Existing comment:
Chinese Flower Boat:
A Chinese flower boat carved from a single piece of wood.
Naval Lyceums:
In the early Navy, education was often a matter of self improvement. Officers in foreign ports often toured historic sites, studied an area's natural history, and collected souvenirs.
In 1833, Matthew C. Perry helped found the US Naval Lyceum in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Its mission: "to promote the diffusion of useful knowledge." That lyceum, and others at Boston and the Naval Academy, became the repositories for many of the souvenirs collected on foreign voyages. When the lyceums at Brooklyn and Boston closed, their collections were sent to the Naval Academy where they remain important to the education of midshipmen.
Foreign Stations:
The years following the War of 1812 saw the rapid rise of American foreign commerce. Markets across oceans near and distant drew adventurous American merchants. Unfortunately, these commercial pioneers also encountered unsettled conditions, wars, and piracy. They called for protection from the United States Navy.
The Navy found its mission. Over the next twenty years, six cruising areas would be established.
East India Squadron: (est. 1826):
American trade with China focused on exotic goods and luxuries like tea and silk. The immense population of the country fostered the myth that there would be an insatiable demand for American goods. In 1835, a small naval squadron was established to patrol a vast area that included Canton, Hong Kong, Manila, and Singapore. Sporadic attacks, endemic piracy, and new markets provided steady employment of the small American squadron.
Mediterranean Squadron (est. 1815):
American squadrons had patrolled the coasts of North Africa since 1801, helping to suppress the Barbary pirates. After the War of 1812, the squadron was re-established to prevent a renewal of piratical activity. Duty with the squadron was highly sought after. Days were spent cruising from port to port, showing the flag and visiting sites right in history and culture. The current US Sixth Fleet maintains a naval presence in this area.
Africa Squadron (est. 1842):
As early as 1800, Congress has prohibited American citizens and vessels from engaging in the foreign slave trade. However, enforcement, mainly entailed the occasional deployment of a warship to the African coast. In 1842, an Anglo-American treaty specified that each nation would establish a permanent squadron. But lack of support from courts and Congress minimized the Navy's effectiveness in suppressing the inhuman traffic.
Brazil Squadron (est. 1826):
A war between Buenos Aires and Brazil in 1826 led merchants from Boston and Philadelphia to petition the Secretary of the Navy for an increased naval presence in the area.
Even after two warring states reached a settlement, American men-of-war continued to patrol the coasts of Brazil in order to suppress traffic in African slaves.
West India Squadron (est. 1821):
Latin American wars for independence spawned a host of privateers bearing commissions from Venezuela and Columbia. Many merchant ships sailed the Gulf of Mexico where American maritime trade was second only to that of Great Britain. New Orleans became the second busiest port in the United States. Too frequently -- 3,000 times between 1815 and 1823 -- Latin American privateers turned pirate, attacking neutral ships. In 1821, a Navy squadron was deployed to the West Indies.
Home Squadron (est. 1841):
By the 1830s, the combination of American naval presence in the West Indies and the tapering off of Latin American wars for independence ended the menace of piracy in the region.
In 1841, the West India Squadron was incorporated into the newly formed Home Squadron. Within a few years, the squadron was involved in the war with Mexico, a conflict in which the Navy's worst enemies were boredom and sickness.
Pacific Squadron (est. 1821):
As the Latin American wars of independence spread across the continent, Chile declared a blockade of Spanish-held Peru. American merchants and whalers requested the presence of naval force to protect their interests in the region.
In 1819, two ships under Commo Charles Stewart deployed to the Pacific to protect American interests. Eventually, the cruising grounds of the station would extend to the Pacific Northwest and to Hawaii. |