Samoan crisis
Encyclopedia
The Samoan Crisis was a confrontation between the United States
, Germany
and Great Britain
from 1887–1889 over control of the Samoan Islands
during the Samoan Civil War
. At the height of the confrontation three American warships, Vandalia
, USS Trenton
and USS Nipsic
were wrecked along with the three German warships SMS Adler
, SMS Olga, and SMS Eber
. The six ships confronted each other in a tense standoff over several months in Apia harbour which was monitored by the British
warship HMS Calliope
.
On 15 and 16 March the 1889 Apia cyclone
wrecked all six United States and German warships in the harbour, ending the standoff. Calliope was able to escape the harbour and survive the storm. Robert Louis Stevenson
witnessed the storm and its aftermath at Apia and later wrote about what he saw. The Samoan Civil War continued
, involving Germany and the Americans, eventually resulting, via the Tripartite Convention of 1899, in the partition of the Samoan Islands into American Samoa
and German Samoa
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
from 1887–1889 over control of the Samoan Islands
Samoan Islands
The Samoan Islands or Samoa Islands is an archipelago covering in the central South Pacific, forming part of Polynesia and the wider region of Oceania...
during the Samoan Civil War
Samoan Civil War
The First Samoan Civil War refers to the conflict between rival Samoan factions in the Samoan Islands of the South Pacific. The war was fought roughly between 1886 and 1894, primarily between Samoans though the German military intervened on several occasions. The United States and the United...
. At the height of the confrontation three American warships, Vandalia
USS Vandalia (1876)
The second USS Vandalia was a screw sloop 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.-European Squadron, 1876–1878:...
, USS Trenton
USS Trenton (1876)
|...
and USS Nipsic
USS Nipsic (1863)
USS Nipsic was a gunboat in the United States 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.-1863–1873:Nipsic arrived off...
were wrecked along with the three German warships SMS Adler
SMS Adler
The SMS Adler was a gunboat of the German Imperial Navy.She was launched 3 November 1883 in the Imperial shipyard in Kiel. On September 5, 1888, she shelled Manono Island and Apolima, which were strongholds of Malietoa’s forces. She was wrecked 16 March 1889 in a storm at Apia,Samoa during the...
, SMS Olga, and SMS Eber
SMS Eber (1887)
The 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...
. The six ships confronted each other in a tense standoff over several months in Apia harbour which was monitored by the British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
warship HMS Calliope
HMS Calliope (1884)
HMS Calliope was a Calypso-class corvette of the Royal Navy which served from 1887 until 1951. Like all the remaining frigates and corvette extent in 1887, she was re-classified as a third-class cruiser in the year she was completed, and exemplified the transitional nature of the late Victorian navy...
.
On 15 and 16 March the 1889 Apia cyclone
1889 Apia cyclone
The 1889 Apia cyclone was a Pacific tropical cyclone, 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...
wrecked all six United States and German warships in the harbour, ending the standoff. Calliope was able to escape the harbour and survive the storm. Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
witnessed the storm and its aftermath at Apia and later wrote about what he saw. The Samoan Civil War continued
Second Samoan Civil War
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...
, involving Germany and the Americans, eventually resulting, via the Tripartite Convention of 1899, in the partition of the Samoan Islands into American Samoa
American Samoa
American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa...
and German Samoa
German Samoa
German Samoa was a German protectorate from 1900 to 1914, consisting of the islands of Upolu, Savai'i, Apolima and Manono, now wholly within the independent state Samoa, formerly Western Samoa...
.