On this day in 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt dispatched a naval flotilla of 16 battleships, along with various escorts, on a peaceful worldwide goodwill voyage. This Day In Politics Roosevelt dispatches U.S. fleet on goodwill voyage, Dec. 16, 1907

As the first decade of the 20th century dawned, more Americans began to regard themselves as citizens of a great world power. Industrial capitalism was on the rise and with it came lots of jobs. New businesses created a need for more clerical help and a new “white collar” mentality evolved: More and more workers received a salary instead of earning an hourly wage. Retail jobs also flourished, and women were working more than ever before. Still, life expectancy stood at just 45.6 years for men and 49.9 for women.

Aware of this tide, as Theodore Roosevelt prepared to enter the final year of his presidency, he was eager to display America’s might to the world. Consequently, on this day in 1907 he dispatched a naval flotilla of 16 battleships, divided into two squadrons, along with various escorts, on a peaceful worldwide goodwill voyage. The ships, painted white, became known as Roosevelt’s “Great White Fleet.”


Its mission — to make courtesy visits to numerous countries, while displaying newly forged U.S. naval power — ended less than a month before the end of Roosevelt’s term.

As the Panama Canal was still not ready, the fleet had to pass across the tip of South America through the Straits of Magellan. The scope of such an operation was unprecedented in U.S. naval history, as ships had to sail from all points of the compass to various rendezvous points and proceed according to an orchestrated plan that involved nearly the entire operational capability of the U.S. Navy.

Unlike the formidable obstacles that had faced the Russian Czarist fleet on its voyage from the Baltic to the North Pacific, which eventually led to its destruction by the Japanese in 1905 at the Battle of Tsushima, the U.S. effort went forward in a peaceful environment. In port after port, citizens in the tens of thousands turned out to see and greet the fleet.

In Australia, the arrival of the fleet in August served to build support for the forming of Australia's own navy. When the fleet sailed into Yokohama Bay, the Japanese went to great lengths to show that their country desired peace with the United States: thousands of Japanese schoolchildren waved American flags to greet navy officials as they came ashore.

In Sicily, the U.S. sailors helped in recovery operations after an earthquake struck Messina. The fleet next stopped at Naples and from there sailed to Gibraltar.

Roosevelt reviewed the fleet when it arrived on Feb. 22, 1909, at Hampton Roads, Va., where its voyage had begun. He saw it as a fitting finish for his administration. To the officers and men of the fleet, Roosevelt said, “Other nations may do what you have done, but they'll have to follow you.” This parting act of grand strategy by Roosevelt helped secure America’s role in the international arena.

SOURCE: This Day in Presidential History,” by Paul Brandus (2018)

