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Medallion commemorating the United States Battle Fleet visit
Medallion commemorating the United States Battle Fleet visit

Medallion commemorating the United States Battle Fleet visit

Manufacturer
Date1925
Object number00019579
NameMedallion
MediumGilded bronze
DimensionsOverall: 37 x 2 mm, 20 g
ClassificationsCommemorative artefacts
Credit LineANMM Collection Purchased with USA Bicentennial Gift funds
DescriptionThis souvenir medallion was produced to commemorate the visit of the United States Battle Fleet to Australia and New Zealand in 1925. The obverse of the medallion features the words 'American / Fleet / 1925 / Tightening / the Bond', the American Coat of Arms, the Union Jack, the Australian flag and three naval vessels. The reverse of the medallion features the words 'Unity is Strength / Australasian Souvenir / The American Fleet', along with six colonial emblems: a kiwi, lion and globe, phoenix, hound, kangaroo and crossed flags.SignificanceThis medal is significant as a souvenir of the 1925 goodwill cruise of the United States Battle Fleet to Australia, which renewed the Australian-American alliance established by the Great White Fleet visit in 1908. The 1925 visit contributes to a long history of US Naval visits to Australian ports starting with the US Exploring Expedition in 1839-1840, followed by the 1908 visit of the Great White Fleet and later visits in the 1940s in the lead-up to World War II.