Dec 16, 1907 – Great White Fleet Departs Hampton Roads, VA
Many Americans probably remember reading a sentence or two about the Great White Fleet in history class. But few likely appreciate the significance of its ‘round the world cruise in 1907-‘09. President Theodore Roosevelt, a former Assistant Secretary of the Navy, recognized the importance of maintaining a strong Navy to support overseas trade for American businesses. In the years following the Spanish-American War, Roosevelt decided it was essential to demonstrate that the United States had the will and the resources to defend its newly acquired territories in the Philippines, Guam and the Caribbean. Additionally, in 1906 the Imperial Japanese Navy destroyed the Russian fleet in the Pacific during the Russo-Japanese war, and Japan was expanding its reach in the region. President Roosevelt convinced the nation to build a fleet of state-of-the-art battleships, and he sent them on an unprecedented cruise around the globe to demonstrate America’s naval power and ability to deploy to any ocean.
From the Naval History and Heritage Command:
“To the familiar strains of "The Girl I Left Behind Me," the procession of battlewagons passed before the President at 400-yard intervals with their crews smartly manning the rails. This newly designated battle fleet was made up of ships commissioned since the end of the Spanish-American War. They were USS Kearsarge (BB-5), USS Kentucky (BB-6), USS Illinois (BB-7), USS Alabama (BB-8), USS Maine (BB-10), USS Missouri (BB-11), USS Ohio (BB-12), USS Virginia (BB-13), USS Georgia (BB-15), USS New Jersey (BB-16), USS Rhode Island (BB-17), USS Connecticut (BB-18), USS Louisiana (BB-19), USS Vermont (BB-20), USS Kansas (BB-21) and USS Minnesota (BB-22).
The four squadrons of warships, dubbed the "Great White Fleet," were manned by 14,000 sailors and marines under the command of Rear Adm. Robley "Fighting Bob" Evans. All were embarking upon a naval deployment the scale of which had never been attempted by any nation before - the first 'round-the-world cruise by a fleet of steam-powered, steel battleships. The 43,000 mile, 14-month circumnavigation would include 20 port calls on six continents; it is widely considered one of the greatest peacetime achievements of the US Navy.”
Their odyssey took the fleet to Trinidad, Rio de Janeiro, Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia, the Philippines, Japan, China, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Egypt, and Gibraltar. By all accounts the cruise was a resounding success leading to improved warships (seaworthiness, gray paint schemes, better ship designs) and a better understanding of logistics support, as well as developing diplomatic inroads in the Far East that led to the Root-Takahira Agreement with Japan.
The Great White Fleet returned to Hampton Roads, VA on February 22, 1909, and President Roosevelt addressed the fleet, just days before he left office.
“Over a year has passed since you steamed out of this harbor, and over the world’s rim; and this morning the hearts of all who saw you thrilled with pride as the hulls of the mighty war-ships lifted above the horizon. You have been in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres; four times you have crossed the line (equator); you have steamed through all the great oceans; you have touched the coast of every continent. Ever your general course has been west-ward; and now you come back to the port from which you set sail. This is the first battle fleet that has ever circumnavigated the Globe. Those who perform the feat again can but follow in your footsteps.”
The blue-water tradition of the Great White Fleet endures today, and the U.S. Navy continues to deploy forces around the world to every ocean.
http://www.navy.mil/search/display_history.asp
http://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-l...
http://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/Learn-About-TR/TR-Encyclopedia/Wa...
