Ahoy Shipmates

Interesting facts from The Great White Fleet

At the time of the Fleet's sailing from Hampton Roads there were four senior officers that had served during the Civil War.

Serving more than 40 years on active duty is practically unheard of in the modern navy, but in 1908 the mandatory retirement age was 62.

For the fleet this meant the Admiral Evans, Rear Admiral Thomas, and Rear Admiral Emory needed to retire before the cruise would end.

For example Admiral Sperry started his naval training in 1862 and graduated from the Naval Academy in 1866. So by that at the end of the cruise you work out the math on exactly how long he had served the US Navy.

The next instalment will cover the USS New Jersey

Regards


Sean