naval conferences

naval conferences, series of international assemblies, meeting to consider limitation of naval armaments, settlement of the rules of naval war, and allied issues. The London Naval Conference (1908-9), composed of delegates of 10 powers, resulted in the influential Declaration of London (see London, Declaration of). After World War I, U.S. President Harding called the Washington Conference (1921-22). Several treaties resulted. The Five-Power Treaty limited tonnage of aircraft carriers and capital ships and arranged for the United States, Great Britain, and France to scrap a number of ships. Agreement was reached on a ratio of capital ships for Great Britain, the United States, Japan, France, and Italy; the ratio was set at 5:5:3:1.67:1.67. Another five-power treaty made the rules of warfare applying to surface ships applicable also to submarines and outlawed the use of poison gas. In the Four-Power Treaty, France, Japan, Great Britain, and the United States agreed to respect each other's possessions in the Pacific. The status quo of naval fortifications in the W Pacific was to be maintained. Japan was to return Shandong to China, which was guaranteed territorial integrity and greater control over its tariff by two Nine-Power Treaties. The Washington Conference treaties were to remain in force until Dec. 31, 1936. The Geneva Conference (1927) failed to reach agreement on more comprehensive limits for warships. At the London Conference (1930), Japan won a 7:10:10 ratio with the United States and Great Britain in small cruisers and destroyers, remained at a 3:5:5 ratio with them in large cruisers, and won parity in submarines. France and Italy refused to take part in the new ratios, but, with the other three powers, agreed to defer further construction of capital ships. An escalator clause provided for naval expansion in case of any threat to national security by the naval building of a nonsignatory nation. The announcement in 1934 of Japan's intention to withdraw from the Washington Conference treaties resulted in another London Conference (1935). Japan withdrew from the conference when refused naval parity with the United States and Great Britain. These two powers and France signed (Mar. 25, 1936) an agreement to limit cruisers and destroyers to 8,000 tons and capital ships to 35,000 tons. Reports of Japanese building in excess of 35,000 tons led to a revision (1938) of the treaty limits on the size of capital ships, and with the outbreak of World War II in 1939 the treaties were completely abandoned.

There were three major international naval conferences in London, the first in 1908-09, the second in 1930 and the third in 1935. The latter two, together with the Washington Naval Conference in 1921-22 and the Geneva Conferences (1927 and 1932), resulted in agreements between the major powers on navy vessel numbers, armaments and the rules of engagement in the inter-war period.

First conference

The first conference was a continuation of the debates of the 2nd Hague Conference, with the United Kingdom hoping for the formation of an International Prize Court. Ten nations sent representatives, the main naval powers of Europe and the United States and Japan. The conference met from December 4, 1908 to February 26, 1909. The agreements were issued as the Declaration of London, containing seventy-one articles it restated much existing international maritime law.

The signatories' governments did not all ratify the Declaration and it never went into effect. During the First World War the neutral United States pushed for the major antagonists to respect the treaty, hoping that the good protection in the Declaration for neutral vessels would be enforced.

Second conference

The London conference of January 21 to April 22 1930 was concerned with the agreements reached in Washington in 1922 that resulted in the Washington Naval Treaty. The UK, the USA, France, Italy and Japan attended. The major change was in battleship tonnage, altering the ratio between Britain, the US and Japan from 5:5:3 to 10:10:7, France and Italy excluded themselves from the new ratio agreement. All five agreed to a five-year halt on capital ship construction, tighter controls on submarine warfare, and the continuation of limits on aircraft carriers signed in the London Naval Treaty. The next meeting was planned for 1935.

Third conference

The December 1935 meeting was held with the treaties having a year to run. It marked the effective collapse of the controls, as Japan withdrew from the agreement after her requests for parity in naval power with the big two were rejected. The remaining powers signed a weak agreement, the Second London Naval Treaty, on tonnage and the UK, France and the USA agreed a ratio of construction. All five powers were constructing vessels violating the agreements by 1938.

See also

• London Naval Treaty
• Second London Naval Treaty

External links

• League of Nations list of conferences