Chilean Proposal for Naval Disarmament
1. There is recommended to the Governments composing the Pan American Union a convention limiting the tonnage of their capital ships to 66,000 tons during the five years following ratification of the convention and to 90,000 tons during the succeeding five years.
The convention will remain in force five additional years as regards the capital ships of every signatory State that shall not have declared otherwise two years previous to the termination of the first five-year period, and will remain inforce for the same five years with respect to auxiliary ships for every state that shall not have declared otherwise on year previous to the termination of the first five-year period.
2. The determination of what constitutes capital ships and determinations as to the calibre of cannon, life,destruction, and replacement of such ships shall be in accordance with the provisions of the treaty of Washington of February 6, 1922.
3. The convention will limit during five years the tonnage of auxiliary ships to the following maximums: Cruisers,flotilla leaders, airplane carriers, and destroyers to (an aggregate of) 85,000tons, and submarines to (an aggregate of) 15,000 tons.
The convention will limit during the five succeeding years the maximum tonnage of these classes of ships to that established by this clause increased by one-third as regards each class.
The life of each class of vessel is counted as of the following duration from the date of completion: 17 years for cruisers, 12 years for flotilla leaders and destroyers, 20 years for airplane carriers, and 12 years for submarines. Cannon carried by the vessels coming under this clause shall not exceed 8 inches in calibre.
4. The monitors now in existence are not considered as comprised within the vessels that are to be limited as to tonnage by this convention, nor are the unprotected vessels so comprised, nor are those vessels comprised that are of less than 3,000 tons and that come within the description given in Paragraph XVI of the proposal presented by the United States of America on November 13, 1921.
5. This convention is to be effective when ratified by more than three countries, but among these countries Argentina, Brazil, and Chile must be included.
Source: Department of State, 1924, Report of the Delegates of the United States of America to the Fifth International Conference of American States held at Santiago, Chile, March 25 to May 3, 1923, Washington DC, p25.
