Editing Great White Fleet (section)

==General fleet itinerary==
[[File:Tr great white fleet from photo nh100349 USS Connecticut 1907.jpg|thumb|{{USS|Connecticut|BB-18|2}} leads the way for the Great White Fleet in 1907.]]
[[File:GreatWhiteFleet-arrives-LA-Harbor-1908.jpg|thumb|The Great White Fleet arriving to a crowd at the [[Port of Los Angeles]] in the [[San Pedro Bay (California)|San Pedro Bay]], 1908]]
[[File:Fleet Week In Auckland 1908.jpg|thumb|Fleet Week celebrations in [[Auckland]], New Zealand<ref>[http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/timeline&new_date=9/8 The US 'Great White Fleet' arrives in Auckland] (from the 'NZ History' website, retrieved 3 August 2007)</ref>]]

With {{USS|Connecticut|BB-18|2}}<ref name=GWF-H-04>[http://www.countyhistory.org/gwf/gwf/index.html Great White Fleet] USS Connecticut, Battleship BB-18</ref> as flagship under the command of Rear Admiral [[Robley D. Evans (admiral)|Robley D. Evans]], the fleet sailed from Hampton Roads on 16 December 1907 for [[Trinidad]], [[British West Indies]], thence to [[Rio de Janeiro]], Brazil; [[Punta Arenas, Chile|Punta Arenas]], Chile; [[Callao]], Peru; [[Magdalena Bay]], Mexico, and north along the West Coast, arriving at San Francisco on 6 May 1908.<ref name="For details see Hart, 1965">For details see Hart, (1965).</ref>

At San Francisco, Rear Admiral [[Charles S. Sperry]] assumed command of the fleet, owing to the poor health of Admiral Evans. Also at San Francisco, the squadrons were slightly rearranged, bringing the newest and best ships in the fleet up to the First Squadron. {{USS|Glacier|AF-4|2}} was detached and later became the supply ship of the Pacific Fleet. At this time also, ''Nebraska'', under Captain [[Reginald F. Nicholson]], and ''Wisconsin'', under Captain [[Frank E. Beatty]], were substituted for ''Maine'' and ''Alabama''. In San Francisco, {{USS|Minnesota|BB-22|2}} was brought forward into First Squadron, First Division, and {{USS|Louisiana|BB-19|2}} took her place as flagship, Second Squadron.

Leaving that port on 7 July 1908 the [[U.S. Atlantic Fleet]] <!--map shows another stop in Vancouver or Seattle; who's right?--> visited Honolulu; Auckland, New Zealand; [[Sydney]], [[Melbourne]], and [[Albany, Western Australia|Albany]], Australia; [[Manila]], Philippines; [[Yokohama]], Japan; and [[Colombo]], [[Ceylon]]; then arriving at [[Suez]], Egypt, on 3 January 1909.

While the fleet was in Egypt, word was received of [[1908 Messina earthquake|an earthquake]] in Sicily, thus affording an opportunity for the United States to show its friendship to Italy by offering aid to its victims. ''Connecticut'', {{USS|Illinois|BB-7|2}}, {{USS|Culgoa|AF-3|2}}, and {{USS|Yankton|1893|2}} were dispatched to [[Messina, Italy]], at once. The crew of ''Illinois'' recovered the bodies of the American consul, Arthur S. Cheney, and his wife, entombed in the ruins. {{USS|Scorpion|PY-3|2}}, the fleet's station ship at [[Constantinople]], and {{USS|Celtic|AF-2|2}}, a refrigerator ship fitted out in New York, were hurried to Messina, relieving ''Connecticut'' and ''Illinois'', so that they could continue on the cruise.<ref name=":0" />

Leaving Messina on 9 January 1909, the fleet stopped at [[Naples]], Italy,{{Citation needed|date=September 2019|reason=Not shown in the map, not cited elsewhere in this article}} thence to [[Gibraltar]], arriving at Hampton Roads on 22 February 1909. There, President Roosevelt reviewed the fleet as it passed into the [[roadstead]].<ref name="For details see Hart, 1965"/>