[Atlantis: The Lost Empire] Why was a research/exploration submarine packed for War?

So in the movie the sub not only has a large number of marines packing rifles and machine guns, but they also brought things like mortars, warplanes, and a friggin blimp.

The sub itself also has a number of large cannons and mini-subs with their own armaments.

The movie sets its date in 1914 so either WW1 hasnt started or only started recently. The expedition was privately funded by an American tycoon so Gov mandates are out, and the US wouldn’t be directly involved in conflict until 1917 so it would be weird to pack so much heat “just in case”

They also had no idea they’d find any form of civilization. Their journey took them to the bottom of the Atlantic and everyone from the financier, commander, and head gibberish-expert were genuinely surprised to find people so planning for a hostile takeover beforehand seems unlikely.

So while I can understand a few marines and small arms for internal security, why would a *Research* vessel going *underwater* pack all this battle equipment? Especially mortars, plans, and the blimp, those always seemed like weird choices.

and more of a side question but why would Vincenzo and Mole, aka the demolitions expert and head geologist respectively, be assigned to man one of the war subs at the first sign of danger? They’re vital specialists, not combatants. That part always confused me lmao