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

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

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, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. 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 Squadron, European and South Atlantic Squadron, South Atlantic squadr ...

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 ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

during the

Anglo-Egyptian War The British conquest of Egypt, also known as the 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 flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

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 a profession aimed at controlling and extinguishing fire. A person who engages in firefighting is known as a firefighter or fireman. Firefighters typically undergo a high degree of technical training. This involves structural fir ...

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 The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

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