The Great White Fleet transits the Suez Canal

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Transiting the Suez Canal

The shadow of the Fleet passing through the Suez Canal.

The above card is part of the Brown & Schaffer postcards produced during the cruise and sold to sailors of the fleet. The numbers made it easy to identify the photos for placing an order. To view the entire collection selection this link: Brown & Schaffer Collection

In some places the canal was only 120 feet wide allowing only a 20 foot clearance on either side of the ship, not much room for a heavy vessel that is slow to respond to the helm. The transit took 18 hours to complete the passage and the fleet made the transit with only one navigation incident involving the USS Georgia running around. She was able to free herself after a couple of hours, but it because one of the incidents that would add up to Captain Qualtrough to be relieved of command.

The fleet received it's shipment containing materials to operate their own post office onboard the ship while in Suez and mailed while in Cairo. This allowed them to cancel the mail from the sailor's onboard the ships and to use American Postage. Cancels found in early January are from the fleet's stay in Port Said and can show pictures of the transit, Cairo, Port Said or Suez.

Postcards showing traffic inn the Suez Canal mailed from the USS Minnesota and Kansas

Another set of photographs documenting the fleets visit to Egypt are the collection of

M. R. Battey. The card above shows buildings along the canal as the ships make their transit.

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