Ahoy Shipmates

I would like to just set out how the cruise of the Great White Fleet came to my attention.

Twice weekly I receive delivered to my letterbox a free local newspaper called the North Shore Times Advertiser. I took a double-take at the frontpage of 19th July’s 2006 issue.

The headline read “America's plan to invade NZ”

The story was a well-written piece by journalist Edward Gay who talked to military historian Peter Corbett who in turn had dug up a document declassified in the United States in 1972, called the Naval War Plan for the Attack of Auckland, New Zealand.

In 1908, the United States was on collision course with Imperial Japan, then allied through a treaty with Great Britain. There was likelihood of war between the US and Japan and Great Britain would have been forced to side with Japan.

The Americans realized the importance of having bases in New Zealand and Australia in case of war and drew up plans to invade both countries, Corbett says.

As a demonstration of US naval power, President Theodore Roosevelt sent out The Great White Fleet, four squadrons of battleships, on a journey around the world. The sixteen ships visited Auckland in 1908 and the North Shore Times Advertiser had a fine photograph of the Fleet going past Devonport on the North Shore.

During the visit, US naval officers took the opportunity to review the city in detail and produced the 62-page attack plan. It suggested attacking via the Manukau Harbour rather than Auckland Harbour, which at the time had coastal artillery protecting it.

Apparently New Zealand was viewed as the stepping stone for an invasion of Australia.

I also understand that Auckland was not the only city to be reviewed at this time as the Fleet went from country to country.

At the time, New Zealand too was allied with Japan, the article recorded. Apparently the ships that took New Zealand soldiers to Gallipoli were escorted by Japanese warships.

As a direct result of this article combined with a small one in a computer magazine called Netguide I took some time to further research the cruise of The Great White Fleet and hence this series of instalments.


Regards



Sean