SYDNEY, NSW. — The ‘Great White Fleet’, consisting of 16 new battleships of the Atlantic Fleet, was sent around the world by US President Theodore Roosevelt.
Launched on December 16, 1907, it travelled down the eastern coast of America, around the southern cape and back up the western coast, as the Panama Canal had not yet been completed.
After this, it continued to various ports around the world. The fleet reached its final destination on February 22, 1909. The purpose of the fleet seemed to be as a show of American sea power, even though some of the ships were technically obsolete and no longer fit for battle.
The ‘Great White Fleet’ arrived in Sydney Harbour on August 20, 1908.
After remaining there for seven days, it continued to Melbourne, where it remained again for a week. The fleet then arrived in Albany, Western Australia, on September 11th, remaining for another week before setting sail for Manila.
