The Great White Fleet
by Rachel Dworkin, archivist
On December 16, 1907, the Great White Fleet, a United States
Naval battle group consisting of 18 ships manned by 14,000 sailors, set sail
from Hampton Roads, Virginia to begin it’s nearly 2-year voyage to
circumnavigate the globe. One of those sailors was a 19-year-old Elmiran
named Chauncey Lawrence (1888-1951) who was serving aboard the U.S.S. Wisconsin. His personal papers including photographs and
a scrapbook from the voyage were recently donated to CCHS and they are pretty
darn neat.
Sailor Chauncey W. Lawrence, 1907 |
Ostensibly, the fleet was a goodwill gesture designed to augment America’s diplomatic efforts with friendly (or at least friendly-ish) nations around the world. It was, after all, fairly common at the time for the navies of the various nations to visit each other’s ports, especially in conjunction important anniversaries or celebrations. At the same time, the Great White Fleet was a clear demonstration of America’s naval power. The defeat of the Russian Navy during the Russo-Japanese War in 1905 had given rise to anxieties about an ambitious Japan, especially along the west coast. By sending the fleet, President Roosevelt hoped to intimidate the Japanese enough to keep them in check.
The fleet’s voyage took nearly 2 years and included 17 extended
stops in 14 countries. The Panama Canal
wasn’t in operation yet, so the fleet had to travel down the coast of South
America and through the Strait of Magellan.
On the way home, they were able to bypass the Horn of Africa by taking
the Suez Canal. They arrived back in
Hampton Roads on February 22, 1909.
Chauncey Lawrence’s collection from the voyage includes
postcards from every port the fleet visited, as well as a smattering of
photographs. After the voyage, Lawrence
married the sister of one of his fellow crewmen and lived for a while with her
family in Colorado. He re-enlisted in
the Navy during World War I. While he
was unable to be accepted back during World War II, he served as a Naval Reservist
in the Korean conflict and died while serving aboard the U.S.S. Howe.
Chauncey Lawrence and fellow crewmen on leave in Korea, 1951. See if you can figure out which one is him. |