What the fleet's route said about friends and rivals

The Great White Fleet called at British-controlled ports in Australia, New Zealand, Ceylon, Singapore, Egypt, and Gibraltar, while passing German colonies without visiting them. Comparison with the later British Empire Cruise shows how routing communicated alignment. Large formations reinforced friendly relationships, while smaller ships could make less threatening visits to potential rivals. The American fleet visited Japan without calling at Britain itself; the British cruise visited America and Canada while omitting Japan. The American call in Japan acknowledged a rising power within a diplomatic network influenced by the Anglo-Japanese Alliance. British help with the reception also served an interest in avoiding an expensive US-Japanese naval race that London might have felt compelled to match.