III 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 261 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 12, 2007 

Received and referred to the Committee on Armed Services 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Commemorating the centennial anniversary of the sailing 

of the Navy’s ‘‘Great White Fleet,’’ launched by President Theodore Roosevelt on December 16, 1907, from 

Hampton Roads, Virginia, and returning there on February 22, 1909. 

Whereas the launching of the Great White Fleet marked the 

emergence of the United States as a true global 

seapower, able to dispatch 16 new battleships on a worldwide deployment for 14 months; 

Whereas these battleships were painted entirely white, with 

gilded scrollwork on their bows, and subsequently came 

to be known as the ‘‘Great White Fleet’’; 


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HCON 261 RFS 

Whereas the 4 squadrons of 4 battleships each, manned by 

14,000 sailors, sailed 43,000 miles and made 20 port 

calls on 6 continents; 

Whereas the Fleet, in conducting visits to important nations 

such as Australia, served to reinforce a friendship and 

partnership that continues to this day; 

Whereas the Fleet, in providing a tangible demonstration of 

the forward naval presence of the United States in the 

Pacific, also reinforced the message of how important 

maritime stability and security are to the United States; 

Whereas the Fleet, in response to one of the worst natural 

disasters in European history, was able to immediately 

divert to Messina, Sicily, to offer humanitarian aid to the 

Italian people; and 

Whereas the Fleet, in executing a range of missions and returning to the United States after 14 months at sea, displayed to the world a number of core American values, 

including compassion, showed its flexibility by responding 

to unforeseen events, and demonstrated the ability of the 

United States to project maritime power as a stabilizing 

force: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That the Congress— 

3 (1) commemorates the wisdom of President 

4 Theodore Roosevelt in developing and launching the 

5 Great White Fleet; 

6 (2) supports a one-time designation of a day to 

7 celebrate the 100th centennial of the Great White 

8 Fleet and the special role the Fleet played in buildVerDate Aug 31 2005 04:15 Dec 13, 2007 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HC261.RFS HC261

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HCON 261 RFS 

1 ing enduring friendships with important allies and 

2 partner nations; 

3 (3) commends efforts by the Department of the 

4 Navy to maintain and strengthen our cooperative 

5 partnerships with foreign nations and to safeguard 

6 our Nation’s interests in the maritime domain; 

7 (4) commends efforts by the Department of the 

8 Navy in leading the development of a Cooperative 

9 Strategy for 21st Century Seapower; and 

10 (5) honors the sacrifices made and services ren11 dered by the servicemembers of the Navy, Marine 

12 Corps, and the Coast Guard and the civilians who 

13 constitute our maritime services. 

Passed the House of Representatives December 11, 

2007. 

Attest: LORRAINE C. MILLER, 

Clerk. 


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