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Q: What do all of these places have in common? Aden Bahamas Bermuda Bombay Gibraltar Halifax Hong Kong Jamaica Malta Singapore Suez Trincomalee A:

• dredmorbius 2y ago
  Look up US coaling stations as well. The Great White Fleet (circumnavigated the globe from 16 Dec. 1907 to 22 Feb 1909) was a demonstration that the US could send 16 battleships and support vessels on global missions. Transition of navies from coal to oil (initiated by the British just prior to WWI) greatly simplified bunkering operations. Fuel was still required, but oil (even the extraordinarily viscous bunker oil used by ships) is far easier to manage both in fueling and subsequent rebunkering to maintain ship's trim than solid coal. Among significant US refueling stations was the Saudi peninsula (though precisely where I'm not certain), which had a strong influence on subsequent US relationships and allegiances in the region, particularly notable after the discovery of vast oil reserves. I'd be interested in a list of US coaling / fueling stations, though I'm not finding one immediately. Pearl Harbor (Hawaii) and Subic Bay (Philippines) / were all but certainly two of these.