US battleship NEBRASKA

Datec 1908

Object number00003254

NamePostcard

MediumPaper, inks, light card, silver gelatin emulsion layer

DimensionsOverall: 88 x 139 mm

ClassificationsPosters and postcards

Credit LineANMM Collection Purchased with USA Bicentennial Gift funds

Terms

DescriptionUSS NEBRASKA is depicted in this postcard commemorating the visit of the United States Great White Fleet to Australia in 1908. The fleet consisted of 16 battleships all painted white in the peace time tradition of the United States. Cards like this were a popular souvenir for the public and many versions were printed commonly featuring images of the ships of the fleet, the public ceremonies and national motifs.HistoryIn December 1907 United States President Theodore Roosevelt sent a 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. Australia was not originally on the itinerary route of the Great White Fleet, who only decided to visit after receiving a direct invitation from the Prime Minister Alfred Deakin. One quarter of the Australian population, over one million people, saw the Great White Fleet during its three-week visit to Sydney, Melbourne and Albany. Public holidays were declared and enthusiastic crowds flocked to see the ships and parades. Vast arrays of souvenirs were produced for a population caught up in the euphoria. USS NEBRASKA was a Virginia class battleship of the American Navy launched on 7 October 1904. Its first service after undertaking its shakedown cruise was in the Great White Fleet world tour from 1907 to 1909. It was then stationed in the Atlantic and waters off Mexico before in during World War I. NEBRASKA was decommissioned on 2 July 1920 and sold for scrap.SignificanceThis postcard represents the type of memorabilia produced to celebrate and mark the arrival of the Great White Fleet to Australia in 1908, providing a visual record of one of the fleets' ships, the USS NEBRASKA.