How First World War frustrations shaped fleet doctrine

The Royal Navy's interwar priorities reflected Jutland's night escape, the difficulty of attacking a fleet in harbor, the vulnerability of aviation ships to fire, and submarine attacks on cruisers. American fleet design emphasized finding and forcing an engagement rather than letting an opponent escape. Japan's navy had a different frustration: it had spent the First World War racing toward secondary missions without securing the decisive fleet battle its leaders wanted. The comparison explains why hunting the American battle fleet could appeal more strongly than striking empty infrastructure at Pearl Harbor.