Calabrian refugees with their belongings following the earthquake.

Ships from the Great White Fleet on the open sea

U.S. Sailors and Marines from the Great White Fleet in Messina
to distribute provisions and clothing. The Americans also built
temporary shelters for survivors.

Among those who lost their lives in the earthquake were the
American Consul General and his wife. Servicemen worked to
clear rubble and ultimately recovered the bodies.

Theodore Roosevelt, 26th president of the United States, ordered
ships from the Great White Fleet to provide humanitarian aid to
survivors of the earthquake and tidal wave.

The USS Connecticut, lead ship of the Great White Fleet.

Read "America Comes to the Rescue" by Sal LaGumina

“The Great White Fleet”
An exhibition presented by the Columbus Citizens Foundation
in collaboration with the Office of the Secretary of the Navy

Vanderbilt Hall, Grand Central Terminal
October 7^th through October 17^th

On December 16, 1907 President Theodore Roosevelt sent 16 American battleships – their hulls painted white and later known as the “Great White Fleet” – on a mission to circumnavigate the globe in a demonstration of military strength and goodwill towards all nations.

In late 1908, as the fleet approached the Suez Canal, an earthquake struck southern Italy and Sicily. Messina and Reggio crumbled. A tidal wave hit Sicily and washed away towns in their entirety. An estimated 200,000 people died.

Ships from the Great White Fleet rushed to Italy, and American servicemen provided medical services, food, clothing and other essential humanitarian materials and services.

In the centenary year of the natural disasters that wrought untold damage, the Columbus Citizens Foundation presents “The Great White Fleet,” an exhibition in Grand Central Terminal. The event will document the results of the disasters and the heroic efforts of Italians and American servicemen, working side by side, who came together in one of the greatest humanitarian efforts in European history.