New NHHC Publication on the Great White Fleet Examines Important Lessons for Current Operations

Photo By Monica Mccoy | Promotional outreach card for NHHC's new publication — sponsored by and with contributed input from the Plans, Policy, and Integration (N5), Office of the Chief of Naval Operations — on the journey of the Great White Fleet. From December 1907 to February 1909, the bulk of the United States Navy’s battleships circumnavigated the globe on a journey that remains unparalleled in modern history. Naval History and Heritage Command’s latest publication, “A Pacific Effect”: The United States Navy, Naval Engagement, and the World Cruise of the Great White Fleet, analyzes this event to provide worthwhile lessons for today.  

WASHINGTON NAVY YARD, DC, UNITED STATES

04.26.2024

Story by Monica Mccoy 

Naval History and Heritage Command

WASHINGTON NAVY YARD – From December 1907 to February 1909, the bulk of the United States Navy’s battleships circumnavigated the globe on a journey that remains unparalleled in modern history. Naval History and Heritage Command’s latest publication, “A Pacific Effect”: The United States Navy, Naval Engagement, and the World Cruise of the Great White Fleet, analyzes this event to provide worthwhile lessons for today.

This short booklet — sponsored by and with contributed input from the Plans, Policy, and Integration (N5), Office of the Chief of Naval Operations — intentionally uses historical context to support Navy operational planning that continues today. Although the journey occurred more than a century ago, the world cruise of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet remains relevant. It demonstrated the need for close cooperation with friendly states to project power over long distances, the enduring importance of fleet readiness to combat effectiveness and diplomacy, the potential of forward deployment as a tool of deterrence, and the utility of operational experimentation for adapting to new methods of warfare.

By reviewing the circumstances and actions of a younger Navy, NHHC historians Daniel P.M. Curzon and Tyler A. Pitrof encourage readers to consider current situations through a retrospective case study.

In addition to being an interesting read for the general reader, questions offered at the end of each chapter should engage military readers and help them consider how current activity may be comparable to the planners and operators who participated in one of the most historic peacetime U.S. naval operations.

“For the relatively green American navy, the journey provided valuable experience in logistical planning, diplomatic presence operations and engagement, and deliberate operational planning of the most pressing naval warfare tasks. President Theodore Roosevelt used the fleet's passage to show our nation’s maritime power and to send a global message of friendship,” says Rear Adm. Thomas Moninger, Director of Plans, Policy, and Integration (N5), Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in the book’s forward. “While over a century has passed since the Great White Fleet returned from this unique operation, there is much to learn from it. Today the Navy still operates forward to secure our nation’s interests and to provide a foundation for the international rules-based order that has helped so many nations to prosper.”

To download a 508-compliant PDF version, visit www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/publications-by-subject/pacific-effect.html

To download other NHHC publications, visit: www.history.navy.mil/research/publications
NHHC, located at the Washington Navy Yard, is responsible for preserving, analyzing, and disseminating U.S. naval history and heritage. It provides the knowledge foundation for the Navy by maintaining historically relevant resources and products that reflect the Navy's unique and enduring contributions through our nation's history and supports the fleet by assisting with and delivering professional research, analysis, and interpretive services. NHHC comprises many activities, including the Navy Department Library, the Navy Operational Archives, the Navy art and artifact collections, underwater archeology, Navy histories, 10 museums, USS Constitution repair facility, and the historic ship Nautilus.

--NHHC--

For more information, contact Naval History and Heritage Command Public Affairs at 202-433-7880 or [e-mail].

• Date Taken: 04.26.2024
• Date Posted: 04.26.2024 10:02
• Story ID: 469612
• Location: WASHINGTON NAVY YARD, DC, US