The US Navy's 1929 Fleet Problem let Saratoga approach and attack the Panama Canal by surprise. The exercise demonstrated that a carrier could create effects far beyond direct support of a battle line. Later problems extended the idea to Hawaii, follow-on missions, and two-carrier employment. These experiments show parallel American development without implying that either navy simply copied the other.
Notable Point · 34:53-35:25
Saratoga's Panama strike widened American carrier thinking
A 1929 Fleet Problem used Saratoga's surprise attack on the Panama Canal to demonstrate a carrier's independent operational reach.