Sending the battle fleet around the world depended on British-owned colliers. That reliance exposed a weakness in American auxiliary capacity and gave the United States a reason to build a stronger support fleet. British cooperation also carried diplomatic meaning: officials, insurers, and shipowners could quietly have made the service unavailable. One explanation for avoiding a visit to Britain itself is the awkward comparison it would invite. The full Royal Navy would dwarf the American fleet, while holding British ships back could appear to diminish Britain's strength. Calls at British-controlled ports and commercial collier support offered cooperation without that display problem. The support amounted to an informal endorsement of growing American sea power.
Notable Point · 52:21-55:10
British colliers made logistics a diplomatic endorsement
Reliance on British colliers exposed an American support gap while demonstrating that Britain welcomed the United States onto the world stage.