American legislators could discount European naval expansion until a Western Hemisphere state appeared to possess superior modern battleships. Brazil's purchase turned the dreadnought problem from a distant Anglo-German competition into an immediate question for the United States Senate. Some politicians reacted as though Brazil had suddenly eclipsed the American fleet. Rumors assigned the ships to Portugal, Spain, the Ottoman Empire, Canada, Australia, or another concealed buyer because observers struggled to accept Brazil as the actual customer. The episode reveals both the procurement's political effect and the assumptions outsiders carried about which states were entitled to operate first-rate capital ships.
Notable Point · 2:08:36-2:10:10
Brazilian dreadnoughts jolted US naval politics
Brazil's acquisition had more immediate political impact in Washington than the distant Anglo-German race.