Sometimes the Little Groups are Fun- The US Asiatic Fleet at Shanghai

[Dirk]

Sometimes you pick up a small group of images at a decent price, having a general idea of what they are. They arrive and they prove as much fun investigating as any larger photo grouping. Yielding little details here and there. Here are 6 small (5"X3") photos taken of US ships of the Asiatic Fleet on the Whangpoo River off of Shanghai between 1915 and 1917. Not uncommon for the ships photographer or a commercial photographer to capture ships on these lower Whangpoo anchorages. This were probably taken by a ships photographer and would have been sold to crew members for their own photo albums. Most likely the ship with the tall stack is the gunboat USS Wilmington which alternated with its sister the USS Helena as station ships between Shanghai and Hong Kong. The British called these ships due to their tall stacks "floating Jam Factories". The move Sand Pebbles took the stack from these ships as a model for the ship in the movie. Next is the Admirals Barge and the flagship, the cruiser USS Brooklyn of Spanish American war fame. She would remain in Asian through 1919.

[Dirk]

Here is what drew me to the grouping the captured Spanish gun boat the USS Samar. At 121 feet in length and with a crew of only 27, it probably was one of the American gunboats which were seen due to their small size as "jokes" of the Yangtze as referred to in the start of the Sand Pebbles movie. These under powered ships were restricted to the lower Yangtze River. Another captured Spanish gunboat the USS Quiros, slightly larger than the Samar, it would bring Alice Roosevelt back from Tientsin in 1905 to the USAT Transport Logan following her visit to Peking. The Quiros would be interned by the Chinese briefly n Shanghai when the US entered WWI and the Chinese remained neutral. However as soon as the Chinese joined the Allies, the Quiros was free to resume its river patrol duties. The last photo shows Chinese coolies loading coal onto the USS Wilmington. One advantage of a Asiatic Cruise was being spared having to coal your own ship.As bad as the job was for these coolies the wages they were paid by the Americans were considered generous compared to other Great Powers in the region. Lastly these lower anchorages were bordered on both banks by ship yards, industries, godowns, and sailor bars. A very popular area.

[gwb123]

Great photos. Will Rogers once posed the question about how American would like to have Chinese gunboats on the Mississippi to guard the Chinese laundries in St. Louis.

[Dirk]

Gil thanks! Will Rogers came over at least once to Shanghai in the early 30's and performed for the Marines. I think I have a photo or two of him with them.

[Brian Keith]

Great Photos! Thanks for posting them.

That is a very small coal basket to supply a ship!

BKW

[wcdino685]

That's pretty cool, in the bottom photo you can see one of the guns placement covered up.(notice the henges gets on the bottom)

[aerialbridge]

Nice find-- thanks for sharing!

[bobgee]

Great photos and history, Dirk. Missed this earlier. I love "Sand Pebbles". Bob

[Dirk]

Thanks guys!