Was a Spithead fleet review Britain's equivalent of the Great White Fleet?
Short answerOnly partly. Spithead displayed concentrated strength at home, while Britain's dispersed squadrons maintained the global presence that America was trying to demonstrate through one voyage.
NotesBritain used two forms of naval display instead of mounting one operation identical to the Great White Fleet. A review at Spithead showed how much force the Royal Navy could mass at home, while squadrons already stationed around the world supplied continuous overseas presence. Britain therefore had little reason to incur the expense of circumnavigating its whole battle fleet.