| UNITED STATES NAVY FLEET REVIEW NEW YORK CITY OCTOBER 14, 1912 |
| In October, 1912, the bulk of the United States Navy gathered in the Hudson River off Manhattan Island. There, on October 14, the fleet was reviewed by President William Howard Taft, who apparently had decided against campaigning in his reelection struggle against Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. (Ironically, Roosevelt would be shot that same day while campaigning in Milwaukee.) Taft, accompanied by Secretary of the Navy George von Lengerke Meyer, was able to view what the New York Times called "the greatest assemblage of naval strength ever assembled." While this may have been hyperbolic exaggeration, the ships gathered at New York did represent a significant naval force. The vessels ranged from auxiliaries to the new "super-Dreadnought" battleships Arkansas and Wyoming, both recent additions to the fleet. The following pages will (eventually) provide a list of the vessels involved in the review, some of their characteristics, and the names of the officers who commanded them. The purpose of presenting this information, gathered mainly from the New York Times, is to provide a view of the navy prior to its major expansion during World War I. List of Vessels Characteristics: Battleships (Pre-Dreadnaught, Dreadnaught, Super-Dreadnaught) Cruisers (Armored, Scout, Protected) Destroyers Torpedo Boats Submarines Gunboats Auxiliaries Contact Me: [email protected] |
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| USS KENTUCKY at the review. The "57" refers to its position within the review. NHC photo obtained from the NAVSOURCE photo archive. As far as I know it is in the public domain. |
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| Banquet welcoming the fleet to New York at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel October 14, 1912. NHC photo, as far as I know it is in the public domain. |