Ahoy - Mac's Web Log

Dear Mac,

Your wonderful site came to my notice from Joe Malmendier in the US in response to a question from me about the Admiral Perry Tree and what a wonderful site it is. In spite of many attempts over the years I have not mastered the art of reading on a screen so I print off interesting articles, "file" them in the glove box of my car and read them as and when opportunity allows. My glove box will be filled to overflowing with your fascinating articles for weeks! Thank you very much! That's how retired army officers operate, perhaps we are not quite as quick as matelots! Judging from your career, which includes a tour as ADC to the GG around 1953, I would say we have met. You would have walked past me on several occasions following behind His Excellency as he inspected me! l was a Duntroon cadet 1952-1955, served 22 years then went into business in Canberra.

A friend who resides on a small property at Boneo on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula asked me to research the origin of a large tree overlooking Port Phillip Bay near his property which is known as the Admiral Perry Tree. I have tried several lines of approach, each with its own peculiarities. First was to try and establish if, at America's entry to WW2, a ship or admiral of that name led the first US flotilla into the Bay. Second was to establish a link between the original Admiral Perry (Battle of Lake Erie and Opener of Japan in 1853) was linked to it. One of your articles, "The Genesis of the RAN" hints that this might be the one.

My questions are:

1. Do you know of this tree?

2. Did Admiral Perry visit Port Phillip Bay in 1835 as mentioned in your article or was it Port Jackson?

Best Wishes
Peter Murray

Peter,
 
I was delighted to have your message, what a small world we actually live in, to think when I was ADC to the GG, that I would have been so close to you at Duntroon. Your kind words about AHOY are appreciated, it is an amalgam of all my research and writing with my good friend and Web Master, Terry Kearns in Atlanta, Georgia putting it all into the shape that is viewed on the net by all who chance upon our site.

Now to your posed questions, no I do not know of the Admiral Perry tree on the Mornington Peninsula, and I am unable to unearth any reference to it. I did not actually state that Commodore Perry came to Port Phillip, he crept into Port Jackson with his four ships in 1839, causing much concern about our defence from marauding ships at that time.

Now Peter, your reference to Commodore Perry at the Battle of Lake Erie and as the Commodore that opened up Japan to the world.

Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry of the 1813 Battle of Lake Erie fame.

 
To confuse the situation, there were two Commodore Perry's, at Lake Erie, in 1813 it was Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry who carried a Battle Flag bearing the cry Don't Give up the Ship, which had been the dying words uttered by Captain Lawrance in his losing fight with the British Navy.

By chance I have a small cushion bearing those famous words, which I bought at the US Naval Memorial in Washington, DC.

The second Commodore Perry was Matthew Perry in Japan in 1853.

Commodore Matthew Perry, took four ships unannounced into Port Jackson 1839,
and opened up trade to Japan 1853/54.

There were four US naval ships all carrying the name Perry, a sailing Brig in 1843, and three destroyers, USS Perry ( DD-11 ) 1902-1919, USS Perry ( DD-340 ) 1920-1944, USS Perry ( DD-844 ) 1945-1970. None of these four ships ever visited Australia.

 Photo USS Perry ( DD-11 1902/1919 )

I thought that the US Great White Fleet that toured the world, and visited both Sydney and Melbourne in 1908 may have had an Admiral Perry in command, but not so. Here is a report of the Fleet in Sydney and Melbourne.

"On Aug. 15, the fleet sailed for Sydney, Australia, where it arrived five days later. The fleet was greeted by more than 250,000 people, who had stayed up all night so as not to miss the ships' arrival. For the next eight days, there was a non-stop celebration in honor of the Navy visitors.

With all this celebrating, some of the crewmen were beginning to feel the wear and tear. One sailor was found asleep on a bench in one of Sydney's parks. Not wishing to be disturbed, he posted a sign above his head which read:

"Yes, I am delighted with the Australian people.
"Yes, I think your park is the finest in the world.
"I am very tired and would like to go to sleep."

Being truly hospitable, Sydney let him sleep.

Melbourne also rolled out the red carpet for the fleet. Nothing was too good for the Yankee sailors, and they were given the key to the city. Melbourne's hospitality made such an impression that many sailors were reluctant to leave when the ships got underway for Manila on Sept. 18 and arrived Oct. 2."

USS. Connecticut (BB-18). View taken c.August 1908, showing Lt. John E. Lewis, USN, with the kangaroo mascot presented to the ship by the citizens of Sydney, Australia, at the occasion of the U.S. Fleet's visit to that port during the round-the-world cruise, 1907-1908. NH 50477.

There was an Admiral Peary who was a Polar explorer, and a US navy ship USS Peary, named after him. that was sunk by a Jap air raid in Dawin, but it never visited Melbourne.

I have exhausted all my possibilities, without coming up with any thing about your Admiral Perry Tree, all very frustrating.

I will send a few references about the Commodores and the ship USS Perry.

Best Regards,
Mac.

Dear Mackenzie,

Thank you. My naval knowledge grows in leaps and bounds! I shared a Melbourne Cup luncheon today with Commander John Perrett, retired RAN engineer. We discussed the Admiral Perry Tree and he is very interested in your site, not having heard of it before, so you will have another visitor soon. I attend a long standing ex-Service officer lunch next Thursday and will take a few of your stories for distribution. There are a few keen historian members and they will visit soon too, I am sure. Thanks for your info and your help, especially the photos. Sooner or later I will get to the bottom of things Perry!

All the best.

Peter

Dear Peter,
 
Many thanks for the latest episode which arrived in todays mail.
 
I am not sure if we are getting warm in this quest but I do know that I have stirred up a hornet's nest both in Canberra and hereabouts. Yesterday I rang an elderly chap who was the agent through whom I purchased this property and who first told me the tale of the tree and at first he did not recall the story although he remembered the tree as the one that fishmen used to use as a landmark to locate their snapper marks on the bay many years ago before all the pine trees grew up around it - now it is no longer visible as a solitary tree and anyway they now all have GPS on their boats - no wonder there are not many fish left out there.
 
Anyway, his mind slowly got back to the Perry business and he said that he was going to see a very old local last night, Ray Cairns whose family once owned nearly all the country up on this hill, and he would see what he knew about the matter. At first light this morning Ken reported back to say that Ray recalled the story and was fairly sure that the Perry that we are seeking was the commanding officer and not the ship. However, to further confuse the issue, Ken rang again later to say that Ray had been thinking and now thinks that the flotilla involved actually sailed into Port Philip much earlier - well before the first war and in fact he thinks that it may have arrived back in the eighteen hundreds. If this is the case, one wonders if in fact the US Great White Fleet of 1908 might be the cause of all this business.
 
This would make the tree about 96 years old and short of chopping it down and counting its rings, I doubt that it is that old - but who knows ?
 
I have the feeling that these two old codgers have nothing better to do and that between them they may turn something up, so watch this space for further developments !
 
Many thanks once again and best wishes,
 
Alec.

Hi Alex and Mac,

I think we have it, thanks to suggestions from you both.

Rear Admiral Charles S. Sperry (not Perry) commanded The Great White Fleet of the US Navy which visited Australia in 1908. It arrived in Sydney on 20 August then sailed to Melbourne, arriving 29 August. This powerful fleet of 16 battle ships and 7 auxiliary ships manned by 14,000 sailors was sent around the world by President Roosevelt to establish clear recognition of America's sea power.  The visit to Melbourne lasted a week, the fleet sailing for Albany WA on 5 September. During and prior to the Fleet's visit, Melbourne society celebrated in every conceivable way.... balls, race meetings, baseball matches, receptions, dances, picnics and so on. I suggest Mornington and district locals watched the Fleet's arrival through the Heads from a high spot overlooking Port Phillip Bay and enjoyed a picnic as it sailed up the Bay to Melbourne's official reception, then planted a tree to mark the great occasion. Choice of name would be either The Great White Fleet Tree or more simply, The Admiral Sperry Tree!

Howzat?
Peter
 
PS Type Admiral Sperry and/or The Great White Fleet into Google for more info. Many thanks Mac, your assistance led to this (most likely, in my view) solution.

TK,
 
Seems a likely solution. Sperry tree rather than Perry tree I was looking for.
 
Mac.

Mr. Gregory,

While doing research on my "roots" for a class I'm taking, I discovered one of my ancestors, Philip Jacobs I was on board with Admiral Perry when he went to Japan. I still have some of the things he brought back from Japan, but know very little about the voyage or mission. If you get a chance, and know a little about it, could you please forward it to me?

Thanks,

:) Brian La Barr

Brian,

This link will give you a good idea of Commodore Matthew Perry's visit to Japan, and the opening up of that country to America for trade.

I trust this answers your question.

Regards.
Mac. Gregory.

http://www.grifworld.com/perryhome.html

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