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NavSource Online: Battleship Photo Archive

Articles

Size	Image Description	Contributed By And/Or Copyright
328k	MAKING BIG GUNS AND ARMOR PLATE FOR UNCLE SAM A Thousand Men Are Working Night and Day at the Bethlehem Iron Works	Image and text provided by University of Utah, Marriott Library. Photo from Deseret Evening News. (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 05 March 1898, Part 2, Image 16, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
2.45k	TREMENDOUS COST OF MODERN WARFARE	Image and text provided by University of California, Riverside. Photo from The San Francisco Call. (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 20 March 1898, Page 19, Image 19, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
933k	CARE OF SICK ON WAR SHIPS Perfect System of the Navy for Attending to Disabled Men. SHARP CONTRAST WITH ARMY METHODS	Image and text provided by University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE. Photo from Omaha Daily Bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 07 October 1898, Image 9, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
660k	THE MINIATURE NAVY OF THE UNITED STATES. Tiny Craft in Every Line Counterparts of Great Battleships Whose Names They Bear A Number of Skilled Workmen Employed on the Construction of Uncle Sam's Lilliputian Marine Service Work Done by Tools as Delicate as a Dentists Instrument.	Image and text provided by Library of Congress, Washington, DC. Photo by The Washington Times.(Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 23 March 1902, Magazine Features, Image 3, courtesy of chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
802k	BLOCKADE AND SEIGE OF PORTLAND MAINE ARMY AGAINST NAVY IN THE FINAL STAGE OF THE GREAT FLEET MANOEUVERS ........ First Squadron First Division battleship Kearsarge (BB-5), flagship of Rear Admiral Barker, and battleships Alabama (BB-8) and Illinois (BB-7), Second Division Battleship *Texas* flagship of Admiral Bands, and battleships Indiana (BB-01) and Massachusetts (BB-2).	Image and text provided by State Historical Society of Missouri; Columbia, MO. Photo from The St. Louis Republic. (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 23 August 1903, MAGAZINE SECTION, Image 47, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
1.48k	In the Stokehole of the Modern Battleship Where the Strain Is Greatest During a Sea Fight	Image and text provided by University of Utah, Marriott Library. Photo from Deseret Evening News. (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 16 July 1904, Last Edition, Part Two, Image 12, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
3.36k	WHEN THE BIG FLEET COMES TO SAN FRANCISCO	Image and text provided by University of California, Riverside. Photo from The San Francisco Call.(San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 28 July 1907, Page 5, Image 5, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
3.14k	The United States Atlantic fleet which sailed from Hampton roads for San Francisco yesterday under command of Rear Admiral Robley D. Evans.	Image and text provided by University of California, Riverside. Photo from The San Francisco Call.(San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 17 December 1907, Image 2, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
3.1k	FEEDING AND SUPPLYING THE SHIPS	Image and text provided by University of California, Riverside. Photo from The San Francisco Call.(San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 26 April 1908, Image 2, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
3.46k	MARE ISLAND MAKES READY What Happens at the Hospital for Sick Warships When the Dress Parade Is Over	Image and text provided by University of California, Riverside. Photo from The San Francisco Call. (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 26 April 1908, Image 12, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
3.19k	GREAT FLEET IN FINAL HAVEN Rear Admiral Robley D.Evans, commander in chief of the Atlantic battleship fleet. On the left is a photograph showing the veteran naval officer going up the gangway of the flagship-from the launch, while on the right the admiral is shown while being assisted into the automobile that conveyed him to the St. Francis.	Image and text provided by University of California, Riverside. Photo from The San Francisco Call.(San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 07 May 1908, Image 1, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
3.87k	BATTLESHIP OF FUTURE WILL LOOK LIKE A LOG WITH SIX BUMPS ON IT THE COMING BATTLESHIP—NO MASTS, BRIDGES, RIGGINGS, SMOKESTACKS, FUNNELS AND IN BATTLE, NO RAILINGS, SMALL BOATS OR MEN IN SIGHT.	Image and text provided by Washington State Library; Olympia, WA. Photo from The Tacoma Times. (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 06 April 1909, Image 5, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
1.46k	JOURNALISM AMONG THE BLUE-JACKETS Surprisingly Numerous and Clever Are the Magazines and Papers Published Regularly by the Men Behind the Guns on Uncle Sam's Fighting Ships	Image and text provided by University of California, Riverside. Photo from The San Francisco Call. (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 25 April 1909, Image 6, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
585k	IN THE TWELVE-INCH TURRET	Image and text provided by University of Utah, Marriott Library. Photo from The Spanish Fork Press. (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 26 August 1909, Image 5, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
652k	A 14-INCH GUN FOR THE NAVY	Image and text provided by Oklahoma Historical Society. Photo from The Beaver Herald. (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 24 February 1910, Image 3, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
2.70k	COST OF A MODERN SEA BATTLE $ 6,000,000 AN HOUR	Image and text provided by University of California, Riverside. Photo from The San Francisco Call. (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 21 May 1911, Image 29, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
4.26k	HOW BLUEJACKETS ENTERTAIN THEIR GUESTS ON BATTLESHIPS	Image and text provided by University of California, Riverside. Photo from The San Francisco Call. (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 19 October 1912, Image 7, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
990k	TINY WARSHIPS THAT PREDICT HOW BIG ONES WILL SPEED On the Water of the Model Experimental Basin at the Washington Navy Yard Each New Vessel of Uncle Sam's Fleets Is Tested Before Construction by Means of a Toy Reproduction Possessing the Exact Lines and Proportions of the Large Craft's Plans	Image and text provided by Library of Congress, Washington, DC. Photo from New-York Tribune. (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 05 January 1913, Image 21, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
613k	Hitting The Mark With The Aid Of The Movies American Gunners, Champion Shots of the World, Are Using the Cinematographic to Photograph Shells in Flight as an Aid in Finding the Range Quickly.	Image and text provided by University of Utah, Marriott Library. Photo by The Ogden Standard.(Ogden City, Utah) 1913-1920, 17 October 1914, 4 P.M. City Edition, MAGAZINE SECTION, Image 19, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov..
706k	U.S. First in Super-dreadnaughts by 1918? British Naval Authority Prophesies American Supremacy in Big War Ships as Soon as Work Now Under Way Is Done	Image and text provided by University of Utah, Marriott Library. Photo from The Ogden Standard. (Ogden City, Utah) 1913-1920, 26 December 1914, 4 P.M. City Edition, MAGAZINE SECTION, Image 17, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
24k	Four Years in the Navy.	POPULAR MECHANICS MAGAZINE, September 1915, Volume 24, Number 3, courtesy of Arnold Putnam.
1.92k	LESSONS FOR UNCLE SAM IN LONG RANGE NAVAL BATTLES	Image and text provided by The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundation. Photo from the The Sun. (New York [N.Y.] 1833-1916, 09 April 1916, SIXTH SECTION SPECIAL FEATURE SUPPLEMENT, Image 59, courtesy of chroniclingamerica.loc.gov. PDF added 12/15/11.
705k	ONE WATCHMAN DEFENDS BATTLESHIPS AT NAVY YARD Vessels Are in Such a Condition, That Not Even River Pirates Would Be Interested Officers Approve Call for 20,000 Men	Image and text provided by Penn State University Libraries; University Park, PA. Photo from Evening Public Ledger. (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 22 June 1916, Night Extra, Image 4, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov..
713k	CITY AT MERCY OF NEW GUN Forts Defending the Approaches to New York Will Be Far Outranged by the 18 Inch Naval Rifles Announced by England Skyscrapers would serve as range marks and would bring down destruction to lower Manhattan. No Longer Could We Hope to Escape Destruction Should Enemy Fleet Armed With Latest War Terror Break Our First Line of Defence What would happen if New York were bombarded by dreadnoughts provided with latest weapons.	Image and text provided by The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundation. Photo from The Sun. (New York, [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 08 October 1916, SECTION 5 SPECIAL FEATURE SUPPLEMENT, Image 53, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
1.35k	U. S. DREADNOUGHTS JOIN LONG NORTH SEA VIGIL.	Image and text provided by Library of Congress, Washington, DC. Photo from New-York Tribune. (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 09 June 1918, Image 36, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
577k	Turret top colored markings on cruisers and battleships at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor. From the time that aircraft were first carried on ships there was a problem for the aviators. How to identify their parent ship from the air? Note the following photo in the inset. Pumping out the California (BB-44) after installation of a cofferdam along her bow's port side, while she was under salvage at Pearl Harbor on 27 February 1942. Note that her turret is trimmed with paint. Aircraft carriers have a distinct appearance, and early USN ships carried identification letters on the flight deck. But catapult launched scout planes still had a problem. By the time aviation scouting and observation squadrons became an integral part of the fleet in the late 1930s a system was devised to help pilots pick out their own ships. It was based upon the colorful squadron livery that also adorned the aircraft at that time. Squadron identification colors were painted on the tops of the forward turrets of the cruisers and battleships that carried scout planes. Individual sections were assigned to specific ships, and a section color was carried on an after turret to provide positive identification. In 1938 the battleships carried colors on "B" and "Y" turrets, but from 1939 to 1941 this was extended to include "A" turret also. The color codes were in use at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and can be easily seen on several photographs. The bright identification colors were gradually painted out in the early months of 1942. Squadrons assigned to battleships were used primarily for observation to assist gunnery and were designated as Observation Squadrons using the initials "VO" (V for heavier than air aircraft, O for Observation). Cruisers carried the same type of aircraft, but the planes were used for scouting as well as observation. The squadrons assigned to the cruisers were called Scouting squadrons and used the letters "VCS" for identification (CS for cruiser scouting). Each Battleships Division and each cruiser division had its own squadron. In the days prior to World War II the aircraft of all squadrons were painted with distinctive colors. The following colors were in effect prior to the Pearl Harbor attack: Battleship Divisions were assigned VO squadrons with numbers matching the division number. Within each division a section was assigned to each ship, usually in order of seniority as listed below. Section colors were Red, White, Blue, Black, and Green (Yellow was reserved for section 6, but never actually used except for carrier planes). Section colors were painted on the after turret tops. The tails of VO squadron aircraft were painted in solid colors, as were the forward turret tops of the ships. From Oct 1940 until the decision to drop colorful peacetime markings the section leaders also carried the squadron color on the entire engine cowling. The next senior leader carried it on the upper half of the cowling and the third in line carried it on the lower half of the cowling. Note: The order of ships given here may not match the actual order used for section assignments. It follows the best data I have, but there is a possibility that the actual sections were not assigned the way I have listed them - {Aryeh Wetherhorn} BATDIV 1 - Red Arizona (BB-39), Nevada (BB-36) & Pennsylvania (BB-38). BATDIV 2 - White Tennessee (BB-43), Oklahoma (BB-37) & California (BB-44). BATDIV 3 - Blue Idaho (BB-42), Mississippi (BB-41) & Mexico (BB-40). BATDIV 4 - Black West Virginia (BB-48), Colorado (BB-45) & Maryland (BB-46). BATDIV 5 - Yellow Texas (BB-35), New York (BB-34) & Arkansas (BB-33). Cruiser squadrons carried one or two horizontal stripes on their rudders in colors as indicated below. The forward turrets of their parent ships were given stripes to match. A circle in the section color was painted on the top of the after turret. CRUDIV 2 - Two Yellow Stripes Memphis (CL-13), Milwaukee (CL-5), Cincinnati (CL-6), Omaha (CL-4) & Marblehead (CL-12). CRUDIV 3 - Two red stripes Richmond (CL-9) Concord (CL-10) Trenton (CL-11) CRUDIV 4 - One Blue Stripe Pensacola (CA-24), Salt Lake City (CA-25), Chicago (CA-29) & Indianapolis (CA-35). CRUDIV 5 - One Yellow Stripe Northampton (CA-26), Chester (CA-27), Louisville (CA-28) & Portland (CA-33). CRUDIV 6 - One Black Stripe Minneapolis (CA-36), Astoria (CA-34), New Orleans (CA-32) & San Francisco (CA-38). CRUDIV 7 - One Green Stripe Wichita (CA-45), Quincy (CA-39), Tuscaloosa (CA-37) & Vincennes (CA-44). CRUDIV 8 - Two Black Stripes Philadelphia (CL-41), Brooklyn (CL-40), Savannah (CL-42) & Nashville (CL-43). CRUDIV 9 - Two Green Stripes Honolulu (CL-48), Phoenix (CL-46), Boise (CL-47), Helena (CL-50) & St Louis (CL-49). VCS ? - Two Blue Stripes (flotilla leaders - not assigned to a Cruiser division) Raleigh (CL-7) & Detroit (CL-8) VCS ? - One Red Stripe Augusta (CA-31) & Omaha (CL-4) (assigned this color by Pacific Fleet commander Adm Kimmel in Mar 1941 despite the fact that she was in the Atlantic in CRUDIV 2) Aircraft Carriers were given a specific color for the tails of all embarked aircraft. The deck letters and colors used from 1937 on were: Lexington (CV-2) - LEX - Yellow, Saratoga (CV-3) - SARA - White, Ranger (CV-4) - RNGR - Green, Yorktown (CV-5) - YKTN - Red, Enterprise (CV-6) - EN - Blue, Wasp (CV-7) - WASP - Black, Hornet (CV-8) - HNT - no color ever assigned. Carrier squadrons normally were divided into 6 three plane sections. Before the war, each section used the colors mentioned in the battleship VO squadrons in a chevron on the upper wing, and on the engine cowling. Section leaders had the entire cowling in color and also had a colored band around the fuselage,. The number 2 aircraft had the color on the top of the cowl, and number 3 carried it on the bottom of the cowl. This was in addition to the numbers and letters carried on the fuselage. All the bright colored markings on aircraft were being phased out in 1941 in favor of light grey camouflage, but the ship turret top colors remained in use. NAVSOURCE photographs that show turret top markings include: Battleships: *Oklahoma, 013721b,& 013731, Pennsylvania, 013823, Arizona, 013904b, West Virginia, 014805, and 3 pictures in the special Pearl Harbor collection , PH105,& PH202,& PH202. Cruisers: Chester, 0402717. Indianapolis, 0403503. Minneapolis, 0403612. Chicago, 0402910. Quincy, 0403901. Philadelphia, 0404103. Vincennes, 0404402, & 0404403. Wichita, 0404501. Honolulu, 0404803*.	Official U.S. Navy Photograph, USNHC # NH 55034, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Text courtesy of Aryeh Wetherhorn.
1.9m	Fore deck of a battleship. PDF article entitled "Soviet Policy in the Baltic", by Major Henry G. Morgan Jr. This article appeared in the April 1960 edition of U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, pgs 82-89.	Photo & article courtesy of Pieter Bakels.
577k	Convoy off the Cornish Coast. PDF article entitled "Naval Gunfire, Today & Tomorrow", Sept. 1966 by Lt. Col. James B. Soper, USMC.	Photo & article courtesy of USNIP via Pieter Bakels.
1.3m	A ship-sloop of war while on patrol in the English Channel has just come about after sighting a strange sail on the horizon and closes to investigate. PDF article entitled "The Battleship in the U.S. Navy" from the Naval History Division, Navy Department 1970.	Photo courtesy of Pieter Bakels. Article courtesy of Darryl Baker.
387k	Field day aboard an American frigate. PDF article entitled "The Gun Gap and How To Close It".	Photo & article courtesy of Pieter Bakels.
175k	American Brig-of-War airing her sails. PDF article entitled "Options for Naval Surface Fire Support". Article by the Honorable Roscoe G. Bartlett, Chairman Subcommittee on Projection Forces, Committee on Armed Services, House of Representatives, 19 November 2004.	Photo & article courtesy of Pieter Bakels.