The Naval Clauses of the Versailles Treaty

Section II. Naval Clauses
Article 181
After the expiration of a period of two months from the coming into force of the present Treaty the German naval forces in commission must not exceed:

• 6 battleships of the Deutschland or Lothringen type;
• 6 light cruisers;
• 12 destroyers;
• 12 torpedo boats;
• or an equal number of ships constructed to replace them as provided in Article 190.

No submarines are to be included.

All other warships, except where there is provision to the contrary in the present Treaty, must be placed in reserve or devoted to commercial purposes.

Article 182

Until the completion of the minesweeping prescribed by Article 193 Germany will keep in commission such number of minesweeping vessels as may be fixed by the Governments of the Principal Allied and Associated Powers.

Article 183

After the expiration of a period of two months from the coming into force of the present Treaty, the total personnel of the German Navy, including the manning of the fleet, coast defences, signal stations, administration and other land services, must not exceed fifteen thousand, including officers and men of all grades and corps.

The total strength of officers and warrant officers must not exceed fifteen hundred.

Within two months from the coming into force of the present Treaty the personnel in excess of the above strength shall be demobilised.

No naval or military corps or reserve force in connection with the Navy may be organised in Germany without being included in the above strength.

Article 184

From the date of the coming into force of the present Treaty all the German surface warships which are not in German ports cease to belong to Germany, who renounces all rights over them.

Vessels which, in compliance with the Armistice of 11 November 1918, are now interned in the ports of the Allied and Associated Powers are declared to be finally surrendered.

(Note: This is the clause that led to the scuttling of the German High Seas Fleet at Scapa Flow)

Vessels which are now interned in neutral ports will be there surrendered to the Governments of the Principal Allied and Associated Powers. The German Government must address a notification to that effect to the neutral Powers on the coming into force of the present Treaty.

Article 185 lists the names of warships that were not already interned and that were to be handed over to the Allies. The list contains the names of eight battleships and eight light cruisers as well as stipulating that forty-two modern destroyers and fifty modern torpedo boats (i.e. small destroyers) are also to be handed over.

Articles 186 and 187 concern themselves with the details of destruction of any warships currently under construction and the disarming of any armed merchant ships in German or neutral ports.

Article 188 deals with the disposal of submarines and their related equipment.

Article 189 prohibits the use of any parts of scrapped warships (including submarines) for anything other than purely industrial or commercial purposes.

Article 190

Germany is forbidden to construct or acquire any warships other than those intended to replace the units in commission provided for in Article 181 of the present Treaty.

The warships intended for replacement purposes as above shall not exceed the following displacement:

• Armoured ships: 10,000 tons
• Light cruisers: 6,000 tons
• Destroyers: 800 tons
• Torpedo boats: 200 tons

Except where a ship has been lost, units of the different classes shall only be replaced at the end of a period of twenty years in the case of battleships and cruisers, and fifteen years in the case of destroyers and torpedo boats, counting from the launching of the ship.

Article 191

The construction or acquisition of any submarine, even for commercial purposes, shall be forbidden in Germany.

Article 192

The warships in commission of the German fleet must have on board or in reserve only the allowance of arms, munitions and war material fixed by the Principal Allied and Associated Powers.

Within a month from the fixing of the quantities as above, arms, munitions and war material of all kinds, including mines and torpedoes, now in the hands of the German Government and in excess of the said quantities, shall be surrendered to the Governments of the said Powers at places to be indicated by them. Such arms, munitions and war material will be destroyed or rendered useless.

All other stocks, depots or reserves of arms, munitions or naval war material of all kinds are forbidden.

The manufacture of these articles in German territory for, and their export to, foreign countries shall be forbidden.

Article 193 concerns itself with the areas of sea that the new German Navy is responsible for clearing of any mines.

Article 194

The personnel of the German Navy shall be recruited entirely by voluntary engagements entered into for a minimum period of twenty-five consecutive years for officers and warrant officers; twelve consecutive years for petty officers and men.

The number engaged to replace those discharged for any reason before the expiration of their term of service must not exceed five percent per annum of the totals laid down in this Section (Article 183).

The personnel discharged from the Navy must not receive any kind of naval or military training or undertake any further service in the Navy or Army.

Officers belonging to the Germany Navy and not demobilised must engage to serve till the age of forty-five, unless discharged for sufficient reasons.

No officer or man of the German mercantile marine shall receive any training in the Navy.

Articles 195 to 197 concern themselves with the freedom of passage into the Baltic and the destruction of existing German coastal fortifications that might impede that passage as well as a ban on the construction of fortifications in the future, the maintenance of any purely defensive coastal defence fortifications that were permitted to be retained, and limitations on the use of high-power wireless telegraphy stations at Nauen, Hanover and Berlin for anything other than commercial purposes without the permission of the Allies.