United States Armored Coast Defense Vessel 'Monterey'
Date:
1890
Description:
United States Armored Coast Defense Vessel "Monterey" fitted with Ward Boilers of 4550 HP built by The Charles Ward Engineering Works in Charleston, West Virginia. The photograph was taken after a national competitive test by U.S. Navy.
U.S.S. West Virginia Immediately after Launch, Newport News, Va.
Date:
1921/11/19
Description:
The U.S.S. West Virginia at sea moments after her launch in November 1921, surrounded by support craft. The battleship, nicknamed the "Wee Vee", was commissioned in December 1, 1923.
Captain Thomas J. Senn of the U. S. S. West Virginia
Date:
1923
Description:
Caption reads, "Captain Thomas J. Senn, U. S. N., who has been placed in command of the new battleship U. S. S. West Virginia, the largest ship of itS kind in the U. S. or any other navy. The ship was placed in commission at the Norfolk Navy Yard, December 1."
Whale boat crew that won a race near San Pedro, California, on February 4, 1934 with a time of 16 minutes, 7 seconds. William Hand is identified as front row, far right.
A crew consisting of a cox, and engineer and two extra men are pictured on the stem of the boat, which was used to take enlisted men ashore. The boat carries about 125 men and is 50 feet long.
A sailor stands in the boat while it's being raised by the battleship's crane. The "punt" boat was used only to paint the sides of the ship. The boat pictured on the far left is a whale boat, which is used as a life boat and is also used in racing. The boat on the right is called a "racing cutter" and is also used as a life boat and in cutter racing.
President Roosevelt Inspects Army and Navy Aircraft, Washington, D. C.
Date:
1938/10/29
Description:
Text on the back reads: "Charles Edison, Assistant Secretary of the Navy; President Roosevelt; and Louis Johnson, Assistant Secretary of War, as the President made an inspection of various types of aircraft at Army's Bolling Field and Naval Air Station."
President Roosevelt Inspects Army and Navy Aircraft, Washington, D. C.
Date:
1938/10/29
Description:
President Roosevelt is shown posing in the presidential limousine in front of officers and an army aircraft with Assistant Secretary of the Navy Charles Edison (back of middle seat) and the Assistant Secretary of War Louis Johnson (beside Edison), among others. The president inspected aircraft at the Army's Bolling Field and the Naval Air Station.
U.S.S. West Virginia Sailors Hoist Their Glasses at Monkey Bar, Pearl Harbor, HI
Date:
1941/12/06
Description:
L to R: Jack Miller, Frank Kosa, Clifford Olds.Olds and 2 other crew members , Ronald Endicott and Louis Costin were trapped in a sealed compartment in the West Virginia's bow after it sank on December 7th. Any rescue attempt meant certain death. The 3 stayed alive until December 24th according to a marked calendar found with their bodies which were recovered after the ship was raised from the harbor bottom in May, 1942.
U.S.S. West Virginia Sinking after Pearl Harbor Attack, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Date:
1941/12/07
Description:
On the left, only the top deck and caged masts of the U.S.S. West Virginia can be seen. The U.S.S. West Virginia was hit with nine bombs and torpedoes total. In the center is the U.S.S. Arizona and on the right is the U.S.S. Tennessee. All ships are on fire.
Damaged Battleships following Japanese Attack, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Date:
1941/12/07
Description:
Smoke billows from the U.S.S. West Virginia, which is pictured in the back and center of the photograph. The ship eventually sank.Floating on the left is the U.S.S. Maryland. On the right is a capsized U.S.S. Oklahoma.
Aerial Photograph taken from Japanese Plane during Attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Date:
1941/12/07
Description:
The photograph was taken at the beginning of the attack. The explosion seen in the center of the photograph is a torpedo that struck the U.S.S. West Virginia.
Salvaging Operations aboard the U.S.S. West Virginia, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Date:
1942/05/05
Description:
The U.S.S. West Virginia looks battered and wounded while docked at the naval shipyard. The "Wee Vee" was hit by nine bombs and torpedoes by the Japanese warplanes during the December 7th attack.
Doris Miller Awarded Navy Cross, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Date:
1942/05/27
Description:
Miller was a member of the U.S.S. West Virginia as a Messman Third Class during the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was awarded the Navy Cross--the third highest navy award for gallantry during combat--for "distinguished devotion to duty, extraordinary courage and disregard for his own personal safety during the attack. Miller, despite enemy strafing and bombing and in the face of serious fire, assisted in moving his Captain who had been mortally wounded to a place of greater safety and later manned and operated a machine gun directed at enemy Japanese attacking aircraft until ordered to leave the bridge."Miller was personally awarded the medal by Admiral Chester Nimitz. He was the first African-American to be awarded the honor.
