The Official Centennial Celebration of the Great White Fleet has already commenced. It started with a resolution in the House of Representatives put forward by Senators James Webb, John Warner, and Thelma Drake recognizing the 100th Anniversary of the Navy's Great White Fleet. The resolution went on to describe the contribution the Fleet had on our Navy and announced the formal ceremony for the celebration onboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) on December 15, 2007.
The events of the evening to mark the centennial of the Great White Fleet’s departure from Hampton Roads were reported as large and elaborate. The pictures of the evening certainly appear to confirm this. The evening started at 6:00p.m. onboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) in the hangar deck with over 500 people in attendance.
As the guests arrived they were able to walk around and take in the various information boards that presented the Secretary Winter’s message “Reflect on the Past, Focus on the Future” which was continually emphasized with images of then and now.
The brochure that was available throughout the evening “100 Years of Global Partnerships and Security – Theodore Roosevelt’s Great White Fleet”. Without going into detail, his message emphasized three basic points: Peace through Strength, A Tradition of Partnership, and Commitment to Defending our Nation.
The speakers for the evening started with our “President” Theodore Roosevelt, then an introduction by the Chief of Naval Operations, ADM Roughead, and finally the guest speaker Secretary Winter.
Events of the evening were supported by the Navy Band, a presentation of the Colours, and an F-18 just to the left of the speakers. In addition to the flag the Navy has also produced banners for the celebration and a commemorative coin a picture which are set out below. These coins were presented to guests as they left the quarterdeck at the end of the evening.
Regards
Sean
