We didn’t have any realistic Atlantic threats and had little interest there beyond protecting a few hundred miles off the coast. trade with Europe was small, and we had no colonies out there.
But we did not fully trust the British even then. The Washington Naval Treaty showed they still thought that the USA was a threat to manage (from the Brit perspective).
That “special relationship” crap was not at all in full swing.
Meanwhile, during WWI the Brits demanded we risk our ships to supply them, while the Royal Navy was blockading Germany and not allowing US ships to go there.