The visit improved the group's historical questions rather than supplying final answers about Japan or its naval history. Work undertaken in Japan gave the crew a clearer sense of the subjects it needed to study. A short trip can expose gaps and redirect later inquiry without resolving the subject. This passage gives the first clear explanation of what the ShipShape visit accomplished.
Chapter · 1:31-2:06
What field visits contribute to Japanese naval history
The ShipShape visit did not settle every question about Japan's naval past, but it clarified what the group needed to study next.