| Existing comment:
Although today US Navy ships are deployed around the world 24/7, in 1907 the US fleet did not maintain a regular forward presence. Theodore Roosevelt recognized that naval presence provided not only a measure of power projection, but also an instrument for diplomacy and international partnership. Initial announcement described the plan to sail around Cape Horn on a practice cruise ending in San Francisco Harbor. Once the battleships had reached the west coast of Mexico without major mechanical issues, it was announced that the cruise would continue back to the Atlantic by way of Australia, the Philippines, the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean. That announcement led to many invitations from countries along the route for the fleet to pay port visits. |