Coal and oil define everything for ironclad warships and their successors. The USA would definitely want a Hawaiian base just for refueling purposes, never mind maintentence and repair. I don't know what the average range of a battlewagon in WWII was, but I imagine trying to fight in the Coral Sea after steaming all the way from Los Angeles might result in less operating time in the theater.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2006-03-15 01:34 pm (UTC)