1908: The Great White Fleet

August 8, 2019

By AHNZ

9 August, 1908: President Roosevelt sends ‘The Great White Fleet’ to Auckland, courting military alliance and it arrived on this day in history.

A spectacular election year diversion for PM Ward who, none the less, spurned US military support for Britain’s. Amazingly there’s a honest to goodness VIDEO of the ceremony and what appears to be the disembarkation of the naval officers! Who would have thought?

Only guy I can pick out is Ward himself. We can see our Premier handing something to the Admiral (image right.) Described in the newspaper as “a handsome casket”…

“The casket consisted of gold, silver and wood from New Zealand mines. It was costly, artistic, and splendidly designed, as reminiscent of the fleet’s visit. Admiral Sperry said no greeting could appeal more strongly to President Roosevelt. The beautiful present typified everything good in national life. The address to Admiral Sperry alluded to the solid friendship between America and the British Empire. Sir Joseph Ward presented Admiral Sperry with a handsome trophy of New Zealand workmanship.”- Poverty Bay Herald, 10 August 1908; Papers Past

A few months later, Ward and the Liberals would win the general election with some thanks to this theatre. The equivalent today is making sure the All Blacks have a recent win to ensure the government holds on to power again.

Update

Since learning of this casket I have written to the Theodore Roosevelt Centre and to Sagamore Hill. These are the two devoted institutions to Teddy’s legacy right now. They had no record to hand on the New Zealand casket back in 2017 but Sagamore Hill anticipated good news on the horizon: Roosevelt to get his own Presidential Library. As of this year, 2019, the new library has its funding to go ahead and political patronage. Perhaps this bit of New Zealand history will come out of the archives soon and we’ll have a decent photo of it at long last.

Update 2024: The casket is not lost but in fact in Auckland and due to be auctioned off at the end of August 2024.

See also  1908: The Great White Fleet Gift, AHNZ

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Image ref. lifted from AMERICAN FLEET AT AUCKLAND; NZ Film Archive

Note: Casket probably silver but I’ve outlined it (above) with a bit of gold to show it up in the picture. But, who knows?

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