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A postcard of the Great White
Fleet in Sydney Aug 1908 |
From December 16, 1907 to
February 22, 1909, 16 battleships and 14,000 men of the U. S. Navy
traveled around the world. From the East Coast of the United States, down
the coast of South America, up the West Coast - the Panama Canal was not
yet open - and then a stay of almost two months in San Francisco harbor.
During that time some of the fleet went to Seattle, then rejoined the rest
in San Francisco, and on 7 July 1908, the fleet composition changed and
they headed to Hawaii.
Later stops were: New
Zealand, Australia, Manila, Yokohama, Ceylon, Suez, various ports in the
Mediterranean, and finally home to Virginia. The fleet arrived in Virginia
on 22 February 1909.
The fleet entered
Sydney Harbor on August 20, 1908 where they remained until the 27th, when
they set sail for Melbourne. The fleet arrived at Melbourne on August 29th
and remained until September 5th when most of the fleet left for Albany.
They arrived at Albany on September 11th and remained until the 18th when
they departed for Manila. Albany was an important
coaling stop for the fleet.
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