The Great White Fleet - The Party is On!

This week in the first of the months Patreon selections we take a look at the tour than put the USN on the map, the voyage of the Great White Fleet.
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[@Drachinifel]

Pinned post for Q&A :)

[@Thirdbase9]

Please cover the USS Panther. (The Great White Fleet's repair ship) It never reported seeing Japanese Torpedo Boats.

[@tic-tac9323]

Would you be willing to look at the Baltimore-class heavy cruisers?

[@Skreezilla]

out of interest was there a reason the fleet did not stop off at England/France/Germany? You would think the fleet would want to flex at these nations as well? Obviously they did visit colonies (Sadly not Adelaide.. boo hisss) Also agree on the pain job.

[@calvingreene90]

Speaking of battleships that dealt poorly with rough seas could you use something like submarine dive planes to stabilize the Iowa-class battleships well enough to match the King George V class in rough seas?

[@stephen5656]

Given the 80th anniversary of it has recently passed. What is your take on the Glorious disaster and the subsequent controversies that followed it?

[@barleysixseventwo6665]

Russia: Sends fleet across the world despite having no practical experience: sours relations to the point of cries for war with nearby nations, looses men to friendly fire during battles with Fishing Trawlers. US: Sends a Fleet across the world despite having no practical experience. Improves relations with almost everyone they meet including major rivals, one of their own falls overboard in a storm and the sea itself rescues him. Some navies have ALL the luck.

[@RonJohn63]

TBF, the US was more competently run than Russia.

[@VosperCDN]

I was thinking about the contrast in those two voyages as I was watching. Quite the difference.

[@miguelmontenegro3520]

Well, the the Russian Ships were made for baltic ops. A calm sea with small rivals.

[@The_Viscount]

@Herbert B. Bondsh I thought it was commonly attributed to Bismark?

[@VersusARCH]

Russia was at war at the time. The US was not...

[@tanyl85]

No binoculars were harmed by any Admiral during the voyage of this fleet...

[@bigblue6917]

Many fish were extremely pleased by the none appearance of the binoculars of doom.

[@andromenia1]

I wonder how many japanese torpedo boats they shot at.

[@3ftsteamrwy12]

*snerk*

[@tanyl85]

@@andromenia1 ... maybe it was the torpedo boat captains who hurled Admiral Sperry into the air ;)

[@benlaskowski357]

Guys, this is the U.S. Navy: we VALUE our binoculars!

[@jameswells554]

Theodore Roosevelt the most American American to ever America.

[@lawrencelewis8105]

he had the biggest balls, that's for sure!

[@midlandredux]

@King George V -- Theodore Roosevelt was the most liberal president the United States had before his cousin took office in 1932. His progressive, big government policies were what made him famous.

[@Quetzalcoatl_Feathered_Serpent]

@King George V Theodore Roosevelt was one of the most progressive liberal Presidents in the US. Big government policies, were some of his achievements. You know those national parks trump wants to Exploit? Yeah it was Roosevelt who literally created them cause Roosevelt wanted to Preserve the beauty of the United States, and its resources but more importantly to allow Americans to see the treasure the US had. That's a very liberal move. . Read your US history you might learn something. Wait are you even a American? King Goerge is British. If that's the case learn your world history you might learn something

[@elhombredeoro955]

@@midlandredux His cousin, Roosevelt the cripple was a racist and a Soviet appeaser.

[@iamhungey12345]

The guy got shot and he still stayed to finish his speech.

[@stanklepoot]

Imagine that. A rising power sends a fleet around the world to announce themselves to all of the established powers, and the only time they really offend anyone is when not enough of their ships appear in that nation's port.

[@cosmoflanker]

"I want all failures, blunders, and shortcomings to be made apparent in time of peace, and NOT in time of war." Russian Second Pacific Squadron" .

[@spartanalex9006]

Since TR helped negotiate the peace for that war, the need to trouble shoot the USN to avoid a Pacific Squadron incident was probably one of the deciding reasons he did it.

[@michaelminch5490]

@@spartanalex9006 I'm glad I've already watched the first of those two videos so I get these jokes.

[@Big_E_Soul_Fragment]

Interesting to see the US Navy went from "wow, we actually got funding" to "crank out them ships, boys"

[@Autechltd]

Reminds me a bit of Halo, where the emerging nation goes "We are the giants now".

[@Tuning3434]

+The 225677th Fragment of the Man-Emperor of Mankind Well, notice the distinct lack of Cruisers in this story: Congress still had to be tricked into funding the Omaha class as a destroyer leader, before finally seeing the light and actually procure 'modern' light cruisers with the (excellent) Brooklyn's. Congress apparently was still funding on a 'big guns are cool and will keep me in my seat' basis instead of what would practically work best to support a fleet or allow for global force projection.

[@matthewstein1156]

@@Tuning3434 It's more along the lines of Congress going: You get this (small) amount of money for building ships this year, followed by the navy spending the lot on battleships, mostly reasoning that they are both the centerpiece of the fleet, but also the longest lead items, where smaller ships could be built in a relatively short amount of time compared to the capitol ships.

[@huntermurphy2148]

@CommandoDude Well he did get himself a Nimitz class carrier which is pretty close

[@lioraselby5328]

Rev up those friers!

[@williamharvey8895]

Being washed off one ship, and on to another ship is Gods way of saying, "it's not your time yet." As a former sailor I am in awe of his luck. Do we have his name? This could be a five minute guide unto itself

[@jimtaylor294]

I second this notion :-) .

[@LmgWarThunder]

I third this notion. Any sailor that lucky deserves a mention even if he only got one exploit of note in his career

[@jimtalbott9535]

YES! I would love to learn more of his life.

[@jeremysmith1462]

Best SAR ever

[@Mustang_Dan]

There's also the guy who got sunk in the Merchant Marine off New Jersey iirc, got picked up, and brought back to the harbor in time to catch another ship to England.

[@murderbus]

US Navy: We need you to go on a show of force mission around the world. US Sailor: So basically you are paying me to get smashed in every major port in the world? US Navy: Well yes, but no....

[@TheNinjaDC]

They only get their pay if they manage to out smash every other nation's sailors in said ports.

[@danieldunlap4077]

Takes me back

[@scottygdaman]

Did that twice.. ug

[@species3167]

@@TheNinjaDC Tough competition from the Aussies, everyone else is cake.

[@loganholmberg2295]

I thought that haooened every time a ship git into port anyway? 😂 Or is that something just limited to naval week now? lol

[@Spaceman404.]

"Wished they had kept the paint job" You and me both, Drach.

[@Deevo037]

Perhaps someone with some photoshop skill could show us an Iowa class in Great White Fleet colours.

[@davidbrennan660]

The current madness atmosphere of cancel anything thing “ problematic” would get this “ Toxic” Fleet cancelled and scrapped, as the Navy apologised for daring to exist to keep the click idiots of Twitter happy..... they came for “Gone with the Wind” after all.

[@Deevo037]

@@davidbrennan660 It was a different time. I remember regularly visiting warships in Fremantle (Western Australia) when I was a youngster in the 70s and 80s. Be they Australian, New Zealander, British or American. The latter were always hospitable to visitors back then. I doubt any would be allowed now.

[@TheNinjaDC]

Everyone misses the white paint and other decorative designs, save the grey paint emporium and E. L. James.

[@HemlockRidge]

@@davidbrennan660 Yep. Can't upset black people.

[@atagosraven2267]

I’m surprised that Drach didn’t mention any of the future Admirals that were all in this voyage. Halsey, Spruance, Kimmel, McCain, Stark, Kinkaid, and so many more future admirals were all apart of the Great White Fleet.

[@taterkaze9428]

Great point, inexplicable ommission.

[@VRBroadcasting]

In some fashion oddly similar(Slightly) to the future Marshal Admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy who took part in the battle against the Second Pacific Squadron in the Battle of Tsushima after traveling around the world; Isoroku Yamamoto Edit: Of whom Drach did mention in his video about the Battle of Tsushima

[@rdkimball56]

Btw, Adm. Halsey commented, as Drach suggested, about his own work in the group of Yanks who returned the blanket toss favor with Adm. Togo. Robert A. Hart, The Great White Fleet at 227 (1965), quoting William F. Halsey, Admiral Halsey's Story at 13 (1947).

[@dogloversrule8476]

It was kind of like how almost all the great generals of the US Civil War served in the Mexican American War

[@Pink.andahalf]

It's almost like this voyage happened 40 years before a conflict that created more American admirals than any other period in history, thus ensuring that they were all just starting their careers.

[@warrenlehmkuhleii8472]

We know showing off the paint job was the main reason.

[@propellhatt]

And a fine reason it was!

[@toomanyuserids]

If it moves, salute it, if it doesn't, paint it.

[@benjaminstout941]

@@toomanyuserids paint once for dust twice for rust.

[@michaels.5878]

They do "retro" paint jobs on aircraft, Why not a modern ship in the "White and Buff"?

[@eric24567]

gotta pimp out that ride

[@thomasgodridge5945]

*"Do YoU SeE ToRpEdO BoAtS?"* -The Kamchatka

[@davidandmartinealbon3155]

Yes!! Hundreds of them!!

[@testaccount4191]

British fishing ship, mmmmm whats that whistling i hear

[@thomasgodridge5945]

@@davidandmartinealbon3155 AHHHHHH! *Fires at own ships....Hits nothing*

[@benlaskowski357]

U.S. Navy: Shut up and sink or go home.

[@spartanalex9006]

USN: No, we have verified that there aren't any kiting our fleet so shut up and get off the channel.

[@Stormseer88]

I pity the poor fools who actually had to keep these ships "white" considering they where coalpowered...

[@-_-9440]

F

[@kilianortmann9979]

That was one of the reasons for the typical ocean liner paint scheme. Black where coal dust and third class passenger would be, and white for the pretty looks.

[@dennislloyd494]

'fools'?

[@CastleBravo023]

Dennis Lloyd relax. It’s a variation on “I pity the fool”. Mr. T-esque.

[@RCAvhstape]

Sailors are always painting and scraping rust anyway, so it's all in a day's work.

[@BELCAN57]

This voyage was also known as "The Great White Pub Crawl"

[@waynevreeland3141]

Only by the enlisted crew...

[@rayg.2431]

@@waynevreeland3141 Oh, I'm sure the officers did their own genteel version of a pub crawl too, complete with visits to high-end "sporting houses".

[@scooterdescooter4018]

"Crotch Rot: World Tour"

[@TheNinjaDC]

"Try and get it back," Teddy Roosevelt to Navy Penny pincher. Me: "God, damn do I love that man."

[@ImperialGuard322nd]

I wish we had a leader like him now. The nation needs Teddy Roosevelt now more than ever.

[@GrendalTheBeasty]

@@ImperialGuard322nd Zombie Teddy Roosevelt 2020!

[@eitanrosen464]

Beasty Baiter2 I agree.

[@kristov29]

The Senator from Maine in question was Eugene Hale. Hale would be categorized today as a RINO (Republican In Name Only).

[@lawrencemiller7442]

Teddy Roosevelt is.. The Man... The Myth.... The Legend!.. Damnit what's the status of the Teddy Roosevelt reanimation project for a third term! Come on people!

[@xenofoxx]

The decorative bow figurehead combined with the paint makes these ships look so majestic. While France went to war in hotels, the US used luxury yachts.

[@waynevreeland3141]

Aye, yachts with teeth and talons.

[@absalomdraconis]

@@waynevreeland3141 : No, no, those barrels are just fireworks launchers, purely ornamental, I assure you, and your navy, and _everyone else's_ navy. Completely harmless, I assure you.

[@Alpostpone]

@@absalomdraconis They're saluting guns. They will salute until disturbance goes away.

[@magisterrleth3129]

If you're going to be gunned down by superior American naval firepower, it's best that your last sight be something majestic.

[@JoeBLOWFHB]

Fishing...only for sport....not for eating.... fish is practically a vegetable !!!

[@mrpagrant]

"Wished they had kept the paint job" A collective growl rises from the graves of ever sailor who served on ships with that paint job!

[@JJAmes-mb4du]

Clearly our friend Drachinifel has little to no experience chipping and scraping. I had the advantage of power tools most of the time and it was still a major chore.

[@jayschafer1760]

@@JJAmes-mb4du Also, you probably weren't on a ship that was powered by coal. Just refueling those ships would get coal dust everywhere, and coal dust is rather corrosive and abrasive. Then you factor in all the soot coming from the stacks, and dirtying up the white paint, and... Yeah, those sailors must have been expert scrubbers and painters.

[@JoshuaTootell]

Meanwhile , in the USCG...

[@gokbay3057]

It is very understandable that the US didn't continue using the paint job in coal era. But oil powered ships would not have the problem of coal dust.

[@philperry4699]

@@JJAmes-mb4du Well, chipping and scraping is because of the rust underneath. I don't think the color of the paint has any bearing on preventing rust, although white paint might stay a bit cooler (come to think of it) than gray or something dark, and suffer less damage that way (leading to less water getting in and causing rust). Just be thankful you weren't that poor swabbie scraping the bottom of a boiler who suddenly found the sea coming in!

[@anthonyrobinson7715]

I was pouring a bowl of cereal and 15-20 JAPANESE TORPEDO BOATS popped out!!! I had to empty a whole magazine into the bowl!

[@peternickle1884]

And all you hit was the Aurora!

[@WillowEpp]

Oops, all Torpedo Boats

[@TomFynn]

Sprinkle some binoculars on it.

[@The_ZeroLine]

Thank god you were on your toes!

[@michaelt.5672]

"Yes, I am delighted with the Australian People. Yes, I think your park is the finest in the world. I am very tired and would like to go to sleep" Aaaaw....

[@firestorm165]

Honestly surprised that they didn't organize a hotel room for him

[@zedoktor979]

@@firestorm165 Sorry to dig up this dead thread. I'd say they didn't because the weather was probably lovely out and they didn't want to wake him up even if it was to give a room, as it would be impolite. =) I love this story

[@hatman4818]

USA: Builds a giant fleet in part specifically to spite Japan Japan: "AH! A worthy opponent. Come drink with us ya crazy bastards. BONZAI!" USA: *confused confusion intensifies*

[@jeffreyskoritowski4114]

A more likely scenario: America: Now you're talking. You bring the Saki and the Sushi and we'll bring the Boiler Room Moonshine and the burgers.

[@georgewnewman3201]

USA (Next morning): UGH, remind me no more sake on an empty stomach!

[@ufc990]

@JZ's Best Friend Wait what, our culture is petty heterogeneous yknow?

[@ufc990]

@JZ's Best Friend LOL, cry about it. That's the way of the world, you get by by stepping on the heads of others. Just about every culture/country has subjugated others. Go be depressed somewhere else cuz I've got bad news for you, everyone fucks with their neighbors. Just cuz theyre natives doesn't mean the French and english wouldn't include them in the fuckery, that'd be prejudice.

[@tylersoto7465]

In other world's they both have alot in common lol

[@mattwoodard2535]

Drach REALLY likes the white paint job. Someone should photoshop an Iowa class with that paint job just to see how it looks. sm

[@Drachinifel]

Don't forget the bow ornamentation!

[@m1garand903]

One time I went to a ship that was in the great white fleet and it had a amazing paint job

[@Deevo037]

I just said that.

[@davidbrennan660]

The classic peace paint jobs were magnificent.

[@tomstech4390]

Orrr WOWS has it.

[@RealgarTheSchist]

"try and get it back" what a gangster

[@paavobergmann4920]

Teddy was Gangsta, alright

[@jeffreyskoritowski4114]

You could argue that TDR was the 1st original OG.

[@Big_E_Soul_Fragment]

8:13 "YOU FOOLS, I TOLD YOU SO BUT NO ONE LISTENED!" - Kamchatka

[@jamessquires7015]

Sorry, We couldnt hear you over the sound of shouting and shattering of binoculars.

[@joshthomas-moore2656]

Can anyone else hear Parrot swearing in Russian?

[@johnyoung4441]

@@joshthomas-moore2656 We're too busy dealing with all the animals the crew brought onboard from Madagascar. I think the snake bit our CO.

[@jeffreyskoritowski4114]

@@johnyoung4441 The snake bit the XO. The CO was last seen passed out drunk in the crows nest.

[@MartinCHorowitz]

Teddy Roosevelt had been Secretary of the Navy, so it isn't surprising he had plans for a fleet. My Favorite part of the Great white fleet, was having only enough money for fuel to go halfway around the world. Congress didn't have any real choice but to allocate money to bring the fleet back. I used to work near his home in Oyster Bay NY, He organized the local volunteer fire department which is still known as Teddy's Boys.

[@jeffreyskoritowski4114]

Was there anything that man didn't do?

[@andreipoplauschi180]

@@jeffreyskoritowski4114 No

[@whatitbescottyb3699]

I didn't take the US Navy seriously untill I saw that paint job

[@Kez_DXX]

You and the rest of the world.

[@jeg5gom]

All my life I've heard of TR's "Great White Fleet" without ANY expansion on the subject. Leave it to a Brit to put it all together. This was a great video! Thanks uncle Drach 😁👍🇺🇲🇬🇧🇺🇸🇬🇧

[@Frostfly]

The Wikipedia article is pretty decent with a good bibliography....if you cared enough to google for 2 seconds.

[@davidkaminski615]

There are these things called books....

[@jeg5gom]

@@davidkaminski615 You guys are so right. My bad for trying to offer a simple compliment on a job well done. If ever I need to give an example on uncouth behavior, I think I've found a gem. Cheers!

[@Frostfly]

@@jeg5gom looks like your have uncouth crying down pat already, try giving a compliment that doesn't highlight your lazy ignorance. They really aren't very hard

[@denkeylee]

@@Frostfly Dude, you are harsh. So I guess the Wikipedia article had a vid as good as this?????? They don't do that do, do they.

[@Shojikitsune1]

"They sailed into California - but not literally." Give it time.

[@77thTrombone]

LOL funny, but only for those who've seen Drach's video on it, or who have prior knowledge of the Fiasco at Honda "This is Not the Santa Barbara Channel Yet" Point."

OMG, the 4 destroyers.

[@dillonpierce7599]

Have u not heard of when 8 destroyers ran aground and 4 of them badly enough to be completely wrecked in 1924....? 😅🤣🤣🤣

[@77thTrombone]

Dillon Pierce - that's what we're talking about!

[@odysseusrex5908]

@@77thTrombone Could you give the name or link to that video? I've tried searching for those word strings but don't seem to find it.

[@leninsmustache5937]

Drach: Casually being a better history memer than History Memes

[@bubbasbigblast8563]

"A sailor was washed off his ship...but was he SAVED BY ALIENS?!?" "Strange Lights? I...guess there were? It was a typhoon, so that's pretty common?" "There you have it, very probably saved...BY ALIENS."

[@pistonar]

Theodore Roosevelt: the Ron Swanson of presidents.

[@bolacapoeira]

I'm surrounded by women and that includes the men here

[@zachjordan7608]

Well teddy was a monoply-buster.

[@meaders2002]

Teddy was a one-off. Never before. None since.

[@Ugh-Fudge_Bwana]

One of my favorite anecdotes about TR was how he was a sickly, scrawny little kid. One day, he decided "Fuck that, I'm gonna get SWOLE!", and adopted a training regime he called "the strenuous life" that involved outdoor activities and boxing. Later made a speech about it.

[@richardcutts196]

18:45 'American Battleship Fleet in Anchor in Tokyo Bay.' "We'll be back."

[@nukclear2741]

We shall return.

[@PhillyCh3zSt3ak]

"And we'd be happy to see you back." 40 years later: "That's not what we meant!"

[@aaronnelson7702]

Japan: "Pfft.... Yah... And we will glow in the dark..."

[@jeremysmith1462]

Having served on 4 ships, on 4 deployments in 4 very different roles, (Combat in the Middle East, auxiliary/resupply in the Middle East, combat forward deployment in the Far East, and Flagship/Partyship in the Far East) that doing nothing but hitting ports, partying, and a bit of light training is a great what to spend time at sea and get a chest full of medals. Combat, is not.

[@JoshuaTootell]

Got lots of flashy bits without getting shot at is nice! circumnavigated in 2005.

[@dk6024]

"I took Panama and let Congress debate it." - Theodore Roosevelt

[@johnyarbrough502]

After TR went ballistic defending his role in the Panamanian revolution, "I took Panama," Elihu Root ,the Secy War, replied "Mr. President, you were accused of seduction and you've confessed to rape." (not exact quotations, but gets the susbtance)

[@PCardon13]

I SEE JAPANESE TORPEDO BOATS! THOUSANDS OF THEM!

[@grlt23]

Is that you again Kamchatka?

[@ahmetserdarunal8229]

Oh shit! Here we go again!

[@davidandmartinealbon3155]

Dont worry! We scared them off by firing over 300 of our shells at them. On another note there are some very dazed looking English fishing trawlers in sailing away from us

[@Thirdbase9]

Was something the USS Panther never signalled.

[@Xerethane]

It's cool guys! They're just offering us sake!

[@1IbramGaunt]

Can you imagine a modern full-size Ford-class nuclear supercarrier, with a bright white hull and golden deck & superstructure 😁 pretty as it'd look bet it'd be pretty tricky to land on without getting blinded

[@jimbob9714]

Do the Theodore Roosevelt that way

[@5peciesunkn0wn]

@@jimbob9714 YES. That'd be perfect!

[@Snowstrider0001]

and chrome the Island

[@AtomicBabel]

@@jimbob9714 technologies my friend, JPALS and Magic Carpet landing systems.

[@AtomicBabel]

@@Snowstrider0001 chrome a submarine and named it Steely Dan. W.S.Burroughs reference. 🙂

[@nukclear2741]

United States Navy: This is where the funds begin.

[@Edax_Royeaux]

If only the US had money today.

[@nukclear2741]

@@Edax_Royeaux sigh

[@Cpt_Boony_Hat]

I mean they do but they could use more.

[@commanderwilliam3693]

well have you noticed the congress's shields are still up!?

[@FLJBeliever1776]

@@commanderwilliam3693 - Oh the US Navy has the money... It's the vultures they're required to work with that keep taking it instead. And somehow, I suspect some of the money gets back to Congress. In the forms of gifts to individual Congressmembers.

[@alexjacobs8399]

One wonders if the numerous invitations for the fleet was motivated by the desire to trade liquid victuals for greenbacks.

[@Septimus_ii]

And host the merchant ships turning up with coal and looking for local goods to purchase for the return journey

[@OtakuLoki]

Liquid victuals are certainly a high profit item when the fleet is in port, but don't forget the boost that simply resupplying fresh fruits, vegetables, and foods would be. To get an *idea* of the extent of money available in simply supplying a fleet with food stuffs, look at the current "Fat Leonard" scandal the US Navy is trying to work through.

[@spikespa5208]

A boost for *all* aspects of the local economy.

[@Edax_Royeaux]

No doubt it also drew in outside citizens to serve as tourists in those port cities because such a spectacle would only happen once in their life times.

[@markreeter6227]

Not to mention the prostitutes.

[@paulsakz1532]

HMS Dreadnought: "Little battleships I am undisputed master of the seas!!!" Great White Fleet: Uses Legendary Paint Scheme (Its Super Effective) HMS Dreadnought: "I'm not even upset, that's amazing!"

[@AdamosDad]

16:33 we went through a similar typhoon, in the west pacific, I think it was in the summer of 68', we had green water over the 05 level. as a junior ET it was my job to pull dead fish out of the deck grill on an antenna mast 150 feet up.

[@jayschafer1760]

Well, at least the RF power meant the fish were already half cooked for you.

[@AdamosDad]

@@jayschafer1760 I was usually half fried myself, it wasn't all that hard for me at 19 to do the high work and I usually got extra liberty because of it, like Subic Bay, P.I. or Yokosuka, Japan.

[@BoopShooBee]

I was the only ET on both ships I served on that would go up the masts. I liked it up there. It was peaceful, and if the ship was rolling, a bit of fun.

[@AdamosDad]

@@BoopShooBee Yes, it was the same for me, even after I made 2nd class, I volunteered to go up, because I enjoyed the view, the wind and smells of the sea. I cant climb anymore so I just had to pay a guy $300 to put up a wire antenna just 30 feet up on the house and out to the garage 136ft. I have become like the radiomen we used to support. "Fair Winds and Following Seas" Brother

[@species3167]

@@AdamosDad As a DS3 aboard CV-62 USS Independence I had to carry 5 gallon buckets of demineralized water up to the O-GAWD level to feed a gravity cooler...and I think you mast-climbing twidgets are both crazy! (Then again I did learn to skydive from an unlicensed vendor in Pattaya...)

[@hirisk761]

Loved the sailed to not IN TO California zinger. I guess the lead navigator actually believed in using ALL navigation aids!

[@jefferyindorf699]

Point Honda anyone?

[@Archangelglenn]

Drach: The dreaded Japanese torpedo boats Me: *bursts out laughing while secretly loading up the Voyage of the Damned video*

[@redshirt5126]

"Speak softly and carry a big stick, you will go far"

[@gim9951]

The US navy + the Japanese Navy when they have parties together: Fix your bayonets to your beers... BANZAI!! (With a high possibility of a drunken brawl involving fistfights, ships ramming, and a few drunken torpedo boats in the horizon... Wait a minute...)

[@jeffreyskoritowski4114]

After everyone sobered up they parted friends.

[@jamespfp]

18:30 -- RE: the potential popularity of throwing one's commanding officer around is almost entirely made worth it by the accompanying shout of BANZAI!

[@connormclernon26]

My great grandfather served on this fleet.

[@BHuang92]

What position and which ship?

[@merafirewing6591]

Do tell, comrade?

[@connormclernon26]

BHuang92 not sure, family lore says he was in the fleet, I’d have to ask the family historian about which one. I have a picture of him set as my phone background. I know he later served on DD-1 during WW1

[@chryssalidbait8765]

@@connormclernon26 Well, ask them. Best such knowledge be spread wider in the family so it doesn't get lost.

[@connormclernon26]

@@chryssalidbait8765 Looking through some old records, specifically the Register of the Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy July 1, 1938, he's listed as a retired Gunnery Officer in San Diego, California, which checks out with at least part of what I know for sure about him. He was also quite old when my grandfather Ed Siegrist Jr was born in 1933, from what I understand, he was in his 50s when my grandfather was born. In Our Navy: the Standard Publication of the U.S. Navy, Volume 11, he's mentioned as having been promoted to Chief Petty Officer after being a Chief Gunner's Mate and that he was Receiving Ship at New York. Assuming the time in service is the same then as it is now, it takes roughly 14 years to make Chief Petty Officer. I'm pretty sure he was in one of the destroyers, but I'd have to check

[@kevinking1012]

My great-uncle Tom Eagleton was proud to serve on a ship in the Great White Fleet. Wish I could remember the ship name. A framed picture of the crew and ship hung on the wall at his home. I was just around 10 when I knew him. He recalled Teddy Roosevelt visiting his ship, and Teddy drinking coffee heated by a hot coal from the ship boiler. He lived most of his life in small Illinois towns but it was clear that this was a most thrilling experience. And yes, a young nephew was Tom Eagleton, vice presidential candidate with George McGovern in 1972.

[@SephirothRyu]

I love that the tale of the IRN Kamchatka (and its unfortunate fleet) is now the thing we always bring up in other videos.

[@BB.61]

1:47 USS Iowa #2 (BB-4) USN’s first seagoing battleship. All other major warships prior had a low freeboard and had a danger of going the way of USS Monitor.

[@darwinbarnes740]

Aye, its hard to think of U.S. Battleships without thinking of an Iowa! Just wish there had been another Minnesota.

[@danaholm9486]

When I was a kid (in the 50s) there was a model of this ship in our local library, about 6 feet long.

[@stevenbaker8184]

The USS Kearsarge, the only US Battleship NOT named for a State. Unless I missed something in Geography class.

[@prax22a]

Thank you for covering this period of the US Navy, and thanks for including a print of a painting by my great-great uncle Henry Reuterdahl (the fleet traveling through the Strait of Magellan). Before the fleet sailed Henry published an article in Collier's Weekly titled "The Needs Of Our Navy", criticizing the less than modern construction of new warships compared to European naval powers, and the way naval officers were promoted (based less on merit and more on inheritance of positions from retiring officers). As the fleet sailed Henry's article was published, and he (stationed on the USS Minnesota) was court martialed. He was forced to leave the fleet for his court martial before it reached the West Coast and had to take ground transportation back home. As the fleet sailed without him the famous at-the-time "Reuterdahl Trial" really let the public know about the inadequateness of US ship construction and naval hierarchy. Lucky for him Henry had several young officers on his side (a young William Sims for one), and he was exonerated. When the fleet returned the information gathered during the voyage further, along with what had been exposed during Henry's trial, further swayed public and political opinion for sweeping reforms in the US Navy and ship construction.

[@pocanthutrex3356]

"I want all failures, blunders, and shortcomings to be made apparent in time of peace and not in time of war." My kinda President. Why can't we have Presidents like that anymore? Yeah, I know.

[@jimwind7589]

Putins butt boy cant handle a ramp and a glass of water

[@davidb6576]

@Chris Loomis Ooh, spot the Russian! Or are you Chinese?

[@davidb6576]

I regret that my "like" put you at "45", hopefully you'll get more...

[@AdamMGTF]

Yes but on the upside for you yanks. You have the first ever world leader who glows in the dark and has hair and teeth that originally belonged to another species. Tbh the world owes you all a thank you for putting him in office. He’s made a running joke of himself and the presidency. Given us a lot of laughs. Especially in these unusual times!

[@AdamMGTF]

@Stephen Jenkins it kind of is funny in a terrible way. Because that power has been very common. Every head of state (kings, emperor's, regents etc) has had the same power and in many cases the same restraints. And this goes back 3000 years at least. Past Romulus and Remus. Americans think their form of government is the leading light of the western world. And at times it has been. But it's now suffering from a lack of perspective. When listening to Americans on the news, both rep and dem. It's mind blowing how few understand that the us as a state has tanked in credibility because literally the entire world community consider trump a joke. Don't get me wrong. The apparatus behind the man has deserved respect. But the man himself.... The rest of the world who bother to care consider him the punchline of a joke. God help the next occupant of the office. Great men held it. FDR was a hero of history. Up there with Churchill, bismark, Washington and others who will live on in history. That a orange man who doesn't seem to understand the world is round, holds the same sacred office...... It'll be decades before the other democracies have respect for America

[@epiendless1128]

Not literally sailing into California - reference to the Honda Point disaster video?

[@martingenerous1678]

Drac did a video on the Hondo Point disaster BTW

[@rayg.2431]

@@martingenerous1678 Honda Point Disaster - Taking a Wrong Turn at Albuquerque: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mYXZlnqFj9Rklck Made me think of Bugs Bunny: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m2m3hqp-icuChbc

[@brownwrench]

That's what I was thinking. A traffic pileup at sea.

[@stevenbaker8184]

That isnt a good thing. They call that running AGROUND otherwise.

[@CanuckWolfman]

Sending a gunship or cruiser = *clearing your throat* Sending a squadron = "Hey!" Sending the Great White Fleet = *"AAAAaAAAAaaaAaAAAAAAAAH!!!"*

[@tomstech4390]

*"Show me your war face!"*

[@CanuckWolfman]

@@tomstech4390 >Displays the Great White Fleet< *"You don't scare me. Work on it!"*

[@waynevreeland3141]

Cracking your knuckles "It's Showtime !!"

[@DeadBaron]

10:23 WOW was that really taken in 1907? How was it preserved so well? It's always amazing finding old photographs that haven't degraded or been scratched to hell and back.

[@neurofiedyamato8763]

IKR, a lot of old photos actually have quite the good quality.

[@mrb692]

Check out www.shorpy.com, they’ve got tons of high def scans of vintage pictures!

[@RCAvhstape]

I agree on the paintjob, Drach, , fortunately we still have Olympia for eye candy. Also, I need to watch this video again just for these magnificent photographs! Some great pics you have here. If only TR knew someday he'd have a nuclear powered supercarrier named for him...

[@thomasb1889]

I think he would like that but he would have a different opinion on what our country has currently has become.

[@benjaminlecrone9122]

Excellent video. The Pre-dreadnaught era of naval history is really interesting. There’s an Osprey book that finally covers the Great White Fleet era battleships coming out in September.

[@spudskie3907]

There’s a book called The American Steel Navy. Beautiful photographs of that era.

[@avragetrinidadian3787]

Senator: I am not gonna give you money to sail around the world! Teddy Rooservelt: I already have the money, but you are more than welcome to fight me to get it back. Senator:.... I think I hear my mother calling me And as a trinidadian, I would take offense to that state about my island if it was not 100% true

[@MrAlex_Raven]

Hey, as an American, I would say you have more going for you; you beat down the United States Football Club in 2018. :D

[@avragetrinidadian3787]

@@MrAlex_Raven yea.... I still want to know how that shi**y ever beat the US

[@nukclear2741]

@@avragetrinidadian3787 We thought it was our football. Didn't go well.

[@a6mzeke1]

My god, the Navy was given funding :o

[@nedimar5696]

Thanks to Drach I now have a pavlovian reaction to the word "torpedo boat". Thanks, I guess...

[@chryssalidbait8765]

Does it involve throwing binoculars?

[@peternickle1884]

ChryssalidBait No, randomly shooting in the general direction of British fishing trawlers

[@GorduzBackstabber]

similar wave story happened to my grand uncle on a whaler in the 50s. He got washed of the front deck of his ship, but got lucky and washed back onto the aft-deck a few seconds later. His fellow crewmen had a hard time believing him...

[@daleeasternbrat816]

Great training exercise. Great public relations stunt. And a demonstration of the capabilities of our Navy. This event is still talked about. If we had just sailed up and down the coast we would have never learned the lessons of logistics required to operate worldwide 24/7 /365. We and the British are the only navies that have a really robust capability to do this even in the 21st century. The USNS and RFA ships are the strong foundations upon which naval power is built.

[@suspiciouscheese4518]

Dale Eastern brat It’s just a shame the USN didn’t keep the nice white and yellow paint jobs.

[@lawrencelewis8105]

There was a book from about 1905 called "The Influence of Sea Power on History" by Alfred Thayer Mahan. He describes how the Dutch fleet under Admiral de Ruyter kept the British bottled up by patrolling the British coast and not the Dutch coast. His point was, if you control the entire sea and not just guard your coast you are way better protected. It was a textbook for navies everywhere. Rudyard Kipling wrote a poem about it, "The Dutch in the Medway."

[@MarcStjames-rq1dm]

Sounds like it would've been a dream being a young sailor for that journey round the world. How exciting!

[@zoopdterdoobdter5743]

Was aboard USS Donald Cook when US sea-based BMD in the Med became a thing. Diplomatic port tours are *the best* thing for a young sailor! 🥰 *The Best.* 🤗

[@tylersoto7465]

It really was joining the navy back then was a young man adventure of a lifetime thing lol

[@Eboreg2]

Keeping the white paint job, huh? **Imagines a modern nuke carrier painted all-white**

[@michaelt.5672]

Funny thing about that; Aircraft carrying nuclear bombs actually WERE painted all-white, so as to reflect thermal radiation ("anti-flash white").

[@4evaavfc]

The USN's super carriers would look magnificent in white.

[@Autechltd]

Seems kind of racist, have you checked your privileges lately Trumpkin?

[@hothoploink1509]

@@Autechltd Your idiotic comment just shows how americans with their weird pathological obsession can make absolutely *anything* about the color of peoples skin

[@Sir_Lagg_A_Lot]

@@hothoploink1509 I thought his comment was sarcasm

[@AmsterdamKayakGuy]

Really appreciate your videos Drach. The quality is very high and your voice is nice and interesting to listen to. Very addictive though... Hope you keep making them!

[@RileygoodVideos]

"I wish they had kept the paint job..." As someone who has had to paint on various ships and warships : No

[@olliefoxx7165]

Understand your sentiments but they do look regal.

[@scottgray3945]

Dudes! We’ve got this rad new paint job, you’ve got to see!

[@Tsototar]

that sailor who got swept from one ship to the other - wow

[@crhu319]

20:30 the relief of Messina sounds like a huge operation. It may have been a missed opportunity for the whole fleet not to go, but, the countries involved were all allied anyway in WWI.

[@petewood2350]

I hope there was a warning, Sailing into California may cause Cancer.

[@weldonwin]

It was the turn of the 20th century, so it wasn't so horribly polluted back then

[@kilianortmann9979]

Known to the state of cancer, to cause California.

[@CastleBravo023]

Great White Fleet tour 2020 off to an amazing start!

[@Betrix5060]

@@weldonwin The joke is that california labels everything as "may cause cancer" to the point where the label is meaningless.

[@kemarisite]

@@Betrix5060 yep, the ever-popular Prop 65 warning.

[@FlyTyer1948]

Well done. Good history presented with entertaining flare.

[@Paveway-chan]

This sounds like the most fun you’ve had recording a video in a long while 😆

[@Todd.P]

I love the white hulls and buff-gold turrets and superstructures! Classy!

[@matthewbond5229]

This is by far one of the best ones you've done. Well done and keep them coming

[@gigwatt119]

Keep up the great work Drachinifel. My grandfather served on a defensively equipped merchant ship during WW2

[@brownwrench]

Nice. I worked with a notable Pearl Harbor survivor from the Tangiers. Al Weddle. What a guy.

[@arsarma1808]

I love Teddy Roosevelt. He was an early environmentalist.

[@michaelt.5672]

Also an early anti-corporatist. The man was fighting to solve problems LONG before the rest of us even realised those things were problems.

[@christopherlynch3314]

You are right on the paint schemes, beautiful!

[@kpdubbs7117]

Awesome video. As always, your mix of great tidbits of history, scattered outrageous facts and ironically dry humor keeps me locked in from start to finish and makes the video seem half as long as it is because it goes by so fast.

[@phillip_iv_planetking6354]

Can't wait until we have a Great White Fleet in space.

[@thehandoftheking3314]

The God Emperor wishes it so...

[@Art790631]

Do they get to drink martian beer on the voyage?

[@phillip_iv_planetking6354]

@@Art790631 Sure why not.

[@Deevo037]

@@Art790631 No, Romulan ale.

[@tomstech4390]

@@Deevo037 Aldebaran whiskey... "It is green".

[@GARfearfak]

that one sailor.....

[@rampageTG]

The navy was just testing a new way of tactical redeployment of crew from one ship to another.

[@JTA1961]

I've been in that weather in Japan. ALL the Guns, Torpedoes, Bombs & depth charges don't amount to squat in 40 foot swells.

[@KokkiePiet]

Every time he told that story people said to him, go home, your drunk.

[@rcwagon]

Enjoyable as always for the knowledge, wit and wisdom. Thank you.

[@phillipswanson4055]

Thanks Drach! My favorite fleet from my favorite period in history.

[@deonmurphy6383]

The photo at 10:25 had an interesting history. Taken during the acceptance trials the wake swamped the steam launch. The photographer protected the glass plate after taking the picture by holding it over his head out of the water until rescued/retrieved. Colorized version at 24:32.

[@athopi]

Definitely a displacement hull...

[@andrewb1921]

Thank you for posting this. Here in the States, all we hear (outside of naval history buff circles) are sources that treat the Great White Fleet as a sort of debutante ball for the USN. Your description, while not as rose-tinted, shows the real history is far more interesting.

[@SandyEA]

Drachinifel I could listen to your documentaries all day. Love you narration style and dry wit.

[@JTA1961]

Frankly after watching & hearing many segments from you, I consider this the best one yet. Thank you & keep it up.

[@allancarey2604]

Amusingly, there is a document on how to assault Melbourne written by the young officers during their stay :)

[@hughfisher9820]

That might have been considered a compliment by the inhabitants of Melbourne. Then and now Aussies who live somewhere else often have the urge to shout "GODDAMMIT THERE IS MORE TO AUSTRALIA THAN SYDNEY!"

[@mathewkelly9968]

Lol the great white fleet wouldn't have made it past fort Nepean

[@rayg.2431]

@@mathewkelly9968 But they would have tried, if there was enough alcohol at the end to make it worthwhile.

[@psour33]

Even if it's somehow hard to catch everything you said (I'm not a native english language) , as always your humour and précison are exemplary. I love your channel . Keep on the good work. Thank you very much sir.

[@saylortusk8489]

Fantastically informative. Thanks so much for posting.

[@thedevilinthecircuit1414]

Your documentary style and topical humor are unparalleled. Bravo, Drach!

[@hellavadeal]

There should be a movie made about this voyage . I liked the color scheme too.

[@pierrelahaie6359]

YES!!! YES!!

[@michaellee8157]

Would definitely watch! Beat anything out lately. Lol

[@historydoesntrepeatitselfb7818]

The British would be proud of such a fleet well done America very cool 😎

[@hughboyd2904]

Another great video Drach! I learned something new while I ate breakfast and shaved this morning. This is a good length/format.

[@johnkelley9877]

This was simply an outstanding tutorial! I always liked the early steel navy ships as they had a unique look to them and a very cool color scheme. Thanks for sharing this.

[@andrewp8284]

The Great White Fleet, getting hammered around the world: go home 2nd Pacific Squadron, you’re drunk!

[@tinafoster8665]

LOVE to hear Drach's laugh, especially at an American admirals expense lol

[@briannicholas2757]

Drach, thank you so much for creating this episode. Whilst I enjoy all of your videos, this is my favorite by far. The perfect blend of good humor and seriousness, which really was in step with the actual mission. Spot on sir. As a kid it was this fleet , and the books I could devour about naval matters, that led to my interest in building ship models, which I've been doing now for some 40 years. Again, thanks so much. All the best

[@ropersf]

Thanks for posting this.

[@Tundra-ec3ii]

Come on America can we just get one carrier group painted in the Great White Fleet colour scheme! For old times sake!

[@philperry4699]

And a Yellow submarine while we're at it?

[@donaldrobertson117]

Time for a new limitation treaty that bans grey/drabness. Dazzle pattern only for RN I say.

[@TheAngelobarker]

Italian navy NEEDS barbershop paint

[@francisbusa1074]

Drach, I always enjoy your historical accuracy, and your subtle humor makes me grin and chuckle. Great channel. Congrats.