I have been just following the thread so far;the thread does not seem to have clear directions and deals with too many issues not necessarily related,but firstly to confine observations to the updates:
I)someone answered something about 'Thalassa'=sea so the term means 'ruling the seas' or 'ruling the waves' as an Englishman would say.
2) My friend you are not sure if some states of the Delian league did not pay their contributions in 474 0r 472 BC:there wasn't such an instance;why? because it is not shown or inferred in the "Tribute Lists"-four stelae in the Agora of Athens recording every year the tribute of every state member of the Delian League.On Those stelae was based the considerable work of Russel Meiggs,"The Athenian Empire" probably the first source you should have offered,considering the topic.
3) As a corollary,cleruchies are easily evidenced from the Tribute Lists.But your problem here is that you haven't grasped well the meaning of the term
and its usefulness to Athens.I will explain that in another message another time.
4) Salamis:now here you quote numbers from Herodotus(1207 ships) and since you enter Herodotus into the argument
it should well be your second source,the translation offered in Penguin classics,because you need the first 42 pages
that is the leading criticism of "Historiae" as to where it can be reliable and where not, and in short,Herodotus shortcomings;that is to say it is a good guide of how to use Herodotus.In my opinion Herodotus in an excellent journalist,a superb laographer and secondly a rich but limited historian.On the issue in hand,Herodotus has the tendency to present campaign totals;on that strength his numbers are not very reliable for example about ships when he starts with 1207 and from...divine inclination to natural disasters present themselves,one before and one during the battle of Artemission that reduce the numbers by 400 ships.
Artemission was a savage battle especially when the Athenians came to grips with the elit of the Persian navy,the Egyptian squadron which came against them with its marines using axes and boarding pikes.The Athenians who had in Artemission 100 triremes,sustained heavy casualties although they repelled the attackers,but they had half their ships damaged so Themistocles had to recall the reserve squadron(100 triremes) from the Saronic gulf and to retreat from the line of Artemission after having learnt the sacrifice at Thermopylae.The total of the Greek fleet was 310 triremes,but despite Artemission Herodotus gives us the same numbers at Salamis,without taking losses into account.
See Bury&Meiggs "Ancient History of Greece to 323 BC" for the battle at Artemission.Should be your next source.
For the Persian Wars your paramount source should be the foremost authority on the subject and about Ancient Greek History A.R.Burn:"Persia and The Greeks" where the reason of Persian defeat and the Greek tactics is made apparent.
Herodotus strikes again with numbers in Thermopylae and Plataea where his numbers are surprisingly accurate to a fault,but as soon as the reader sees that he observes that he counts only the men of the phalanx and none else;small defect since it is general,all Greek writers do the same,see A.R.Burn about his reasoning and analysis on that.
I am afraid I have to call it a...night,it is already very late...
PS on non-payment of contribution by Delian League city-states,it should be added that the war against Persia was in full swing in its offensive phase and there was no chance on deviations at that stage(474 or 472 BC) and the contributions then were only in men and ships;their greatest victory was still to come.