Samoan crisis

Last updated
Samoan crisis
Part of Samoan Civil War
Samoan crisis map.jpg
The sketch features the locations of the wrecked German and American ships.
Date1887–1889
Location
Result Both squadrons wrecked
Belligerents
Flag of the United States (1877-1890).svg  United States Flag of the German Empire.svg German Empire
Commanders and leaders
US Naval Jack 38 stars.svg Lewis Kimberly War Ensign of Germany 1903-1918.svg Fritze
Strength
1 sloop-of-war
1 steamer
1 gunboat 200 marines
3 gunboats 150 marines
Casualties and losses
62 killed
1 sloop-of-war sunk
1 steamer sunk
1 gunboat grounded
~73 killed
1 gunboat sunk
2 gunboats grounded
  • The British in the cruiser HMS Calliope participated as mediators, and the ship sustained fair damage.
  • Several merchant ships were also wrecked during the cyclone.

The Samoan crisis was a standoff between the United States, the German Empire, and the British Empire from 1887 to 1889 over control of the Samoan Islands during the First Samoan Civil War. [1]

Contents

Background

In 1878, the United States acquired a fuelling station at the harbor at Pago Pago, on the island of Tutuila, in exchange for providing guarantees of protection to Samoa. The German Empire on the other hand desired concessions at the harbor at Apia, on the island of Upolu. [2]

Incident

The incident involved three U.S. Navy warships (the sloop-of-war USS Vandalia, the screw steamer USS Trenton, and the gunboat USS Nipsic) and three German warships (the gunboats SMS Adler and SMS Eber and the corvette SMS Olga), which kept each other at bay over several months in Apia Harbour, which was monitored by the British corvette HMS Calliope.

The standoff ended when the 1889 Apia cyclone, on 15 and 16 March, wrecked all six warships in the harbour. Calliope escaped the harbour and thus survived the storm. Robert Louis Stevenson did not witness the storm and its aftermath at Apia but after his December 1889 arrival to Samoa, he wrote about the event. [3] The Second Samoan Civil War, involving Germany, the United States, and Britain, eventually resulted in the Tripartite Convention of 1899, which partitioned the Samoan Islands into American Samoa and German Samoa. [4]

Legacy

Walter LaFeber said that the incident made some 'reticent Americans' realise the power implications of expansion in the South Pacific. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apia</span> Capital of Samoa

Apia is the capital and only city of Samoa. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (itūmālō) of Tuamasaga.

USS <i>Trenton</i> (1876) US Navy frigate (1876–1889)

The first USS Trenton was a wooden-hulled screw steamer, classified as a screw frigate, in the United States Navy. She was named for Trenton, New Jersey.

USS <i>Alert</i> (AS-4) Iron-hulled screw steamer gunboat in the United States Navy

The third USS Alert was an iron-hulled screw steamer gunboat in the United States Navy. The lead ship in her class, Alert was destined for a long naval career, serving from 1875 to 1922, a period of 47 years, including service as a submarine tender in World War I. Toward the end of her career she received the designation AS-4.

USS <i>Vandalia</i> (1876) Screw sloop-of-war of the US Navy in service 1876-1889

The second USS Vandalia was a screw sloop-of-war in the United States Navy. She was laid down at the Massachusetts Boston Navy Yard in 1872 and was commissioned there on 10 January 1876.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norman von Heldreich Farquhar</span> American admiral (1840–1907)

Rear Admiral Norman von Heldreich Farquhar was an officer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He is best known for commanding a naval squadron which was wrecked with three German warships at Apia, Samoa, in 1889.

The turbulent decades of the late 19th century saw several conflicts between rival Samoan factions in the Samoan Islands of the South Pacific. The political struggle lasted roughly between 1886 and 1894, primarily between Samoans contesting whether Malietoa Laupepa, Mata'afa Iosefo, or a member of the Tupua Tamasese dynasty would be King of Samoa. While largely a political struggle, there were also armed skirmishes between the factions. The military of the German Empire intervened on several occasions. A naval standoff between the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom ensued.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Samoan Civil War</span> 1898–1899 war between the US, UK and Germany

The Second Samoan Civil War was a conflict that reached a head in 1898 when Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States were locked in dispute over who should have control over the Samoan island chain, located in the South Pacific Ocean.

USS <i>Nipsic</i> Gunboat of the United States Navy

USS Nipsic was a gunboat in the Union Navy. The ship was laid down on 24 December 1862 by Portsmouth Navy Yard; launched on 15 June 1863; sponsored by Miss Rebecca Scott; and commissioned on 2 September 1863, Lieutenant Commander George Bacon in command.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1889 Apia cyclone</span> Category 1 South Pacific cyclone in 1889

The 1889 Apia cyclone was a tropical cyclone in the South Pacific Ocean, which swept across Apia, Samoa on March 15, 1889, during the Samoan crisis. The effect on shipping in the harbour was devastating, largely because of what has been described as "an error of judgement that will forever remain a paradox in human psychology".

HMS <i>Calliope</i> (1884) Calypso-class corvette

HMS Calliope was a Calypso-class corvette of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom which served from 1887 until 1951. Exemplifying the transitional nature of the late Victorian navy, Calliope was a sailing corvette—the last such ship built for the Royal Navy—but supplemented the full sail rig with a powerful engine. Steel was used for the hull, and like the earlier iron-hulled corvettes, Calliope was cased with timber and coppered below the waterline, in the same manner as wooden ships.

SMS <i>Eber</i> (1887) German gunboat

SMS Eber, a 735-ton iron-hulled gunboat, was built at Kiel, Germany for gunboat diplomacy in the Pacific. It was a barque-rigged auxiliary steamer. After commissioning in September 1887 she was sent to the Pacific to serve in the German colonial empire. She disarmed the inhabitants of Nauru in 1888, ending their civil war and annexing the island to the German Empire. Eber was anchored in Apia Harbor, Samoa, during the 1889 Apia cyclone of 15–16 March 1889. Though she was the most modern of the seven warships present, damage to her propeller made it impossible for her to survive the violent wind and seas. After a long struggle, Eber was forced against the edge of the harbor reef and sank quickly, with the loss of 73 of her crewmen.

SMS <i>Adler</i>

SMS Adler was a gunboat of the Imperial German Navy. She was launched 3 November 1883 in the Imperial shipyard in Kiel. On 5 September 1888, she shelled Manono Island and Apolima, Samoa, which were strongholds of Malietoa’s forces. She was wrecked together with the German gunboat SMS Eber, the German corvette SMS Olga, the United States Navy gunboat USS Nipsic, the U.S. Navy screw steamer USS Trenton, and the U.S. Navy sloop-of-war USS Vandalia on 16 March 1889 in a hurricane at Apia, Samoa, during the Samoan crisis. Twenty crew members lost their lives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Apia</span> March 1899 battle of the Second Samoan Civil War

The siege of Apia, or the battle of Apia, occurred during the Second Samoan Civil War in March 1899 at Apia. Samoan forces loyal to Malietoa Tanumafili I were besieged by a larger force of Samoan rebels loyal to Mata'afa Iosefo. Supporting Malietoa were landing parties from four British and American warships. Over the course of several days of fighting, the Samoan rebels were defeated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard H. Taylor</span> Quartermaster in the United States Navy

Richard Hamilton Taylor was a quartermaster serving in the United States Navy who received the Medal of Honor for bravery.

SMS <i>Bismarck</i> Screw corvette of the German Imperial Navy

SMS Bismarck was a Bismarck-class corvette built for the German Imperial Navy in the late 1870s. She was the lead ship of her class, which included five other vessels. The Bismarck-class corvettes were ordered as part of a major naval construction program in the early 1870s, and she was designed to serve as a fleet scout and on extended tours in Germany's colonial empire. Bismarck was laid down in November 1875, launched in July 1877, and was commissioned into the fleet in August 1878. She was armed with a battery of sixteen 15 cm (5.9 in) guns and had sails, a full ship rig to supplement her steam engine on long cruises abroad.

SMS <i>Sperber</i> Unprotected cruiser of the German Imperial Navy

SMS Sperber was an unprotected cruiser built for the German Kaiserliche Marine, the second member of the Schwalbe class. She had one sister ship, Schwalbe. Sperber was built at the Kaiserliche Werft in Danzig; her keel was laid down in September 1887 and her completed hull was launched in August 1888. She was commissioned for service in April 1889. Designed for colonial service, Sperber was armed with a main battery of eight 10.5-centimeter (4.1 in) guns and had a cruising radius of over 3,000 nautical miles ; she also had an auxiliary sailing rig to supplement her steam engines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John H. Gibbons (naval officer)</span>

John Henry Gibbons was a captain in the United States Navy. He was superintendent of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, from May 11, 1911, to February 7, 1914. He was an 1879 graduate of the Naval Academy.

SMS <i>Olga</i> Screw corvette of the German Imperial Navy

SMS Olga was the second member of the Carola class of steam corvettes built for the German Kaiserliche Marine in the 1880s. Intended for service in the German colonial empire, the ship was designed with a combination of steam and sail power for extended range, and was equipped with a battery of ten 15-centimeter (5.9 in) guns. Olga was laid down at the AG Vulcan in Stettin in 1879, she was launched in December 1880, and she was completed in January 1882.

SMS <i>Alexandrine</i> Screw corvette of the German Imperial Navy

SMS Alexandrine was a member of the Carola class of steam corvettes built for the German Kaiserliche Marine in the 1880s. Intended for service in the German colonial empire, the ship was designed with a combination of steam and sail power for extended range, and was equipped with a battery of ten 15-centimeter (5.9 in) guns. Alexandrine was laid down at the Kaiserliche Werft in Kiel in 1882, she was launched in February 1885, and she was completed in October 1886 before being laid up after completing sea trials.

References

  1. Spencer Tucker (2009). The Encyclopedia of the Spanish-American and Philippine-American Wars: A Political, Social, and Military History. ABC-CLIO. pp. 569–70. ISBN   9781851099511.
  2. Chambers, John Whiteclay (2004). "Samoan Incident". The Oxford Companion to American Military History. Oxford University Press. ISBN   9780199891061 . Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  3. Stevenson, Robert Louis (1892). A Footnote to History: Eight Years of Trouble in Samoa . BiblioBazaar. ISBN   1-4264-0754-8.
  4. Ryden, George Herbert. The Foreign Policy of the United States in Relation to Samoa. New York: Octagon Books, 1975. (Reprint by special arrangement with Yale University Press. Originally published at New Haven: Yale University Press, 1928), p. 574; the Tripartite Convention (United States, Germany, Great Britain) was signed at Washington on 2 December 1899 with ratifications exchanged on 16 February 1900
  5. LaFeber, Walter (1963). "The Strategic Formulation". The New Empire: An Interpretation of American Expansion 1860-1898. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press. pp. 122–123.

Further reading

13°50′00″S171°50′00″W / 13.8333°S 171.8333°W / -13.8333; -171.8333