Statia Day on November 16 commemorates the historic 'First Salute' of November 16, 1776, when the Dutch Caribbean island of Sint Eustatius became the first foreign territory to officially recognize the sovereign flag of the United States of America.
During the opening months of the American Revolutionary War, the tiny Dutch island of Sint Eustatius ('The Golden Rock') was the wealthiest free port in the Caribbean and a vital clandestine lifeline for Continental Army gunpowder, arms, and provisions. On November 16, 1776, the American brig Andrew Doria, flying the Grand Union Flag and commanded by Captain Isaiah Robinson, sailed into Statia's Oranje Bay and fired an 11-gun salute to Fort Oranje. Dutch Governor Johannes de Graaff promptly returned the honor with a 9-gun (or 11-gun) cannon salute from Fort Oranje—the first formal recognition by a foreign official of the newly declared United States of America. In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt visited Sint Eustatius and presented a bronze plaque commemorating the 'First Salute', which is celebrated annually on November 16 as an official public holiday with parades, fireworks, and cultural festivities.
