The voyage is framed around political presence rather than a ship-by-ship technical history. Sixteen battleships, supporting auxiliaries, and a torpedo flotilla that accompanied only the opening leg displayed a scale of overseas deployment otherwise associated chiefly with the Royal Navy. British station squadrons provide the benchmark for the American movement. Friendly port visits went alongside a visible demonstration that US naval power could operate on the world stage. Presence here operates as a political instrument as well as a procession of famous ships.
Chapter · 5:27-10:09
Why the Great White Fleet went around the world
The fleet's sixteen battleships made a peaceful but unmistakable claim that the United States had become a global naval power.