE I TONNAGE OF THE PRESENT FLEETS OF THE UNITED STATES, GREAT BRITAIN, AND JAPAN, BUILT AND UNDERAGE, AS OF DECEMBER, 31, 1929 • Includes 9,000 tons to be added to New Merico, Idaho, and Mississippi for modernization (3,000 tons each). * Includes 2,200 added to Barham and Valiant for extra weights allowed. TABLE II TONNAGE OF THE PRESENT FLEETS OF THE UNITED STATES, GREAT BRITAIN, AND JAPAN, BUILT (UNDERAGE) AND, BUILDING, AS OF DECEMBER 31, 1929 TONNAGE OF THE PRESENT FLEETS OF THE UNITED STATES, GREAT BRITAIN, AND JAPAN, BUILT (UNDERAGE), BUILDING, APPROPRIATED FOR, AND AUTHORIZED, AS OF DECEMBER 31, 1929 TABLE IV TONNAGE OF THE FLEETS OF THE UNITED STATES, GREAT BRITAIN, AND JAPAN, UNDER THE LONDON NAVAL TREATY, IF THE UNITED STATES DOES NOT EXERCISE THE OPTION PROVIDED BY ARTICLE 18 OF THE TREATY TONNAGE OF THE FLEETS OF THE UNITED STATES, GREAT BRITAIN, AND JAPAN, UNDER THE LONDON NAVAL TREATY, IF THE UNITED STATES DOES EXERCISE THE OPTION PROVIDED BY ARTICLE 18 OF THE TREATY NOTE. The capital ship tonnage figures include 3,000 tons modernization each on three of the American capital ships that have not yet been modernized. Should the same modernization be carried out on the remaining five, about 15,000 tons would be added to the American total, or in other words the capital ship tonnage allotments would be: United States Great Britain Japan 266,070 Ratios 10:9.9:5.6 |