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American sailors ashore at Port of Spain, Trinidad
American sailors ashore at Port of Spain, Trinidad

American sailors ashore at Port of Spain, Trinidad

Publisher (American, 1898 - 1920)
Date1908
Object number00015049
NamePostcard
MediumInk, cardboard
DimensionsOverall: 89 x 138 mm
ClassificationsPosters and postcards
Credit LineANMM Collection Purchased with USA Bicentennial Gift funds
DescriptionThis souvenir postcard was produced to commemorate the American Great White Fleet world tour from 1907 – 1909. The postcard is titled ‘American sailors ashore at Port of Spain, Trinidad, Christmas Day, 1908’. The postcard features a hand coloured image of a group of sailors walking down a street in the Port of Spain. The Fleet began its tour on 16 December 1907 and made its first port of call at Trinidad on 23 December 1907.HistoryIn December 1907 United States President Theodore Roosevelt sent the US Atlantic Battle Fleet of 16 battleships on a 14 month goodwill cruise around the world. The fleet was a chance for the Navy to practice seamanship and express America's world power. Roosevelt was also concerned about rising Japanese aggression and their expansionist foreign policy. The cruise would be a political and public relations exercise to build domestic support for more naval construction. Led by the flagship, USS CONNECTICUT, the Great White Fleet as it became known, consisted of 16 battleships painted white, as was the practice of all US Navy ships in times of peace. The ships sailed in four divisions of four ships each. Early in the voyage the order of the ships was altered to allow the best-looking vessels to be at the front of the fleet. The cruise incorporated six continents, 26 countries and 32 ports with 614 officers and 13,504 crew. It consumed 435,000 tons of coal, more than any other naval expedition and was the largest fleet to ever accomplish a circumnavigation of the globe. The Great White Fleet began its tour on 16 December 1907 from Hampton Roads, Virginia. The Fleet arrived at their first stop, the Port of Spain, Trinidad on 23 December 1907 where 2000 sailors were granted liberty leave to visit the city. The Fleet departed Trinidad on 27 December 1907 and visited the British West Indies and Brazil before undertaking the complex navigational task of transiting the Magellan Straits. The Fleet anchored overnight in Possession Bay in the Straits from 31 January to 1 February 1908 before arriving at Punta Arenas, Chile later that day. After departing Chile, the Fleet visited Peru and Mexico before sailing up the West Coast of America. On 7 July, the Fleet departed San Francisco, California for the third and final legs of its tour, visiting Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia, the Philippine’s, Japan, Ceylon and Egypt. The Fleet visited Messina, Italy in January 1909 to offer support and assistance following an earthquake, and after departing Messina, the Fleet visited Naples and Gibraltar before returning home to Hampton Roads, Virginia on 22 February 1909. Vast arrays of souvenirs were produced for a population caught up in the euphoria generated by the Great White Fleet's world tour. Badges, medallions, pins, postcards and photographs all reflected the enthusiasm surrounding the tour.SignificanceThe visit of the American Great White Fleet in 1908 was an event of enormous proportions. Souvenir items such as this postcard demonstrate the excitement the visit generated amongst the Australian public. Memorabilia made to coincide with the occasion emphasised the mutual union between the countries and the good will of the Australian nation toward its American ally.