The+Great+white+Fleet

The Great White Fleet
Roosevelt was a passionate supporter of increasing U.S. naval power. As the assistant secretary of the Navy in 1898, Roosevelt gave orders to prepare the Asiatic Squadron to stop the Spanish fleet from reaching the Philippines. Once in office as president, Roosevelt supported the increase of congressional funding of a battleship navy. Congress responded to Roosevelt by providing money to build sixteen new battleships. Roosevelt ordered a twenty-six ship fleet to sail to Japan to display U.S. interests in Asia. The Great White Fleet traveled to Asia and back between 1907 and 1909. The fleet departed from Norfolk, Virginia on December 16 and became the first fleet of warships to circumnavigate the globe. The United States displayed the additions to their naval fleet, which was now in the same league as Great Britain and Germany.