At the Bureau of Steam Engineering, Richardson took responsibility for making the Navy's fuel supply reliable. He later served as navigator and executive officer of USS Nevada, where he continued pressing for greater speed. After a tour at the Naval Academy, command of USS Asheville took him to the South China and Yangtze patrols from 1922 to 1924. That tour let him observe the regional consequences of the First World War and Washington Naval Treaty firsthand.
Chapter · 22:56-29:40
Fuel, USS Nevada, and the Yangtze Patrol
Richardson's technical and command assignments joined fuel logistics, battleship operations, and direct observation of East Asian affairs.