Preliminary Draft Convention for the Limitation of Armaments Submitted by the French Government on 22 March 1927 (Naval Sections Only)
Chapter IV. – Limitation of Naval Material
Article 12
The limitation of the naval armaments of each of the High Contracting Parties shall apply to the total tonnage, that is, to the sum of the individual tonnage of all vessels capable of being employed as combatant units and regarded as vessels of war within the meaning of the present Convention; each of the Contracting Parties shall be free to distribute and allocate this total tonnage as may be best for the purposes of security and the defence of its national interests.
Article 13
The tonnage of the vessels mentioned in Article 12 shall be calculated according to the following rule:-
The standard displacement of a vessel is the displacement of the ship complete, fully manned, engine and equipped ready for sea, including all armament and ammunition, equipment, outfit, provisions and fresh water for crew, miscellaneous stores and implements of every description that are intended to be carried in war, but without fuel or reserve feed water on board.
This assessment shall be in metric tons.
Article 14
The limitation of naval armaments agreed to by each of the High Contracting parties is shown in the annexed Table X.
The figures in Column I of this table represent the total tonnage that each of the High Contracting Parties considers it essential to attain for the purposes of security and the defence of its national interests.
The figures in Column II represent the total tonnage that each of the High Contracting Parties considers it necessary to complete before the expiry of the Convention.
Article 15
No vessel of war shall be of a tonnage exceeding ….. metric tons.
Article 16
No gun mounted in a vessel of war shall be of a calibre exceeding …. millimetres.
Article 17
Except in case of loss, no vessel of war shall be replaced before having reached the age-limit indicated in table … of the Annex.
The age of units shall be counted as from the date of their completion.
Article 18
In assessing total tonnage, a fraction only, equal to …. per cent. of the real tonnage, shall be reckoned in the case of vessels of war which exceed the age-limit laid down in Article 17.
Note. The figures relating to Articles 14, 16, 17 and 18 will be fixed by the Disarmament Conference
Table X. – Limitation of Naval Material.
H.C.P. | Total Tonnage of Vessels employed in Home Defence | Total Tonnage of Vessels employed in the Defence of Overseas Territories | ||
I. Tonnage essential for the purposes of Security and the Defence of National Interests | II. Tonnage to be completed before the expiry of the Treaty. | I. Tonnage essential for the purposes of Security and the Defence of National Interests | II. Tonnage to be completed before the expiry of the Treaty. | |
Source: CMD3211, Papers regarding the Limitation of Naval Armaments, His Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1928, pp6-7.
