The ships were painted peacetime colors of white with gold trim, and became known as The Great White Fleet, commanded by Rear Admiral Evans. He decided to send a fleet of 16 battleships, five tenders (two supply ships, a repair ship, a tender, and a hospital ship), and six torpedo boats to Magdalena Bay (Baja California) for training exercises. Having grown his navy quickly, Roosevelt now had mostly untrained crew-members tasked with operating ultra-modern technology. ![]() Robley “Fighting Bob” Evans, a hero of the Civil War, and early battleship commander, had a secret connection to Santa Cruz. In 1895 Rear Admiral Robley “Fighting Bob” Evans was given command of the USS Indiana, called America’s first “seagoing battleship.” By 1908 Roosevelt’s Navy had 29 modern battleships, with two more authorized. He wanted all-steel ship construction, pivoting canon turrets, and propeller drive, with enough ships for each ocean, until a canal through Panama could be opened. President Theodore Roosevelt appeared in Santa Cruz on his 1903 Conservation tour of the west, and gave a speech on the importance of a nation bordered by two oceans to have a modern navy.
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