How did the United States use its Navy during the crisis?

The strategic offensive role of a navy is projection of force into areas beyond a country's shores (for example, to protect sea-lanes, deter or confront piracy, ferry troops, or attack other navies, ports, or shore installations).

norsemen from northern countries had made earlier journeys

well the fact it is basically a peninsula allowed trade to come from many places, thus allowing cultural diffusion to take place. india has seasonal monsoons that merchants travel back and forth from india using the monsoons wind patterns