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.
"This port quarter shot of the W. Va. taken from the capsized Oklahoma, shows a general view of the damage to the W. Va., sunk in the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941."The U.S.S. Tennessee is visible behind the sunken U.S.S. West Virginia. Part of the U.S.S. Oklahoma is visible in the foreground.
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.
U.S.S. West Virginia Landing Vehicle Headed for Okinawa Beaches
Date:
1945/04
Description:
Troops loaded into landing vehicles head for the beaches of Okinawa as part of the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific theater during World War II. The U.S.S. West Virginia is pictured in the background.
Jennie Lee Johnson & "Buzz" Hellems on the Steps of the Capitol Building in Washington, D. C.
Date:
1948
Description:
To the left of "Buzz", formerly known as Jack, is George Hulme. In rear is Tommy Joe Hellems. The group is there for a Hinton High School graduation trip in the spring of 1948."Buzz" Hellems went on to Concord College after high school and later joined the United States Navy, serving on the USS Orion. Eventually returning to his home in Hinton, "Buzz" owned and operated Hellems Cash Store for more than 58 years. He served on the West Virginia State Senate from 1975-1976 and was a former chairman of the Summers County Democrat Executive Committee as well as the former Director of the Nationanl Bank of Summers. He was married to Glenda Hamm Hellems for 51 years until his death on January 9, 2009 at the age of 78.
General Omar N. Bradley, Admiral Edward C. Ewen, and Secretary of War Louis A. Johnson discuss the military crisis in Korea around a steam kettle in Guam.
U.S.S. West Virginia in dry dock, likely in Newport News, Va. during construction. The keel was laid down in April 1920, and the ship was launched in November 1921.
Sailor Boarding a Motor Boat by High-Line Transfer
Date:
ca. 1936-1937
Description:
A sailor is transferred to the motor boat by gliding down a rope and pulley system. Motor boats were used to carry enlisted men ashore. Photo taken from the deck of the U.S.S. West Virginia. An unidentified battleship lurks in the background.
Clifford Kain Condon, Pharmacist, United States Navy from Morgantown, W. Va
Date:
ca. 1938
Description:
Clifford Kain Condon, dressed in naval uniform. the photograph was taken before World War II. Condon was captured near Manila by the Japanese in December, 1941 and later died in a POW Camp.
Crew members pal around during the crossing initiation ceremony, where sailors who have never crossed the equator before are "brought before Neptune" and tested.
USN Captain Mervyn S. Bennion, U.S.S. West Virginia
Date:
ca. 1940
Description:
Captain Bennion was killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. As he laid mortally wounded on the West Virginia's command bridge, Bennion refused to be removed from his burning ship. He continued to give orders, directing his crew's actions. Bennion's last order to his men before he died was to leave him and "abandon ship." Captain Bennion was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Candid portrait of husband and wife, Clifford and Eva Condon (standing,right) with unidentified couple. The men are wearing navy dress whites. The photograph was probably taken in the Philippines before the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Clifford Condon was captured by the Japanese in December, 1941 and died in a POW Camp in 1945.
Severely Damaged U.S.S. West Virginia After December 7th Attack on Pearl Harbor, Hi.
Date:
ca. 1942
Description:
Men inspect the damage after the infamous Japanese attack. The "Wee Vee" as the ship was affectionately referred to, was raised from the bottom of Pearl Harbor where she was moored during the attack and towed to dry dock for repairs.
Gaping Wound on U.S.S. West Virginia, Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii
Date:
ca. 1942
Description:
Crew members during a salvage and repair operation work port side of the battered battleship. The U.S.S. West Virginia was hit by seven torpedoes and two bombs during the December 7th attack.
Unidentified Crew Member of the U.S.S. West Virginia
Date:
ca. 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.
On the photo is a message reading, "All my love, Bill." 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.
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.
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 photo was taken from the deck of the U.S.S. West Virginia. 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 U.S.S. West Virginia Crew
Date:
ca. 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. Another battleship is visible in the background.
![Back Row: unknown, Niskalas, Fonda, Collins, Payne, [illegible]Middle Row: Butt, McDonald, Otard, Crush, unknown, [illegible], Spiro, Fletcher, A. Alexander, Hurst, R. ThomasChief Patterson, Bos'n AnklerFirst Row: Creekmore, Edmunds, Ervin, Bozard, Ens. White, Lt. Compton, Lt. Rosenkrans, Day, [illegible], J. Thomas, Willis](/thumb/053819.jpg "Section A3, District Intelligence Office of the U. S. Navy, Norfolk, V. A.")
