Boat handling mattered throughout a capital ship's peacetime career. Crews lowered and recovered boats during port visits, exercises and gatherings aboard flagships, often before allied and foreign observers. Capital ships also represented the state that sent them. An awkward or disorderly display could be read as poor discipline or seamanship even when the underlying cause was a design limitation. A routine activity could therefore shape a navy's reputation more often than the ship's main armament ever fired in battle.
Notable Point · 21:48-25:12
Boat handling as a test of naval presence
A capital ship may fight rarely, while its boat handling is visible at visits, exercises and ceremonial gatherings where observers judge the navy behind it.