Council News

New York Council co-sponsors Centennial Exhibition commemorating the world cruise of the U.S. Navy's Atlantic Fleet...

View photo slideshow and SECNAV's remarks

Also: NY Council hosts Symposium at Ukrainian Institute of America...

The New York Council, Navy League of the United States, in collaboration with the Naval Historical Center in Washington, D.C. is sponsoring a Centennial Exhibition commemorat-ing the world cruise of the U.S. Navy’s Atlantic Fleet, subsequently known as the “Great White Fleet,” dispatched by President Theodore Roosevelt in December 1907 to February 1909. The exhibition of photos, postcards, news accounts, a ship model and memorabilia will take place at The Ukrainian Institute of America, 2 East 79 th Street, at 5 th Avenue in New York City, from 14 through 30 November 2007. Guests of Honor at the grand opening on Wednesday, November 14 th at 6:00 P.M., will be the Honorable Donald C. Winter, Secretary of the Navy, and RADM Paul Tobin, USN (Ret.), Director of Naval History.

The “Great White Fleet” consisted of sixteen new battleships, painted white except for the gilded scrollwork on their bows. The fourteen-month long voyage was a grand pageant of American sea power. The squadrons were manned by 14,000 sailors. They covered 46,000 miles and made twenty port calls on six continents. The fleet was greeted on its return by President Roosevelt, standing on the weather-deck of the presidential yacht Mayflower, off Hampton Roads, Virginia. The former assistant secretary of the Navy brought to the White House a deep conviction that only through a strong navy could a nation project its power and prestige abroad.

At the turn of the 20th century, the United States was thrust into the mainstream of international affairs and gained status as a world power. Roosevelt stressed the upgrading and expansion of the U.S. fleet in order to protect American interests abroad. The four squadrons of warships embarked on 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 – includ-ing port visits in Australia, New Zealand and Japan. He felt a cruise of this magnitude would provide the American people with an example of U.S. naval preparedness, strength and range.

The exhibition will highlight the diplomatic and political fallout from the international good will generated by the ships and their crews (at every port, thousands came out to view the ships); the positive impact on relations with Japan at the time; the first instance of humanitarian assistance in a natural disaster, to earthquake victims in Sicily; and the desired appropriations for more battleships, which would impact naval planning through World War II.

On Thursday evening, November 15 th, a distinguished panel of scholars and historians will discuss this seminal naval event of the early twentieth century in a symposium at the Ukrainian Institute beginning at 6:30 P.M. Panelists will include Dr. Michael Crawford, Head, Early History Branch, Naval Historical Center, and designer and curator of the exhibit; Dr. John Hattendorf, Ernest J. King Professor of Maritime History at the Naval War College; and Mr. James Bruns, President of the Theodore Roosevelt Association.

In his greeting to the ships, President Roosevelt noted: “As a war machine the fleet comes back in better shape than it went out. In addition, you, the officers and men of this formidable fighting force, have shown yourselves the best ambassadors and heralds of peace. We are proud of all the ships and all the men in this whole fleet and welcome you home to the country whose good repute among nations has been raised by what you have done.”

For information : Rick Kenney, Navy League: (212) 825-7333, E-mail: nlnyc1902@msn.com.