The European Squadron, also known as the European Station, was a part of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

in the late 19th century and the early 1900s. The squadron was originally named the Mediterranean Squadron and renamed following the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. In 1905, the squadron was absorbed into the

North Atlantic Fleet The North Atlantic Squadron was a section of the United States Navy operating in the North Atlantic. It was renamed as the North Atlantic Fleet in 1902. In 1905 the European and South Atlantic squadrons were abolished and absorbed into the Nort ...

Second Anglo-Egyptian War

The Egyptian Expedition in June and July 1882 was a response by the United States to the British and French attack on

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

during the

Anglo-Egyptian War The British conquest of Egypt (1882), also known as Anglo-Egyptian War (), occurred in 1882 between Egyptian and Sudanese forces under Ahmed ‘Urabi and the United Kingdom. It ended a nationalist uprising against the Khedive Tewfik Pasha. It ...

. To protect American citizens and their property within the city, ships of the European Squadron, under

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

James Nicholson, were sent to Egypt with orders to observe the conflict ashore and make a landing if necessary. British and French forces heavily damaged the city and started a large fire so a force of marines and sailors were landed and they assisted in

fire fighting Firefighting is the act of extinguishing or preventing the spread of unwanted fires from threatening human lives and destroying property and the environment. A person who engages in firefighting is known as a firefighter. Firefighters typicall ...

and guarding the American consulate from insurgents. Casper F. Goodrich, who served as an executive officer on the

USS Lancaster USS ''Lancaster'' may refer to the following ships of the United States Navy: *, was a sidewheel steamship built in 1855 and purchased by the US Navy in 1862. She was converted to a ram, served in the American Civil War and sunk in battle in March ...

, commanded the landing party and would later publish an extensive report on the bombardment.

Early 20th century

The European Squadron returned to U.S. waters at the start of the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

in April 1898, and did not return to Europe until July 1901, when Admiral Bartlett J. Cromwell was placed in command with the cruiser as flagship. Other ships of the squadron from July 1901 included the cruiser and the gunboat .

Commanders

References

External links

Notes on U.S. Fleet Organisation and Disposition, 1898–1941
{{US Squadrons Ship squadrons of the United States Navy