Correspondence from Sailors of the Great White Fleet

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Correspondence of a Bluejacket

This area of the site is devoted to the crew members and people who corresponded with them during the cruise. I think I spend more times looking at the back of cards then the front. In many ways they tell the "true" story of the cruise. Consequently, I have, at times, gotten to know the people through their correspondence with friends and loved ones. This is an expanding portion of my collection for which I am always looking for old photo albums with cards from the sailors of the cruise. My hope is to keep them intact and share them with everyone. To search this site use the descriptions below to select collection or the 'collection names' to the left.

The correspondence between a sailor and his loved ones ,is some of the best items in my collection. They provide an incite of the life of a sailor on a cruise around the world written on the back of a postcard or in a letter. Below are sets of letters and cards sent home by sailors that have been preserved as a collection.

William Burgess, USS Kearsarge

This is a collection of postcards spanning the entire cruise mailed from BM2 William Burgess, USS Kearsarge to his nephew, Howard Rhinehalt in Swanton, Ohio. It is a rare collection containing cards posted in most of the ports they visited, Trinidad, Brazil, Peru, Chile, New Zealand, Australia, China, Ceylon, Egypt, Malta, France, and Gibraltar. One of the most unique cards comes from the 'Chapel of Bones' in Malta.

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Miss May Phelps, Daughter LCDR Harry Phelps

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This is a collection of cards received my Miss May Phelps from various Naval Officers between 1903 and 1910. As best I can tell, May was the daughter of LCDR Harry Phelps, an instructor at the Naval Academy. The cards she received were from several chaps, the most prolific, F. J. Cleary who wrote her many card. Unfortunately, the other gentlemen tended to sign with an initial, or initials, During the world cruise E. J. E. sent cards from Rio, Mexico, Lima, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Seattle, Melbourne, Manila, Yokohama, Gibraltar, Egypt , Colombo and Cannes. These cards have been placed on the 'cruise' portion of this site without reference in this area of the collection.

M. R. Battey, USS Missouri

MA rare collection of original photo postcards, this collection comprises photos from almost every port visit. Many of the images unique in the prospective that others did not witness or record the events of this photographers eye. Especially interesting are the cards from Japan.

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Midshipman William Gerald Child,

USS Georgia

This is a unique collection of one-of-a-kind photographs made by a midshipman on board the USS Georgia. They include photos not typically found, like the fleet's visit to the harbor of Valparaiso, Chile.

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Ben and Nellie (USS Missouri)

The postcards of this couple document their extended relationship from before the cruise began to well after. Within the collection are over 100 cards, including some with Morse code, and their own private code to pass their affections on postcards through the hands of relatives and shipmates. It is a unique collection rarely found that I have placed in chronological order for the viewer to read and imagine the thoughts between Ben and Nellie.

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Postcards George Biller sent to Fannie Bright (USS Missouri)

This is one of the finest group of cards mailed from one individual that I have found. The cards include almost every port of the cruise that the USS Missouri visited including cards from Auckland, Egypt, Amoy, and Greece! Sort of neat because it is the only cards I have from Greece linked from his correspondence. All of his postcards were sent to Miss Fanny Light. I was able to link these cards from the signature and dates provided be the cards.

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Emanuel Lofquist, Midshipman, USS Connecticut

This collection provides a nice group of passes, invitations and records from the collection of Midshipman Lofquist who sailed with the USS Connecticut. Shown is the rail pass given to him in New Zealand.

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E. L. DeMoss, USS Kansas

This is a great set of real photo postcards that came out of an album of cards collected by E. L. DeMoss on the USS Kansas. The cards are from many ports of the cruise as well as highlights of shipboard life. Some of the best cards are from the States where photographs of crewmembers and local greetings present a greater depth to the adventures of their journey. I have assembled them on a single page and placed specific cards on the ports of visit.

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Milton Willard, USS Georgia

This group of cards really represents the first group of correspondence that I found between a sailor and his family. It contains many Brown & Schaffer cards, as well as, personnel letters and real photo and commemorative postcards. Truly a great collection.

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Ted Riley, USS Missouri

Ted Riley forwarded cards from three ports in South America that I have been able to find for my collection. This is a nice little collection because of the clean cancels of local postcards and stamps.

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Algerian postcard of quarters with the city

E. V. Hubbard, USS Wisconsin

These postcards were collected from the ports Hubbard visited. It does not have any of the real photo seen in the other collections, instead it has postals that were purchased ashore in the shops. They provide a glimpse of these ports that are nice to compare to the real photos that are included in this site.

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Van Burien Edwards, USS Connecticut

A unique collection of postcards from the original album of Van Burien Edwards, a Machinist Mate onboard the USS Connect. His collection includes many first rate cards from California, Naples and Tangiers. At right a card he received from the Connecticut after his departure, and while the ship was in Cuba.

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