The commercial network behind British-aligned sea power

The British Empire worked as a commercial-logistics system as much as a territorial one. British-flagged or British-owned vessels carried a dominant share of world traffic, reaching more than four-fifths of the ships in some categories. Lloyd's insurance and British chartering firms extended that influence even over foreign fleets, including much Norwegian whaling. Coaling stations already underpinned global movement, and an oil-firing Royal Navy would encourage a comparable worldwide oil network. Access to those services reduced the cost of participation for Japan, Italy, and the United States and helps explain why prewar Japan might sustain an ambitious fleet without the wartime commercial collapse.