The force was not a fixed block of sixteen battleships moving unchanged around the globe. Two ships were replaced after the first leg because of concern over their engineers and machinery, although they later completed a faster and more direct circumnavigation. Several auxiliaries detached and rejoined as the voyage required, while the torpedo flotilla accompanied only the opening stage. These details turn the spectacle into a readiness and logistics case study, showing how ship endurance and support arrangements shaped what could actually be deployed.
Notable Point · 6:37-7:04
Engineering substitutions and the torpedo flotilla's short leg
Two battleships were replaced after the opening leg, while the torpedo flotilla went no farther, exposing the practical limits behind the grand deployment.