The American Fleet comprised 16 battleships and various support ships of the U.S. Navy, and circumnavigated the globe during 1907, 1908 and 1909 as part of a goodwill trip and to demonstrate naval might at the instigation of President Teddy Roosevelt. Because the ships' hulls were painted white, it later became known as the Great White Fleet.
Australian Prime Minister Alfred Deakin hoped it would enable him to enlist public support in the formation of our own navy, which begat the Royal Australian Navy in 1911.
My friend Mackenzie Gregory has written a great blog entry about the Great White Fleet here.
[Photograph above from State Records NSW on Flickr, used with kind permission.
Digital ID: 18526 a024 000014 See the State Records Authority of NSW's gallery of ephemera relating to this visit here. ]
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