Great White Fleet Correspondence

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The Photographs of Gerald Child, USS Georgia

This collection was found containing a set of photographs that were made by Gerald Child, a midshipman onboard the USS Georgia. The photos present a unique prospective of the cruise through the eyes of a young midshipman on his first experiences of the Navy. Some of the photographs provide my only documentation of certain event of the cruise including the visit to the harbor at Valparaiso the visit to the Maori Tribe while the fleet was in New Zealand.

Shipboard Evolutions

As a midshipman he found the task of laying mines worth photographing. In this photo a steamer tows a boat that has boards rigged with mines ready to drop.

Coaling Ship

This photograph shows a coaling barge alongside the USS Georgia with crew members onboard transferring coal by winch.

Port of Spain, Trinidad

By all accounts the visit to Trinidad was quite a flop. The fleet found that they were not welcomed upon arrival and that there were few sites to see. Gerald had two photos in his collection, a Constable on bike and some women in traditional garments on the street.

Crossing the Line, January 6th, 1908

In the timeline of any ship one of the most important events for the crew is the arrival of Neptune for the crossing of the equator. The Great White Fleet conducted this ceremony as it transited between Trinidad and Rio de Janero. Onboard the USS Georgia they received Neptune and his party and initiated members of the crew. This group is the same group that went aboard the USS Wisconsin, though I am not sure how many different initiating crews were created within the fleet to perform this ceremony on the ships.

The Fleet Entering the Harbor at Valparaiso, Chile

A quarter of a million people came to Valparaiso to see the fleet. The fleet approached the harbor in a single column and conducted maneuvers in the harbor while rendering the appropriate salute to the President of Chile. These photographs were taken while the Georgia approached the harbor.

These two photographs show some of the events of the harbor. On the left is a the Chilean sailing ship Esmerelda as the fleet passed, and the USS Louisiana rendering honors while in the harbor.

Callao and Lima Peru

These three photographs show pubic areas around Lima. The fleet's visit provided an opportunity for sailors to visit the city and appreciate the public spaces by traveling the 9 mile journey from Callao. Gerald took these three photos of the plazas and fountains of Lima.

The biggest event for the fleet visit to Peru was the planned bullfight. Six bulls named for the American visit battled in front of 3000 sailors and 600 officers that had been transported by the Corcovada train line that had been recently completed. The event was widely photographed by other professional photographers, but none from the prospective that Gerald provides.

Punta Arenes, Chile

This was the single photo of the visit to Punta Arenes. The photo shows the downtown plaza near where the fleet liberty boats arrived.

Magdalena Bay

The target practice in the Bay also provided the opportunity for Gerald to go on a hunting party in the desert. It also provided the opportunity for sailors to dress up like cowboys.

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