3

A.—7

PART I. Article 1. The High Contracting Parties agree not to exercise their rights to lay down the keels of capital ship replacement tonnage during the years 1931-1936 inclusive as provided in Chapter 11, Part 3 of the Treaty for the Limitation of Naval Armament signed between them at Washington on the 6th February, 1922, and referred to in the present Treaty as the Washington Treaty. This provision is without prejudice to the disposition relating to the replacement of ships accidently lost or destroyed contained in Chapter 11, Part 3, Section I, paragraph (c) of the said Treaty. France and Italy may, however, build the replacement tonnage which they were entitled to lay down in 1927 and 1929 in accordance with the provisions of the said Treaty. Article 2. 1. The United States, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Japan shall dispose of the following capital ships as provided in this Article : United States : United Kingdom : " Florida." " Benbow." " Utah." " Iron Duke." " Arkansas "or " Wyoming." " Marlborough." " Emperor of India." " Tiger." Japan : " Hiyei." (а) Subject to the provisions of sub-paragraph (b), the above ships, unless converted to target use exclusively in accordance with Chapter 11, Part 2, paragraph II (c) of the Washington Treaty, shall be scrapped in the following manner : One of the ships to be scrapped by the United States, and two of those to be scrapped. by the United Kingdom shall be rendered unfit for warlike service, in accordance with Chapter 11, Part 2, paragraph 111 (6) of the Washington Treaty, within twelve months from the coming into force of the present Treaty. These ships shall be finally scrapped, in accordance with paragraph II (a) or (b) of the said Part 2, within twenty-four months from the said coming into force. In the case of the second of the ships to be scrapped by the United States, and of the third and fourth of the ships to be scrapped by the United Kingdom, the said periods shall be eighteen and thirty months respectively from the coming into force of the present Treaty. (б) Of the ships to be disposed of under this Article, the following may be retained for training purposes : by the United States : " Arkansas " or " Wyoming." by the United Kingdom : " Iron Duke." by Japan : " Hiyei." These ships shall be reduced to the condition prescribed in Section V of Annex II to Part II of the present Treaty. The work of reducing these vessels to the required condition shall begin, in the case of the United States and the United Kingdom, within twelve months, and in the case of Japan within eighteen months from the coming into force of the present Treaty ; the work shall be completed within six months of the expiration of the above-mentioned periods.