Other nations may do 

what you have done, 

but they’ll have to 

follow you.”

Other nations may do 

what you have done, 

but they’ll have to 

follow you.”

100th Anniversary

Great White Fleet

December 16, 1907 - February 22, 1909

“Other nations may do 

what you have done, 

but they’ll have to 

follow you.”

President Theodore Roosevelt

February 1909

but theyll hav

follow you.

Fleet Facts Great White 

The band played “The 

Girl I Left Behind Me” 

as the Great White Fleet 

passed by President 

Roosevelt at 400-yard 

intervals with their crews 

manning the rails.

The Fleet was manned 

by 14,000 Sailors and 

Marines in four squadrons 

under the command 

of Rear Adm. Robley 

“Fighting Bob” Evans.

From 1904 to 1907, 

American shipyards turned 

out 11 new battleships to 

give the Navy new battle 

capabilities. This was timely, 

for, in 1906, hostilities with 

Japan seemed possible; 

the Japanese navy 

dominated the Pacific and 

posed a potential threat to 

the Philippines.

To impress upon Japan 

that the U.S. Navy 

could shift from the 

Atlantic to the Pacific, 

Roosevelt ordered the 

Great White Fleet to sail 

around the world.

President Roosevelt addressing crew of USS Connecticut in 1909.

Photo courtesy of Naval Historical Center.

Most of the commanding officers of the Great White Fleet ships are shown in 

this photograph taken in 1908. Photo courtesy of Naval Historical Center.

During the Sailors’ stay 

in San Francisco, the 

citizens went so far as 

to pitch tents in Jefferson 

Square and Portsmouth 

Square for White Fleet 

Sailors who ran out of 

hotel money.

On Jan. 6, 1907, some 

12,000 Sailors were 

introduced to Davy Jones 

and welcomed into the 

realm of King Neptune as 

the Fleet steamed across the 

equator and participated 

in the “Crossing the Line” 

ceremonies to become 

Shellbacks.

On Feb. 20, 1907, the 

Fleet pulled in to Callao, 

Peru, just north of Lima. 

Peruvian composer, Ce’sar 

Penizo, paid homage to 

the Fleet by composing a 

special dance piece entitled 

“The White Squadron.” 

You think SITE TV 

today gets old after a 

while? One White Fleet 

veteran assigned to 

Connecticut remarked, 

“They had one [movie] 

they showed us about 

50 times ... The Perils 

of Pauline.”

Crew of USS Maine circa 1907. Photo courtesy of Naval Historical Center.

USS Connecticut leads the Atlantic Fleet’s battleships out of Hampton Roads, Va., 

probably at the start of the Great White Fleet cruise around the world in 

December 1907. Photo courtesy of Naval Historical Center.

USS Connecticut was the flagship of the Great White Fleet. Photo courtesy of Naval Historical Center.

The Atlantic Fleet’s battleships steam in column, with USS Kansas at the left. Photo courtesy of Naval Historical Center.
Ouargla

Reggane

Comodoro Rivadavia

Neuquen

Barreiras

Cachimbo

Cuiaba

Porto Velho

Amos

Churchill

Flin Flon

Fort McMurray

Grande Prairie

Inukjuak

Kamloops

Labrador City

Prince Albert

Prince Rupert Prince George

Rankin Inlet

Saskatoon

Thompson

Timmins

Valdivia

Golmud

Hami

Hotan

Karamay

Kashi

Korla

Qiemo

Yumen

Aswan

Vaasa

Bakhtaran

Aktyubinsk

Aralsk

Atbassar

Balqash

Rudnyy

Sabhah

Tolanaro

Araouane

Altay

Dalandzadagad

Hovd

Bilma

Bodaybo

Bratsk

Khabarovsk

Kirov

Magadan

Mirnyj

Nizhnevartovsk

Novgorod

Orol

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskij

Syktyvkar

Ulan Ude

Voronez

Jakutsk

Juzno Sachalinsk

Makkah (Mecca)

Port Elizabeth

Waw

Ostersund

Albuquerque

Butte

Las Vegas

Provo

Scottsbluff

Unalaska

Kananga

Vologda

Luderitz

Cordova

Djanet

Bear Lake

Juneau

Brandon

Dawson Creek

Fort Chipewyan

Moosonee

Red Deer

Swift Current

Antofagasta

Concepcion

Al Jawf

Talara

Trujillo

Anchorage

Duluth

Grand Forks

Reno

Tucson

Twin Falls

Williston

Alice Springs

Bourke

Cairns

Kalgoorlie Cook

Mackay

Tennant Creek

Dunedin

Broome

Carnarvon

Geraldton

Learmonth

Port Hedland

Huambo

Rosario

Adelaide

Melbourne

Sydney

Brisbane

Belem

Belo Horizonte

Campinas

Curitiba

Fortaleza

Goiania

Manaus

Porto Alegre

Recife

Rio De Janeiro

Salvador

Sao Paulo

Calgary

Montreal

Vancouver

Baotou Benxi

Chengdu

Dalian

Dukou Fuzhou Guiyang

Harbin

Huangshi

Jilin

Jixi

Lanzhou Kaifeng

Mianyang

Nanning

Ningbo

Qingdao

Qiqihar

Shanghai

Shantou

Urumqi

Wenzhou

Xiamen

Xian

Xining

Yinchuan

Torshavn

Nantes

Toulouse

Agra

Ahmadabad

Allahabad

Calcutta

Jaipur

Madras

Nagpur

Pune

Surat

Ulhasnagar

Esfahan

Shiraz

Basra

Cork

Sendai

Qaraghandy

Krakow

Constanta

Chelyabinsk

Gorkiy

Irkutsk

Izevsk

Kazan

Krasnodar

Krasnojarsk

Kuybyshev

St. Petersburg

Novosibirsk

Omsk

Perm

Saratov

Sverdlovsk

Ufa

Volgograd

Jaroslavl

Umtata

Barcelona

Sevilla

Valladolid

Taipei

Adana

Izmir

Frunze

Lviv

Sunderland

Buffalo

Charlotte

Dallas

Detroit

Jacksonville

Atlanta

Kansas City

New Orleans

New York

Boston

Norfolk

Oakland

Omaha

Seattle

Spokane

Ho Chi Minh City

Likasi

Perth

Sao Goncalo

Changchun

Fuxin

Hefei

Taiyuan

Zigong Yueyang

Bayonne

Bombay

Cochin

Varanasi

Naples

Sapporo

Casablanca

Walvis Bay

Auckland

Multan

Davao

Gdansk

Porto

Rostov

Tol Yatti

Baltimore

Birmingham

Denver

Chicago

Houston

Los Angeles

Memphis

MilWawkee

Minneapolis

Philadelphia

Portland

San Diego

San Francisco St. Louis

Tampa

Kabul

Luanda

Canberra

Ponta Delgada

Dhaka

Minsk

Porto Novo

La Paz

Sucre

Brasilia

Yaounde

N’Djamena

Santiago

Bogota

Havana

Copenhagen

Quito

Addis Abbaba

Asmara

Kampala

Port Stanley

Helsinki

Paris

Libreville

Gibraltar

Athens

Hong Kong

Singapore

Reykjavik

New Delhi

Jakarta

Tehran

Baghdad

Rome

Phnom Penh

Alma Ata

Nairobi

Vientiane

Riga

Tripoli

Kaunas

Antananarivo

Kuala Lumpur

Bamako

Nouakchott

Mexico City

Ulaanbaatar

Rangoon

Windhoek

Wellington

Niamey

Abuja

Pyongyang

Oslo

Muscat

Islamabad

Manila

Warsaw

Bucharest

Moscow

Riyadh

Mogadishu

Cape Town

Seoul

Madrid

Colombo

Stockholm

Dar es Salaam

Bangkok

Tunis

Ankara

Ashgabat

Kiev

Washington D. C.

Montevideo

Tashkent

Caracas

Georgetown Paramaribo

Sanaa

Kinshasa

Lusaka

Harare

Algiers

Buenos Aires

Gaborone

Ottawa

Bangui

Beijing

Brazzaville

Nicosia

Cairo

Malabo

Tallinn

Berlin

Accra

Conakry

Dublin

Abidjan

Tokyo

Bishkek

Monrovia

Rabat

Maputo Mbabane

Port Moresby

Asuncion

Lima

Lisbon 

Sao Tome

Dakar

Freetown

Bloemfontein

Pretoria

Khartoum

Lome

London

Hanoi

AUSTRIA

ITALY

SPAIN

NORWAY

GERMANY

FRANCE

PORTUGAL

HUNGARY

ROMANIA

BULGARIA

TURKEY

DENMARK

POLAND BELARUS

UKRAINE

CZECH

SLOVAKIA

GREECE

CYPRUS

NETH.

BELGIUM

IRELAND

ALBANIA

MOLDOVA

LITHUANIA

LATVIA

ESTONIA

LUX.

SERBIA

MONTENEGRO

BOSNIA

CROATIA

SLOVENIA SWITZ.

MACEDONIA

U. S. A.

CANADA

MEXICO THE BAHAMAS

CUBA

PANAMA

EL SALVADOR

GUATEMALA

BELIZE

HONDURAS

NICARAGUA

COSTA RICA

JAMAICA

HAITI

DOM. REP.

ARGENTINA

BOLIVIA

COLOMBIA

VENEZUELA

PERU

BRAZIL

FRENCH GUIANA

SURINAME

GUYANA

CHILE

ECUADOR

PARAGUAY

URUGUAY

KENYA

ETHIOPIA

ERITREA

SUDAN

EGYPT

NIGER

MAURITANIA

MALI

NIGERIA

SOMALIA

NAMIBIA

LIBYA

CHAD

SOUTH AFRICA

TANZANIA

CONGO

ANGOLA

ALGERIA

MADAGASCAR

MOZAMBIQUE

BOTSWANA

ZAMBIA

GABON

CENTRAL AFRICAN

REPUBLIC

TUNISIA

MOROCCO

UGANDA

SWAZILAND

LESOTHO

MALAWI

BURUNDI

RWANDA

TOGO

BENIN GHANA

IVORY

COAST

LIBERIA

SIERRA LEONE

GUINEA

BURKINA

GAMBIA

CAMEROON

SAO TOME & PRINCIPE

ZIMBABWE

REPUBLIC OF

CONGO

EQUATORIAL GUINEA

WESTERN

SAHARA

DJIBOUTI

SENEGAL

GUINEA BISSAU

Canary Islands JORDAN

ISRAEL

LEBANON

ARMENIA AZERBAIJAN

GEORGIA KYRGYZSTAN

TAJIKISTAN

KUWAIT

QATAR

U. A. E.

YEMEN

SYRIA

IRAQ IRAN

OMAN

SAUDI ARABIA

AFGHANISTAN

PAKISTAN

INDIA

C H I N A

KAZAKHSTAN

TURKMENISTAN

UZBEKISTAN

MYANMAR

THAILAND

KAMPUCHEA

NEPAL

BHUTAN

VIETNAM

SRI LANKA

LAOS BANGLADESH

MALAYSIA

PAPUA

NEW GUINEA

BRUNEI

PHILIPPINES

TAIWAN

I N D O N E S I A

JAPAN

MONGOLIA

SOUTH KOREA

NORTH KOREA

AUSTRALIA

NEW ZEALAND

U. K.

NEW CALEDONIA

FIJI

COMOROS

A T L A N T I C

P A C I F I C

P A C I F I C

I N D I A N

O C E A N

O C E A N

O C E A N

O C E A N

0 ̊

15 ̊N

30 ̊N

45 ̊N

60 ̊N

15 ̊S

30 ̊S

45 ̊S

60 ̊S

0 ̊

15 ̊N

30 ̊N

45 ̊N

60 ̊N

15 ̊S

30 ̊S

45 ̊S

60 ̊S

Legend

First Leg

Second Leg

Third Leg

Fourth Leg

Departs 

San Francisco

travels to

Puget Sound, Washington 

and back.

Arrived 

San Francisco

May 6, 1908

Distance Traveled:

1,132 nm

Magdalena Bay, 

Mexico

March 12-April 11, 

1908

Distance Traveled:

3,010 nm

Callao, Peru

February 20-29, 1908

Distance Traveled:

2,838 nm

Punta Arenas, Chile

Feb. 1-7, 1908

Distance Traveled:

2,384 nm

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 

Jan. 12-21, 1908

Distance Traveled:

3,399 nm

Suez, Egypt

Jan. 3-6, 1909

Distance Traveled:

3,448 nm

Columbo, Ceylon

Dec. 13-20, 1908

Distance Traveled:

2,985 nm

Departs

Manila, Philippines

Dec. 1, 1908

Distance Traveled:

12,455 nm

Second Squadron

Amoy, China

Oct. 29-Nov. 5, 1908

Distance Traveled 1,811 

Yokohama, Japan

Oct. 18-25, 1908

Distance Traveled:

1,811 nm

Auckland, New 

Zealand

August 9-15, 1908

Distance Traveled:

3,870 nm

Albany, Australia

Sept. 11-18, 1908

Distance Traveled:

1,368 nm

USS Connecticut

USS Georgia

USS Kansas

USS Nebraska

USS Minnesota

USS New Jersey

USS Kearsarge

USS Vermont

USS Rhode Island

USS Louisiana

USS Wisconsin

USS Virginia

USS Illinois

USS Missouri

USS Ohio

USS Kentucky

USS Culgoa

USS Yankton

USS Glacier

USS Relief

USS Panther

Third Leg of Ships

USS Connecticut

USS Georgia

USS Kansas

USS New Jersey

USS Vermont

USS Rhode Island

USS Virginia

USS Alabama

USS Maine

USS Illinois

USS Missouri

USS Kearsarge

USS Ohio

USS Kentucky

USS Culgoa

USS Glacier

USS Panther

USS Yankton

USS Relief

USS Hopkins

USS Stewart

USS Truxton

USS Lawrence

USS Whipple

USS Arethusa

USS Louisiana

USS Minnesota

USS Hull

First Leg of Ships

USS Connecticut

USS Georgia

USS Kansas

USS Nebraska

USS New Jersey

USS Vermont

USS Minnesota

USS Rhode Island

USS Louisiana

USS Wisconsin

USS Virginia

USS Illinois

USS Missouri

USS Kearsarge

USS Ohio

USS Kentucky

USS Culgoa

USS Yankton

USS Panther

Fourth Leg of Ships

Voyage of the Great White Fleet

Commanding Officers

Hampton Roads to San Francisco

Commanding- Rear Adm. Robley Evans

First Squadron 

First Division- Rear Adm. Robley Evans

USS Connecticut- Capt. Hugo Osterhaus

USS Kansas- Capt. Charles Vreeland

USS Vermont- Capt. William Potter

USS Louisiana- Capt. Richard Wainwright

Second Division- Rear Adm. William Emory

USS Georgia- Capt. Henry McCrea

USS New Jersey- Capt. William Southerland

USS Rhode Island- Capt. Joseph Murdock

USS Virginia- Capt. Seaton Schroeder

Second Squadron

Third Division- Rear Adm. Charles Thomas

USS Minnesota- Capt. John Hubbard

USS Maine- Capt. Giles Harber

USS Missouri- Capt. Greenlief Merriam

USS Ohio- Capt. Charles Bartlett

Fourth Division- Rear Adm. Charles Sperry

USS Alabama- Capt. Ten Eyck DeW. Veeder

USS Illinois- Capt. John Bowyer

USS Kearsarge- Capt. Hamilton Hutchins

USS Kentucky- Capt. Walter Cowles

Fleet Auxiliaries

USS Culgoa- Lt. Cmdr. John Patton

USS Panther- Cmdr. Valentine Nelson

USS Relief- Surgeon Charles Stokes

USS Glacier- Cmdr. William Hogg

USS Yankton- Lt. Walter Gherardi

“Torpedo Flotilla” of Destroyers

USS Hopkins- Lt. Alfred Howe

USS Hull- Lt. Frank McCommon

USS Lawrence- Lt. Ernest Friedrick

USS Arethusa- Cmdr. Albert Grant

USS Stewart- Lt. Julius Hellweg

USS Truxton- Lt. Charles Kerrick

USS Whipple- Lt. Hutch Cone

From San Francisco to Puget Sound

Commanding- Rear Adm. Charles Sperry

First Squadron 

First Division- Rear Adm. Charles Sperry

USS Connecticut- Capt. Hugo Osterhaus

USS Kansas- Capt. Charles Vreeland

USS Minnesota- Capt. John Hubbard

USS Vermont- Capt. William Potter

Second Division- Rear Adm. Richard Wainwright

USS Georgia- Capt. Edward Qualtrough

USS Nebraska- Capt. Reginald Nicholson

USS New Jersey- Capt. William Southerland

USS Rhode Island- Capt. Joseph Murdock

Second Squadron

Third Division- Rear Adm. William Emory

USS Louisiana- Capt. Kossuth Niles

USS Virginia- Capt. Alexander Sharp

USS Missouri- Capt. Robert Doyle

USS Ohio- Capt. Thomas Howard

Fourth Division- Rear Adm. Seaton Schroeder

USS Wisconsin- Capt. Frank Beatty

USS Illinois- Capt. John Bowyer

USS Kearsarge- Capt. Hamilton Hutchins

USS Kentucky- Capt. Walter Cowles

Fleet Auxiliaries

USS Culgoa- Lt. Cmdr. John Patton

USS Glacier- Cmdr. William Hogg

USS Panther- Cmdr. Valentine Nelson

USS Yankton- Lt. Cmdr. Charles McVay

USS Relief- Surgeon Charles Stokes

From San Francisco to Manila

Commanding- Rear Adm. Charles S. Sperry

First Squadron

First Division- Rear Adm. Charles S. Sperry

USS Connecticut- Capt. Hugo Osterhaus

USS Kansas- Capt. Charles E. Vreeland

USS Minnesota- Capt. John Hubbard

USS Vermont- Capt. William P. Potter

Second Division- Rear Adm. Richard Wainwright

USS Georgia- Capt. Edward F. Qualtrough

USS Nebraska- Capt. Reginald F. Nicholson

USS New Jersey- Capt. William H.H. Southerland

USS Rhode Island- Capt. Joseph B. Murdock

Second Squadron

Third Division- Rear Adm. William H. Emory

USS Louisiana- Capt. Kossuth Niles

USS Virginia- Capt. Alexander Sharp

USS Missouri- Capt. Robert M. Doyle

USS Ohio- Capt. Thomas B. Howard

Fourth Division- Rear Adm. Seaton Schroeder

USS Wisconsin- Capt. Frank E. Beatty

USS Illinois- Capt. John M. Bowyer

USS Kearsarge- Capt. Hamilton Hutchins

USS Kentucky- Capt. Walter C. Cowles

Fleet Auxiliaries

USS Culgoa- Lt. Cmdr. John B. Patton

USS Glacier- Cmdr. William S. Hogg

USS Panther- Cmdr. Valentine S. Nelson

USS Yankton- Lt. Cmdr. Charles B. McVay

USS Relief- Surgeon Charles F. Stokes

From Manila to Hampton Roads

Commanding- Rear Adm. Charles S. Sperry

First Squadron

First Division- Rear Adm. Charles S. Sperry

USS Connecticut- Capt. Hugo Osterhaus

USS Vermont- Capt. Frank F. Fletcher

USS Kansas- Capt. Charles E. Vreeland

USS Minnesota- Capt. John Hubbard

Second Division- Rear Adm. Richard Wainwright

USS Georgia- Capt. Edward F. Qualtrough

USS Nebraska- Capt. Reginald F. Nicholson

USS New Jersey- Capt. William H.H. Southerland

USS Rhode Island- Capt. Joseph B. Murdock

Second Squadron

Third Division- Rear Adm. Seaton Schroeder

USS Louisiana- Capt. Kossuth Niles

USS Virginia- Capt. Alexander Sharp

USS Missouri- Capt. Robert M. Doyle

USS Ohio- Capt. Thomas B. Howard

Fourth Division- Rear Adm. William H. Emory

USS Wisconsin- Capt. Frank E. Beatty

USS Illinois- Capt. John M. Bowyer

USS Kearsarge- Capt. Hamilton Hutchins

USS Kentucky- Capt. Walter C. Cowles

Fleet Auxiliaries

USS Culgoa- Lt. Cmdr. John B. Patton

USS Panther- Cmdr. Valentine S. Nelson

USS Yankton- Lt. Cmdr. Charles B. McVay

USS Glacier, circa early 1900s. Photo courtesy of Naval Historical Center.

USS Culgoa circa 1908. 

Photo courtesy of Naval Historical Center.

USS Kearsarge in a Pacific Coast harbor during the first half of 

1908, while participating in the first leg of the Great White Fleet’s 

cruise around the world. Photo courtesy of Naval Historical Center.

Honolulu, 

Hawaii

July 16-22, 1908

Distance Traveled:

2,126 nm

Departs

San Francisco 

July 7, 1908

Total Distance:

16,336 nm

USS Connecticut

USS Georgia

USS Kansas

USS Nebraska

USS Minnesota

USS New Jersey

USS Vermont

USS Rhode Island

USS Louisiana

USS Wisconsin

USS Virginia

USS Missouri

USS Illinois

USS Kearsarge

USS Ohio

USS Kentucky

USS Culgoa

USS Yankton

USS Glacier

USS Relief

USS Panther

Second Leg of Ships

Departs

Hampton Roads

Dec. 16, 1907

Total Distance Traveled:

14,556 nm

Arrive 

Hampton Roads

Feb. 22, 1909 

Distance Traveled:

3,549 nm

Port of Spain, 

Trinidad

Dec. 23-29, 1907

Distance Traveled:

1,803 nm

Gibraltar

Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 1909

Distance Traveled:

2,443 nm

Sydney, Australia

August 20-28, 

1908

Distance Traveled:

1,307 nm

Melbourne, Australia

August 29-Sept. 5, 

1908

Distance Traveled:

601 nm

Arrived 

Manila, Philippines

1st Squadron: Oct. 31, 1908

2nd Squadron: Nov. 7,1908

Manila, Philippines

Oct. 2-9, 1908

Distance Traveled:

1,795 nm