Comments by "Steve Valley" (@stevevalley7835) on "The Drydock - Episode 200 (Part 2)" video.

  1. wrt the collapse of the naval treaties, Japan gave formal notice in 1934 that they would drop out of the treaty system at the expiration of First London, at the end of 36. Italy did not participate in the Second London treaty, due to the other parties being upset about Italy's invasion of Ethiopia. The Washington Treaty had licensed France to build up to 70,000 tons of battleships, beginning in 27 and 29, and that license was good until used, not subject to the continuation of the freeze on BB construction in the first London treaty. Dunkerque and Strasbourg used some 53,000 of the 70,000 ton allotment, so, when Richelieu was laid down in October of 35, it put France blatantly in violation of the treaty. Bottom line, by the time the Second London conference started, the US and UK were the only powers trying to comply with the treaty at all. The US insisted on the gun size escalator, to be triggered in April 37, if any party to the treaty system had not signed on to the Second London treaty. As Japan had given notice two years earlier that it would drop out of the treaty system, it was a virtual certainty that the escalator clause would be tripped. The tonnage escalator was nowhere near as clear. It would be tripped if it was determined that a power that was not a party to the treaty began construction of a ship that was not treaty compliant. When the clause was tripped, the powers participating in the treaty were to confer and agree on a new tonnage limit. Yamato was laid down in November 37. Intelligence reports regarding the amount of material being ordered for Yamato made it clear the ship would significantly exceed 35,000, so, at the start of 1938, the US and UK conferred on where to put the new tonnage limit. From my reading, the UK wanted a 43,000 ton limit, as that was the largest the RN facilities could support, while the US wanted 45,000. Negotiations continued for about six months before the US got the 45,000 ton limit it wanted for the Iowas. So, the short answer is the treaty system died a death of a thousand cuts, over a period of several years, starting in 1934.
    9
  2. Expanding on the issue of the British blockade of Germany in WWI, at least in terms of raw materials for war production, tended to be a bit porous. During 1915-16, there was a lot of friction between the US and UK, over neutral US flag ships, bound for neutral European ports, being seized by the UK, the cargoes declared contraband, and sold, with the proceeds paid to the crown. The US was protesting the seizures vigorously, until the US Secretary of State met with his UK counterpart. The UK representative, the name is in my notes somewhere, brought hard data showing a sharp uptick in imports of strategic materials by the neutral European powers, and asked words to the effect "if Denmark (for instance) is not reshipping this material to Germany, why have their imports of nickel quadrupled since the war started?" Of course, once the US entered the war, that closed off a major source of material that could be reshipped to Germany.
    2
  3.  @myparceltape1169  that is understandable. Double handling goods, unloading in Danish ports, then reshipping to Germany, raises costs and delays receipt at the final destination. An uptick in traffic in neutral ports, caused by goods destined for Germany could exceed port capacity, and cause more delays. We in the US spent several months recently listening to the media natter daily about port backups on the west coast causing shortage of goods across the US. And, of course, Germany would prioritize things like minerals and chemicals needed for the war effort, so things like grain wait again. During WWII, my mother worked in the offices of a machine shop. One frustrated customer called one day, said words to the effect "I entered my order months ago, I haven't even received a date when it will start production. It has a Double A-1 priority. What does it take to get something out of your shop?". Mom said, with a straight face "Triple A priority". That is a wartime footing. Orders in that shop with less than Triple A never went anywhere, until they were upgraded to Triple A, or the war ended.
    2