 Bronze Reliefs The Great White Fleet - 1907 |
| "Speak softly and carry a big stick." Fresh on the heels of mediating the peace talks in the Russo-Japanese War and becoming the first American to win the Nobel Peace Prize, President Theodore Roosevelt decided to display to the world America's newly acquired naval power. He sent the entire U.S. Navy Battle Fleet on a good-will tour around the world‹16 battleships, brightly painted in white, plus auxiliaries and coal ships.
As shown in the bronze relief, when the Great White Fleet sailed from Hampton Roads, Virginia, on December 16, 1907, Roosevelt reviewed the departure from the presidential yacht Mayflower. The fleet was at sea for 14 months and steamed 46,000 miles, the longest voyage yet for the relatively new technology of steam-powered steel battleships. The fleet returned to Hampton Roads on February 22, 1909. Commenting on his "big stick" diplomacy, Roosevelt declared that it "was the most important service (he) rendered to peace." Sculptor: Gilbert A. Franklin. Sponsored by the Naval Order of the United States.
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©2007 United States Navy Memorial - Design: bdalexander.com - Hosted & Maintained: System Planning Corporation - Webmaster