Are you curious about how we traveled to Japan in 1853? By ship! This was the fastest way to travel long distances. You can see two of our ships in the painting above. On the right is the Powhatan, which served as Perry's flagship. On the left is probably a supply ship. In total Perry brought with him three paddle wheel steamers, four sloops (sailing vessels) and three supply ships. At the time this was one quarter of the entire U.S. Navy!

The combined firepower of Perry's ships, 130 cannon and 2600 men, awed the Japanese. Perry's steam ships surprised the Japanese most of all. Unlike sail boats, these ships were powered by steam, not by wind, and could move in any direction. The Japanese called them the Black Ships because their hulls were black and their coal engines sent plumes of black smoke into the air.

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