U.S.S. West Virginia after Launch, Newport News, Va.
Date:
1921
Description:
The U.S.S. West Virginia floats out into Hampton Roads after being launched at the Newport News shipyard. Afterwards she was outfitted and commissioned in 1923.
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.
The U.S.S. West Virginia next to another much smaller boat. Stamped on back: Official photograph. Not to be used for publication by order of the Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics.
Taken at Hampton Roads Va. Photo of the U.S.S. West Virginia taken after launching. Credit Line: Navy Department photo no. 80-CF-2058-2 in National Archives.
Miss Alice Wright-Mann at Christening and Launch of the U.S.S. West Virginia
Date:
1921/11/19
Description:
Alice Wright-Mann, of Mercer County, is pictured with a large bouquet of flowers and what appears to be a bottle of champagne.Ms. Wright-Mann sponsored the battleship which was built by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. of Newport News, Va. Wright-Mann was the daughter of a millionaire coalmine operator, Isaac T. Mann.
Miss Alice Wright-Mann, third from left holding a large bouquet and bottle, poses with a group on the battleship. The rest of the subjects are unidentified.Alice Wright-Mann, of Mercer County, sponsored the battleship which was built by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. of Newport News, Va. Wright-Mann was the daughter of a millionaire coalmine operator, Isaac T. Mann.
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.
Portraits of the men in the U.S.S. West Virginia's S Division, which handled supply, disbursing, and commissary. All photos are identified with last name and first initials. Several of the men are also identified by nickname. William Hand is at bottom center.
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.
Kneeling in the front row, from left to right, is PFC Meihold; Private Grewohl; PFC Dunning; and Private Hayes.Standing in the back, from left to right, is Corporal Pop Winn Coxswain; PFC Rottier; Private Hill; CPL Marquez; Private Davis; Private McIntyre; PFC Shumacher; and 1st Lieutenant Davis.
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.
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.
Fern Evan's husband, GM3e Woodrow W. Evans was killed aboard the U.S.S. West Virginia during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, leaving Fern to support herself and their 20 month old son. Subsequently, Mrs. Evans was employed at a West Coast aircraft plant. She's shown here working on a radio bracket for a bomber.
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.
U.S.S. West Virginia in Dry Dock, Pearl Harbor, Hi.
Date:
1943/05/25
Description:
"The W. Va. is shown as she was photographed at a dry dock in Pearl Harbor. The battleship was severely damaged in the Japanese raid Dec. 7, 1941. Damages to her sides are visible."
Seaman William Wright and Female in Hula Skirt, Pearl Harbor, Hi.
Date:
1944
Description:
Wright, left, is pictured with an unidentified woman on his lap. Photos are from an album belonging to a member of the U.S.S. West Virginia. William Wright, Radio Technician 2C, was on the ship from 1944-45 and saw action at Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.
Unidentified Crew Member of the U.S.S. West Virginia
Date:
1944-45
Description:
A man likely named Al is pictured on the ship. Photos are from an album belonging to a crew member of the U.S.S. West Virginia. William Wright, Radio Technician 2C, was on the ship from 1944-45 and saw action at Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.
Unidentified Crew Member of U.S.S. West Virginia, Pacific Theater
Date:
1944-45
Description:
Photos are from an album belonging to a crew member of the U.S.S. West Virginia. William Wright, Radio Technician 2C, was on the ship from 1944-45 and saw action at Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.
Two sailors pose together for a photo. The man on the right is likely named Al. Photos are from an album belonging to a member of the U.S.S. West Virginia. William Wright, Radio Technician 2C, was on the ship from 1944-45 and saw action at Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.
The two men in the photo are sitting on top of or near one of the gun turrets on the ship. Photos are from an album belonging to a crew member of the U.S.S. West Virginia. William Wright, Radio Technician 2C, was on the ship from 1944-45 and saw action at Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.
Mast of the U.S.S. West Virginia Being Loaded for Shipment to Morgantown, W. Va.
Date:
1961/02
Description:
The mast of the U.S.S. West Virginia being loaded at Todd Shipyards in Seattle, Washington. The mast was shipped to Morgantown, West Virginia in February 1961.
Mast of the U.S.S. West Virginia Being Loaded for Shipment to Morgantown, W. Va.
Date:
1961/02
Description:
The mast of the U.S.S. West Virginia being loaded at Todd Shipyards in Seattle, Washington. The mast was shipped to Morgantown, W. Va. in February 1961.
Mast of the U.S.S. West Virginia Arrives on WVU Campus, Morgantown, W. Va.
Date:
1961/02
Description:
Students and others gather around the mast of the U.S.S. West Virginia, one of the ships sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Identified student, bottom left corner is Thomas V. Kreitzer.
