Before the cruise, critics such as then-Captain William Sims (to whom President Roosevelt listened) had argued that American warship design had remained too conservative and precluded the level of efficiency needed for the fleet to function as an effective unit.
巡航之前，批评者，如当时的队长威廉·西姆斯（罗斯福总统也要听取他的意见）认为，美国军舰设计过于保守，不具备一个舰队作为一个整体发挥功用所需的高效率。