Harwood also used the long deployment to train his squadron repeatedly in its actual operating area. The cruisers and their crews learned the coast, its shoals, and the places where navigation carried extra risk. That familiarity let them manoeuvre confidently nearer the coast instead of remaining far offshore. The same peacetime presence that built diplomatic influence also gave the squadron practical freedom of movement.
Notable Point · 7:01-7:39
Exercises turn local knowledge into tactical freedom
Repeated exercises and familiarity with shoals let Harwood's cruisers operate confidently close to the South American coast.