The barges worked as they were supposed to, including complete submersion. The people responded, not with complacency or self-congratulation, but with prayer “unto the Lord.” Without any means of propulsion but natural forces, tempered and shaped by God, the vessels required faith to safely reach the promised land.
Moroni records no details about the journey except for the parts that required faith. Constructing the vessels required faith. Lighting them required faith. Their propulsion toward the New World required faith.